In today’s dynamic world—from shifting talent market trends to evolving consumer needs—effective leadership is more important than ever. To ignite innovation, motivation, and lasting positive change within organizations, transformational leaders stand out as the most capable of guiding teams to lasting success.
While there are many definitions of transformational leadership, most workforce experts stress the importance of a values-driven approach across-the-board: Deloitte, for example, suggests that transformative leadership manifests when all levels of an organization are well-versed in “leading self, leading others, and leading organizations and systems.” All competencies in Deloitte’s model connect with either personal or core organizational values.
But how do you instill a values-first approach? Whitney Wolfe Herd, Founder and CEO of dating and networking app Bumble, suggests beginning with your personal “why.” Define the kind of impact you want to have in the world and connect every step of your team’s progress to that underlying mission. Whether you’re launching a new product or a new initiative within your organization, staying true to the problems you are trying to solve will help you keep your teams moving forward, even in the face of challenges.
Whitney made her mark as the youngest female self-made billionaire after she took Bumble Inc. public in 2021. She’s also well-acquainted with the unique challenges women can face as entrepreneurs. Even though startups with at least one female founder raise more in venture capital funding, only 15 percent of tech founders are female.
Whitney used that male-driven environment to help her discover white space in the market—an opportunity men had overlooked. The result was a multibillion-dollar company, Bumble Inc., which has stayed true to its mission to empower women and create safe spaces for relationships to unfold. Below are the principles that helped shape her transformational leadership style.
If you want to launch a product, service, or brand that lasts, you need to define your reason for offering it in the first place. This definition will become your nucleus and your North Star as you innovate and iterate. It creates an emotional attachment to the product you’re building or the project you’re spearheading.
That “why” is what connects you to your audience. It can also keep your entire team aligned. The execution of your idea may evolve, but the underlying mission won’t change.
2. Be Your Own Kind of Leader
Stick with the old standards for success, and you’ll get only standard results. If you want to inspire your teams and create a culture of innovation, you can’t limit yourself by trying to fit the bill for your industry. You don’t have to be different for the sake of being different, though.
Be different by being yourself. Be authentic and stay true to your passion, which will guide you and your teams through inevitable changes in the market.
As Whitney says: “There is only one you. Don’t try to do what the next person has done.”
3. Stay Real
Defining your leadership style starts and ends with believing in your own vision. Lean into what you can contribute in a unique way, because that’s where you set yourself apart.
Whitney was a new first-time mom dealing with postpartum depression when she was preparing to take Bumble public. Instead of keeping her personal struggles private, she stayed open with her team about the challenges she was facing. Her vulnerability has helped her build stronger teams and made them feel safer and more committed.
4. Spark Creativity Through Supportive Work Environments
How do you keep teams motivated and inspired? An important first step is to create working environments that foster creativity, innovation, collaboration, and inclusion.
And don’t worry about following the traditional concept for workspaces. With its bright elements and cozy nooks for collaborating, Bumble Inc.'s headquarters in many ways represents the ultimate anti-tech space. Whitney says you can also find ways to extend the work environment you want to create to work-from-home or hybrid scenarios.
The idea is to create a supportive culture where employees have space to be themselves—and embrace the importance of wellness. Encourage your teams to work cross-functionally instead of in silos. Most of all, allow your teams to plan their days around when and how they are most creative and productive.
Check out Bumble Inc.'s headquarters—“the Hive”—and learn more about Whitney Wolfe Herd’s approach to transformational leadership in her new class on MasterClass.