Most organisations and countries face an existential crisis at some stage. In these times, they seek redemption by electing leaders who will serve them with honesty, decency, integrity and courage to turn around their fortunes and save them from decline. Still, such leaders are scarce. This might explain why many Western democracies are languishing in mediocrity, not knowing what needs to be done to usher in the political renaissance that many countries so desperately need.

In the business world, enterprises in crisis attempt to restructure their business model to remain relevant in democratic capitalism. Management consultants McKinsey and Company in a research study found that 70 per cent of business re-engineering projects fail. At the political level, many would argue that even more attempts to reinvent the economic model of some countries fail miserably. The prime cause of these failures is mediocre leadership that fails to connect with people and inspire and inflame them to walk the difficult road that will lead to prosperity.

In the late 1970s, the American historian and political scientist James MacGregor developed the notion of “transformational” versus “transactional” leadership. Transactional leaders prevail in business and politics. They exploit existing paradigms without imagining what else might be possible. In politics, these leaders exploit people. Rather than seeking the greater good for their country, they reduce civic life to endemic anger, resentment and grievance.

The partisan political system many Western economies embrace encourages transactional leaders who base their relationship with followers on an exchange, such as jobs for votes. Some pose as pseudo-transformational leaders and may have charisma. They pretend to have a compelling vision that influences people towards a journey to better their lives without explaining the hard work needed to achieve their objectives.

They make empty promises to lure disgruntled voters into regaining faith in the democratic system that is failing them. These leaders’ strategies focus on themselves. They believe that a change in appearances, a reinvention of the status quo, a repeat of the past, or quick fixes to difficult problems is all that is needed to rescue their country from a lingering socio-economic crisis.

An increasing number of people are disillusioned with how the traditional political parties of the right and left have left them struggling to survive in a fast-changing, post-industrial world. They want transformational leaders to create something never seen before and not predicted by the past. Transformational leaders must have the ability to connect with the hopes and dreams of people and make them real without hiding the complex challenges that need to be won to achieve this. They do not buy votes with false promises.

Transformational leaders do not sit on the fence, fearing to ruffle the feathers of some of their potential supporters by speaking their minds on what they believe is right or wrong in their society. They are passionate, courageous, single-minded, and have a robust value system. They stand for something, and they tell the truth at all times. They can often be ruthless and self-absorbed as they fight for difficult change.

An increasing number of people are disillusioned with how the traditional political parties of the right and left have left them struggling to survive in a fast-changing post-industrial world

The initial stages of the journey of a transformational leader are riddled with obstacles and risks. Transformational leaders know they must address inevitable conflict in their fight for justice and fairness. They are willing to make enemies. They do not shun conflict. They confront it, exploit it, and ultimately embody it.

Of course, decades of partisan politics have lulled millions of voters in democratic countries into believing that political change can and must be gradual to not shake them out of their comfort zones. Therefore, they vote for leaders who pose as reformers who want to improve existing programmes and approaches. For some countries, this is insufficient today. That is why there are so many politicians in traditional and new populist parties that are phonies whose primary interest is to win and progress in their careers.

Some political scientists argue that larger democracies often have to go through a generation or two before they find a transformational leader. Smaller democracies may even take longer. The CV of a transformational leader has to include robust credentials like acting with integrity and fairness, the ability to convince people that the economy can grow while protecting the environment, and the government can be fiscally responsible while funding critical national priorities like free health and education for all.

Hopefully, civic education and a hefty dose of luck can make the transition to transformational leadership achievable for many of today’s Western economies languishing in mediocrity because of poor transactional leadership.