When most people think about transformational leadership inspirational leaders come to mind; the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. or Nelson Mandela. The fact is that transformational leadership can come from many different levels, situations, and reasons. Transformational leaders do not always have to be the “hero” who is “saving the world” one person/group at a time.
Transformational leadership is a process that changes or transforms people (PSU WC, L10, p. 3). As mentioned above most of the time individuals will think of inspirational heroes as transformational leaders; in fact, most transformational leaders are found in the lower levels of their respective organizations (PSU WC, L10, p. 6).
Luckily, for organizations, transformational leadership has been shown to be something that can be taught. This is important because it distinguishes transformational leadership from the isolated trait of charisma under the trait theory. I know firsthand that transformational leadership is something that can be taught on the organizational level.
My supervisor went away for three weeks of leadership training. He was always a man who believed in using the path-goal theory (one of my favorites). Upon his return he mixed his strengths with path-goal theory and transformational leadership. He had interviews with all of his associates and got to know them. He held one on one conversations to learn about them and their goals, both personally and professionally. He not only set goals with the associates but also began to help individuals transform in their values and thought processes, in regards to the organization and their outlook of the future. He made changes and was not afraid to charge into what needed to be done and meet it head on. He not only transformed many of the associates under him, but himself in the process. In fact, within 3 months of his new leadership outlook he was promoted for his noticeable improvements in our department. He was able to build relationships and unite us under his flag and a common goal; something that the 3 supervisors ahead of him could not.
My point is that transformational leadership works. It can be seen in large and small settings and has plenty of evidence showing its effectiveness. Ultimately, in my opinion, transformational leadership works because it has a focus on morals and the bottom line is most people want to “do the right thing.”
Resources:
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2013). Lesson 10: Transformational Leadership. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa13/psych485/002/content/10_lesson/03_page.html