Transformational leadership describes a unique psychological behavior model in which the leader places the needs of the followers above all else and guides the entire group towards accomplishing mutually beneficial goals. A leader who mimics this type of leadership but in reality has selfish motivations is exhibiting pseudotransformational leadership. It is important to be able to distinguish the two leadership styles in order to determine which group you would want to be a member of, or to determine what type of leadership style you wish to exhibit.
Transformational leadership is a leadership style where the not only assists followers in accomplishing tasks, but also is concerned with the needs and potential of each individual. “This type of leader is attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential,” (Northouse, 2016, p. 162). Leaders that exhibit this leadership type not only desire to complete group goals, but also move the entire group forward by focusing on each individual and helping them better themselves.
Pseudotransformational leaders mimic the behavior of transformational leaders by pretending to be most concerned with the greater good of the group. Pseudotransformational leaders can be alluring, charismatic, and garner a large following. “A pseudotransformational leader has strong inspirational talent and appeal but is manipulative and dominates and directs followers toward his or her own values,” (Northouse, 2016, p. 163). The only difference between a true transformational leader and a pseudotransformational leader is that a pseudotransformational leader enjoys being in a position of power and will focus on maintaining that power more than focusing on the needs of the group or the needs of the individual followers.
It is important to identify if the leader figures in our lives are practicing transformational leadership or pseudotransformational leadership so that we can keep our best interests at heart. We need to use our best judgement possible to distinguish whether or not (for example) political candidates or potential managers are truly transformational leaders or just mimicking that behavior. We have the choice as to which groups we become part of whether it’s voting for our next leader, or getting a feel for a manager’s leadership style in a job interview. By choosing to follow a transformational leader, we set ourselves up for success by selecting a leader that will act in our best interests.
References:
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California:
Sage.