Leadership Course

Transformative Leadership

Create an adaptive culture by inspiring behavioral change.

Oct 6, 13, 20, 27 & Nov 3, 10, 2026
$1,500
Register

Location:

Synchronous on Zoom

Schedule:

9:00am-12:00pm ET

Course Summary

Learning Objectives

Course Overview

Credentials

Instructional Team

Additional Information

What is an Adaptive Culture?

An adaptive culture is an organizational environment that encourages flexibility, learning, and responsiveness to change. It enables teams to adjust quickly to new challenges, adopt new ideas, and continuously improve how they work.

Course Summary

Discounts

The following GoBlue pricing discounts are available and cannot be combined. Please contact us at [email protected] for a promotional code that will allow you to apply the eligible discount to your registration.

With 15 or more enrollments, you may want to consider a custom program for your organization. Please contact us to learn more about our partnership opportunities.

Once you have paid, a discount cannot be added retroactively.

THESE DISCOUNTS ARE NOT APPLICABLE FOR PARTNER PROGRAMS.

Name Details Level
Group Discount Level 1 Enroll 3-4 participants in one course offering. 5%
Group Discount Level 2 Enroll 5 or more participants in one course offering. 10%
U.S. Government Current employees with .gov email (not applicable to government contractors). 10%
U.S. Military Active duty personnel, reservists, retired or disabled veterans. 10%
Students Currently enrolled student from any university; please send photo of date-stamped student ID. 10%
Michigan Engineering Professional Education Alumni Past participants of any Michigan Engineering Professional Education certificate course. 10%
U-M Alumni U-M alumni from any school or department – please send uniqname to [email protected] for confirmation. 20%
U-M Students and Staff Current U-M students, faculty, and staff – please send uniqname to [email protected] for confirmation. 20%
Go Blue Discounts
Instruction Time Completion Time CEUs
Transformative Leadership 9:00am - 12:00pm ET Six 3-hour sessions 2.75

Transformative Leadership is an innovative approach that inspires growth within individuals and organizations. By harnessing the power of social influence and purpose, you can remove a fear of change in your organization. To achieve this, transformative leaders learn to navigate the challenges of human nature and organizational inertia while implementing key leadership principles and practices.

Learning Objectives

  • Understand transformative leadership and its impact on individuals and organizations, including the importance of adaptive cultures
  • Analyze how human nature affects change—considering factors like the need for certainty, fear, and resistance
  • Explore classic motivational models and the psychology of learning
  • Design a leadership roadmap to outline goals and create inspirational purpose at both organizational and personal levels
  • Recognize the attributes and essential qualities of a transformative leader
  • Learn the process of change management
  • Learn how to use tools like PDCA, visual management systems, and leader standard work
  • Develop coaching skills and capacity, including different coaching methods and understanding learner types
  • Explore strategies for sustaining organizational culture, drawing insights from real-world case studies and applications

Course Overview

In this course, you will merge theoretical concepts with practical strategies to master transformative leadership and align individual goals with organizational objectives. You will develop a customized roadmap for success. This roadmap will include coaching methods, change management processes, and sustainment strategies to enhance your leadership style. With transformative leadership, you will learn to lead change in your organization and inspire others to do the same.

Overview of Transformative Leadership 

  • Definition, Objective, and Challenges
  • Social Systems and Social Influence


Creating an Adaptive Culture 

  • Organizational Inertia vs. Flexible Adaptive Cultures
  • Human Nature Challenges: Expectations, Fear, and Resistance to Change

Motivation and Trust

  • Building a Foundation of Trust
  • Classic Motivational Models
    • The Personal System (Attitudes, Moods, Beliefs, Competencies, Values, Goals)
    • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
    • Herzberg’s Job Enrichment Principles
  • Creating a Reason for Change, Get Personal


Psychology of Learning

  • The Law of Readiness, the Law of Effect, the Law of Exercise, the Law of Habit
  • Forming Habits: Cue, Routine, Reward
  • Group Exercise: Personal History of Change
  • Lean Tool: Plus Delta

Four Factors of Transformational Leadership

  • Intellectual Stimulation
  • Individualized Consideration
  • Inspirational Motivation
  • Idealized Influence


Motivation Skills & Techniques

  • 5 Types of Appreciation
  • Intrinsic Reward and Long-Term Success


Leading with Authenticity

  • Practice Self-Awareness, Humility, and Collaboration
  • Group Exercise: Approaches of a Great Leader
  • Individual Exercise: Trust Inventory

Create an Inspirational Purpose

  • Start with a Roadmap
  • Outline Purpose at Organizational and Personal Levels


Develop a Process

  • Tools & Methodologies
  • Replacing Uncertainty with Confidence


Provide Coaching

  • Explore the Dreyfus Model, Humble Inquiry, Socratic Method
  • Understand Learner Types


Manage the Change

  • Change Management Processes
  • Apply the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle


Sustain the Culture

  • Visual Management Systems
  • Leader Standard Work
  • Case Studies and Application: Pixar, Toyota


Roadmap Presentations and Wrap-Up

Who Should Attend

The Transformative Leadership course is intended to benefit:

  • Anyone in a leadership position from supervisor to CEO
  • Leaders in any industry including but not limited to manufacturing, service, and healthcare
  • Anyone who wants to create an adaptable culture of continuous improvement

Credentials

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Digital Certificate

Certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of this course.

Instructional Team

Drew Locher

  • Lean Specialist and Instructor, Michigan Engineering Professional Education
  • President, Change Management Associates

Drew first became involved in the development and delivery of innovative Business Improvement programs while working for General Electric in the 1980s. Since leaving GE in 1990 and forming Change Management Associates, he has provided Operational Excellence consulting and organizational development services to industrial and service organizations representing a wide variety of industries including: Healthcare, Transportation, Distribution, Education, Financial Services and Manufacturing.

Additional Information

How Transformative Leadership Is Used in Industry?

Organizations apply these leadership practices to improve team communication, navigate difficult conversations, and align cross-functional teams in engineering and technical environments.

Skills

Culture shaping; strategic influence; change navigation; team empowerment; mission-driven leadership.

Audience

Leaders seeking to create cultural change, stronger alignment, and broader organizational impact.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What does Transformative Leadership cover? Transformative Leadership helps professionals lead in ways that shape culture, strengthen trust, and move organizations forward. The course focuses on leading change, influencing others, and creating meaningful, lasting impact.

Who should take Transformative Leadership? Leaders seeking to create cultural change, stronger alignment, and broader organizational impact.

How is Transformative Leadership used in practice? Leaders use these skills to shift culture, build trust, and move people toward meaningful organizational change.

Questions Professionals Also Ask

What makes leadership transformative? How do leaders shift culture? How do leaders build trust during change?

Related Courses

Healthy Conflict & Difficult Conversations, Leading Change, Leadership in the Age of AI

View Knowledge Base

Get Started

For more information or answers to any questions please email [email protected] or fill out the form.