Transformational Leadership

What is Transformational Leadership? What kind of person is a transformational leader? Charismatic leaders develop special leader-follower relationships and inspires followers in extraordinary ways. Charisma has been seen as a rare thing…something we are born with. Today though, it has become a very important part of leadership.

Transformational and Transactional Leadership What we have been talking about so far in this unit has been mostly about transactional leadership. This category concentrates on directing efforts of others through, tasks, rewards, and structures. Leaders in this category: -Apply frameworks to keep others moving forward to achieve plans and goals. -Change styles, adjust tasks, and give rewards to achieve positive influence. Transformational Leadership is inspirational. Followers of a transformational leader are motivated to perform at their highest level. They want to put in the highest effort. Leaders in this category: -Inspire their followers. -Are charismatic. -Personally excited about what they are doing.

Transformational and Transactional Leadership Both these styles can work together. Being Transactional is not a bad thing, but to excel at leading, one must try to be transformational.

Qualities of a Transformational Leader Vision – Having ideas and a clear sense of direction; communicating them to others; developing excitement about accomplishing those dreams. Charisma – Using the power of personal reference and emotion to inspire enthusiasm, faith, loyalty, pride, and trust in themselves. Symbolism – Identifying “heroes” and holding spontaneous and planned ceremonies to celebrate excellence and high-achievement. Empowerment – Helping others develop by removing performance obstacles, sharing responsibilities, and delegating truly challenging work. Intellectual stimulation – gaining the involvement of others by creating awareness of problems and stirring their imaginations. Integrity – Being honest and credible, acting consistently out of personal conviction, and following through on commitments.

Current Issues in Leadership Development Two main areas of study recently: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE and GENDER AND LEADERSHIP

Current Issues in Leadership Development In the first chapter we learned about emotional intelligence. This is the ability to manage our emotions in social relationships. Studies have shown that the higher up a manager is an organization, the more EI capabilities they have. It is important to note that EI skills can be learned

Current Issues in Leadership Development The most important parts of EI are the following: Self-awareness – Understanding our own moods and emotions, and understanding their impact on our work and others. Self-regulation – thinking before we act and controlling otherwise disruptive impulses. Motivation – Working hard with persistence and for reasons other than money and status. Empathy – Understanding the emotions of others and using this understanding to better relate to them. Social Skill – Establishing rapport with others and building good relationships and networks.

Current Issues in Leadership Development Gender and Leadership In general, men and women have different leadership styles. More interactive More willing to share, care. More inclusive More transactional “Command and control” More directive This is a very risky area to study. Researchers are hesitant to release results that could be interpreted as sexist. These are not hard rules….there are women who are very command-and-control focused, and there are men who are very inclusive. What is interesting is that on average, women tend to have more interactive leadership skills than men…but there are fewer women in positions of power. This should change.

Drucker’s “Old-Fashioned” Leadership Peter Drucker is an “old school” leadership expert. When asked to run a leadership course on “charisma,” he replied that “leadership…is work.” He believed that leadership is: -Defining and establishing a sense of mission. -Accepting leadership as a responsibility rather than a rank. -Earning and keeping the trust of others Set the goals, keep them clear, maintain them. Don’t blame others, accept responsibility. Not afraid to develop strong subordinates.

Moral Leadership Society today demands that organizations are ethical. This means that leaders must also be ethical. Ethical leadership considers moral standards and is always “good” and “right” by them. If leaders are ethical, the organization will be too.