Unlike the iconic autobots in the movie Transformers, who can instantly morph into their automotive form and exceed well over 250 mph, true transformation takes time. Like a rich wine that ages in its barrel to refine, incremental transfiguration to radical change is carefully developed and carried out in phases.

Becoming a transformational nonprofit leader is no different. It involves creating and casting a vision, developing new ways of working and solving wickedly complex problems in often desperate communities for which there is no immediate answer.

Transformational leaders help create the pulse of a society's future, which is no small feat. The process is not instantaneous but takes planning, nurturing and time, starting with you and how you are designed. So how can you, as a nonprofit leader, become a true transformer for increased effectiveness?

Leadership development—and, more specifically, building leaders to positively impact Haiti—is one of the pillars of our nonprofit. In this article, I'd like to share with you a transformer's blueprint. But first, a bit of history.

Since its conception in the 1970s, transformational leadership has grown into one of the most popular and extensively researched leadership approaches within the practitioner's book of knowledge. Rooted in the seminal work of sociologist James V. Downton (1973), built on by political scientist James MacGregor Burns (1978) and further expanded by a renowned scholar in the field of leadership studies and behavior, Bernard Bass (1985), the focus of transformational leadership is on intrinsic motivation—what moves followers to accomplish far beyond what is expected. Initially created to address social challenges, this type of leadership is attentive to followers' unique needs and helps develop followers to their fullest potential.

Read the full article about transformational nonprofit leadership by Cinque Parker at Forbes.