Interview
Keith Morton
International Business Consultant - Team and Leadership Development
Keith is a seasoned global business consultant who has built and led high-performing teams across North America, EMEA, and Asia, driving success in complex client engagements. With a rich background in talent development, he’s passionate about hiring, developing, and mentoring high-achievers. Keith has created and led numerous impactful programs, including Leadership Development and Consulting University courses on Organizational Change Management and Client Leadership.
His achievements include facilitating a strategic planning workshop for the UN Urban Planning group in Nairobi, a product innovation workshop for a global FMCG company in Thailand, design thinking sessions for a top global bank in NYC and London, and executive leadership series for a major multinational in Switzerland. Keith earned his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School and his expertise and commitment to growth have solidified his reputation as a leader in global consulting and talent development.
Q:How would you articulate the essence of transformational leadership based on your experience in leadership development?
A:My experience has taught me that there are three essential areas of focus for a transformational leader - Vision, Program Management and Change Management. In plain language, transformational leadership is the ability to lead and grow individuals along a path of activities which ultimately winds up in the organization achieving its goals. The core underlying assumption is that the goal is achieved because of the work of the individuals you are leading and not in spite or in the absence of them - that the empowerment and growth of individuals is an absolute necessity to be a successful transformational leader.
The major tenets of the transformational approach to leadership that I have experienced are centered around
- having a vision for the future of the organization used as a North Star for decision-making
- with a structured path to achieving that vision
- with significant stakeholder empowerment and buy-in
The major tenets of the transformational approach to leadership that I have experienced are centered around
- having a vision for the future of the organization used as a North Star for decision-making
- with a structured path to achieving that vision
- with significant stakeholder empowerment and buy-in
Q:In your opinion how can leaders effectively drive cultural and organizational shifts while maintaining stability?
A:Perhaps this is a contrarian perspective, but I do not believe that maintaining complete stability should be a goal for major organizational changes. Some level of stability is absolutely necessary for effectively running the organization. My experience has shown, however, that carefully managed instability is a positive in helping organizations move to where they wish to be.
Without some level of instability, many individuals will not see a reason to move from where they are and what they have always been doing. In Kurt Lewin’s 3-stage Change Management model, the first stage is to ‘unfreeze’ individuals. This is in effect injecting instability into the system to begin the process of moving to where the organization wishes to go.
Or as Charles R Rogers said, "Motivation for change must be generated before change can occur. One must be helped to re-examine many cherished assumptions about oneself and one's relations to others.”
Without some level of instability, many individuals will not see a reason to move from where they are and what they have always been doing. In Kurt Lewin’s 3-stage Change Management model, the first stage is to ‘unfreeze’ individuals. This is in effect injecting instability into the system to begin the process of moving to where the organization wishes to go.
Or as Charles R Rogers said, "Motivation for change must be generated before change can occur. One must be helped to re-examine many cherished assumptions about oneself and one's relations to others.”
Q:How do visionary leadership and change-oriented approaches overlap, and how can both be used to achieve long-term success?
A:These 2 approaches are intimately interrelated. The first step in transformational leadership is to define the future-state vision. Far too many organizations do this with a top-down mandate wasting a meaningful opportunity to begin the process of change with all stakeholders. As a leader, you will be asking your stakeholders to change how they approach their daily activities in a fundamentally different way than they have.
[Exercise] Try moving your rubbish can to the other side of your desk and see how long before you 'must' move it back. Now imagine asking hundreds or thousands of people to fundamentally change how they do their jobs on a daily basis. A true transformational leader will take action to overcome the naturally occurring resistance to change from the very beginning and do so in a manner that both uplifts the individuals while relentlessly driving toward the stated and agreed upon future vision.
[Exercise] Try moving your rubbish can to the other side of your desk and see how long before you 'must' move it back. Now imagine asking hundreds or thousands of people to fundamentally change how they do their jobs on a daily basis. A true transformational leader will take action to overcome the naturally occurring resistance to change from the very beginning and do so in a manner that both uplifts the individuals while relentlessly driving toward the stated and agreed upon future vision.
Q:What are the most critical competencies that distinguish a transformational leader from other leadership styles?
A:[Thought Experiment] Think of the best leaders you have experienced in your life, s/he could be a parent, clergy, boss, sports figure, teacher, coach or anyone that you have admired as a leader. List out those traits that made them such great leaders. While not a 1-for-1 match, having done this with many groups, I would expect that your list will have many of the following competencies listed below:
Has a clear vision that is used as a North Star
Has a high Emotional Quotient
Understands the importance of Organizational Change Management - that any transformation requires many, many constituents to support it
Is able to communicate the benefits of the transformation to all of the varied stakeholders
Believes passionately in the Transformation that they are leading
Wishes and works to make leaders out of those around them
Does not shirk difficult discussions and addresses them with empathy
Has a clear vision that is used as a North Star
Has a high Emotional Quotient
Understands the importance of Organizational Change Management - that any transformation requires many, many constituents to support it
Is able to communicate the benefits of the transformation to all of the varied stakeholders
Believes passionately in the Transformation that they are leading
Wishes and works to make leaders out of those around them
Does not shirk difficult discussions and addresses them with empathy
Q:What strategies have proven most effective in fostering an environment that supports meaningful change at the senior level?
A:Resistance to change is a natural human response and falls within one of three categories - Rational, Political or Emotional. To get senior leaders to support/champion meaningful change, it is necessary to work on all 3 levels. Rationally, it is important to show why the change makes sense to their business organization. Politically, it is essential to have support from the top of the house. The Sponsor must be of sufficient rank and influence to signal others the importance of the change. Most importantly for senior executives is to remove their Emotional resistance to change. Senior leaders have achieved their positions under the old way of doing things. Therefore, it is essential that they are made to feel involved and relevant in the future state. Different leaders will have different types of resistance, but using the Rational, Political and Emotional framework will help identify individualized areas of focus.
Q:How does emotional intelligence contribute to guiding transformational leadership within complex, global organizations?
A:Emotional Intelligence as defined by Goleman encompasses five key components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. These skills are necessary in any setting but absolutely critical when leading within a complex, global organization with its myriad of cultures, working styles and personal agendas. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to manage stress, build strong relationships, motivate teams, and make sound decisions under pressure. They are also more likely to foster a positive and productive work environment, leading to improved employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and overall organizational performance.
Q:How can leaders empower their teams to embrace innovation and adapt to rapidly changing business environments?
A:When leaders see the only way to successfully navigate whatever changes are occurring is with their people not in spite of them, when they realize that everyone on the team wishes to do a good job, and that it is the leader’s job to help them succeed, the entire team will then lay the foundation for rapid adoption in the face of disruptive change. Tactically a leader should align the group around the North Star vision, share what is in it for each of the individuals and in doing so remove the Rational, Political and Emotional resistance that exists. This will free up the individuals to not just do their job but go above and beyond knowing that they are safe to push the envelope and make mistakes in the name of innovation.
Q:Could you share a notable example from your career where transformational leadership was instrumental in turning around a struggling team or organization?
A:A new position is a great opportunity to leverage transformational leadership to turn around a team or organization. Taking over an IT Services company’s Consulting unit, we crafted our objectives as a unit and the benefits we looked to bring to the parent organization. This formed a ‘North Star’ for what we would be doing and why, coalescing the team around shared goals. Team members at all levels and geographies were encouraged to lead or be involved with specific initiatives that built the team and its skills. Once the entire team was ‘pulling in the same direction’, the team was intentional about defining how we worked with our internal and external clients. The values the team crafted provided a great sense of pride and further pulled together the group. Within 18 months, the small group had quadrupled in size and become a cohesive team with a distinct team-first culture.