Transformational leadership can be complex, difficult, demanding, and stressful. It is not surprising that there are so many books, programs, trainings, consultants, and coaches that exist to help leaders develop leadership and management skills. Leaders play an important role in employee satisfaction and ultimately the success or failure of an organization. Communication is at the heart of all leadership skills, and it is frequently an area of focus by consultants and trainers. As Kotter, a New York Times bestselling author and retired Harvard Business School professor, explained, “What leaders really do is prepare organizations for change and help them cope as they struggle through it.”

Our book, Motivational Interviewing for Leadership: MI-LEAD, provides a roadmap for leaders to become Transformational Leaders. It provides concrete, person-focused tools that help to address ambivalence and engagement both on an individual level and at a group level. These tools are an effective approach to developing skills as a transformational leader, one who can communicate well, enhance engagement, respond effectively to ambivalence and discord, and lead through change.