"As a transformational leader, you need to balance the four individual yet related disciplines of being a leader, manager, coach and mentor."

Leadership consultant Swords offers sound, practical steps for those who find themselves in a leadership role in their profession, whether by ambition or progression. She provides various methods for self-analysis, always advising that one may not need to change one's basic traits, only align them with the new trends in corporate leadership. In the past, management was based more on rigid rules. But in today's rapidly changing technological environment, Swords asserts that managers should concentrate on the people who work for them, understand them, offer them incentives based on their own goals, and help them function as a team, no matter what changes they may face. She calls this the transformational management style—less dictatorial, more personal, geared to the millennial generation of employees, utilizing shared vision, open communication, cultural factors, team building, and the ability to steer a team through inevitable changes. Collaboration and communication will foster "soul-centered" leadership, resulting in high-performance standards and employee and customer satisfaction.

Swords is an internationally recognized mentor and trainer who strongly advocates putting people before profits as a method for overall corporate improvement. She presents helpful tools such as templates for interviewing and staff development and steps for handling such crucial factors as conducting meetings, delegating responsibilities, giving effective feedback, and fostering teamwork. In addition, she urgently advises leaders to take care of their health, analyze their personal strengths and manage their time effectively. Throughout, she stresses the efficacy of the transformational leadership style to personnel in all work environments. Her work is highly organized, projecting people-centered values to her readers that she hopes they, in turn, will convey to those looking to them for guidance. Swords' thought-provoking manual should be studied and her methods adapted by individuals and teams at all levels of corporate functioning.

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