Through the years, I have seen many movies that capture this week’s lesson of Transformational Leadership. The one that stands out the most to me is Dead Poets Society. I remember watching this movie and being so moved. It was incredible to see how one quirky professor helps lead this group of boys out of their safe comfort zone and push them to limits that they never thought were conceivable.
Dead Poets Society was set at a prestigious boarding school for men set in the late 1950’s. The school was filled with rich traditions that were bound by rigid traditions and high standards. Robin Williams was introduced to the students as their new English Professor at which time they were not accepting of his different and energetic teaching style. He pushed them to learn outside the box. He taught them by stimulating them to think differently and offered them different ways to look at what they were learning. Transformational leadership is defined to have the ability to inspire and motivate. This is exactly what he did.
As described by Northouse (2013), transformation leaders usually take the following steps:
� Transformational leaders set out to empower followers and get individuals to transcend their own self-interests for the sake of others.
� Transformational leaders become role models for their followers. They have a high set of morals and a strong sense of identity.
� Transformational leaders create a vision. This vision gives the leader and the organization a map for where the organization is headed. The vision also gives followers a sense of identity with the organization.
� Transformational leaders act as change agents who initiate and implement new directions within organizations.
� Transformational leaders make clear the emerging values and norms of the organization. They involve themselves in the culture of the organization and help shape its meaning.
With each different student, he applied the steps above and moved them to look at what they were currently doing in their lives, what was missing and what more did they really want out. He moved them individually to do things they would have never wanted to do before as they weren’t pushed to. They lived in this perfect sheltered life that was never shaken up or changed. The professor served as their inspiration to live their life extraordinary.
Even when the rest of the school administration was starting to notice the non-conformity in the students, it didn’t stop the professor from setting forth what he thought was best for each of them. He listened to their needs and played on their strengths versus weakness, in order to get the best out of them. And through this he gained their trust which is very important in the transformational leadership theory. Transformational leaders encourage other and celebrate their accomplishments. In the end, transformational leadership results in people feeling better about themselves and their contributions to the greater common good. (Northhouse 2013) He taught them to walk differently in a figurative and literal sense.
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
EDWARD LEE KLONOWSKI says
What I find fascinating about the example of transformational leadership in the movie The Dead Poets Society is that it undoubtedly had transformational effects in two ways. Robin Williams inspired the students in the movie as part of the performance, but also within the millions of viewers that have watched the movie transformations have taken place. Personally, it inspired me to purchase a copy of Leaves of Grass when I was 15, but how many others were inspired. How many teachers watched it and then were motivated to become transformational leaders within their classrooms? This is the wonderful transformational power of the arts. It would be very interesting to conduct a study on how many people were inspired to become transformational leaders due to watching that movie. It is not hard to imagine someone with the charisma and other qualities needed to be a great transformational leader nudged to the forefront of leadership because of watching this movie.
Kaitlin Stanilka says
Karin,
Although I have never seen the movie “Dead Poets Society”, after reading this you may have inspired me to do so! I think your choice of topic was very creative and a great demonstration of Transformational Leadership.
One great point that you made described the teaching style of Robin Williams. You wrote that, “He pushed them to learn outside the box. He taught them by stimulating them to think differently and offered them different ways to look at what they were learning”. This point is one that ties directly to the leader characteristics of Transformational Leadership we read about in the lesson. I think that Robin William’s ability to make his students think differently and outside of the box demonstrates his characteristic of vision. The vision characteristic is defined in the lesson as, “future-oriented. They recognize the problems of a present system and offer a vision to overcome these problems”. (PSU, L. 10, p. 4) Without even watching this film I feel as though Robin Williams had a vision to help his students recognize that there is more to life than what they were experiencing, and they must not conform their behavior and personalities in order to be accepted or do well in school.
While reading this, I also wondered if Robin William’s students were immediately influenced by his Transformational Leadership style, or if it was a process, like described in the lesson. The characteristics of followers are: “1. Identification with leader and vision, 2. Heightened emotional levels, 3. Willing subordination to the leader, and 4. Feelings of empowerment”. (PSU, L.10, p 4) From the perspective of someone who has never seen the movie, I feel as though Robin Williams may have had the most trouble with his students because they were not immediately willing to subordination of the leader. This characteristic allows followers to defer their own way of thinking and follow the leader’s way of thinking. I feel as though this must have been a process for the students, and it took time for Robin Williams to become a Transformational Leader.
In turn, I feel you made many valid points that related directly to Lesson 10. I hope to be able to watch “Dead Poets Society” very soon.
Kaitlin Stanilka
References:
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2013). PSYCH 485 Lesson 10: Transformational leadership. Retrieved on March 25, 2013, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp13/psych485/003/content/10_lesson/04_page.html