A leader is always going through many changes not only themselves but also for others around. It is true that a leader is also adapting after understanding the reasons on why certain type of change is needed and uses the qualities either known or learned to solve the tasks at hand. “Transformational leadership motivates followers to do more than the expected. Transformational leaders show followers the importance of idealized goals and get followers to go beyond their own self-interest for the sake of the organization. These leaders can move followers to address higher-level needs” (PSUWC, 2020).
We can also see how many great leaders in the past have used transformational leadership to not only transform the individuals around but to transform the world. There are some of the most famous individual in the history have done some form or another in terms of using techniques described by transformational leadership. Even though it may be considered as one of the many leadership styles, to really take the leadership to not only identify the change but inspiring and motivating others to then execute the change to fulfill the set goals. Transformational leadership certainly can have many different characteristics that can be broken down to leader, follower and situational type but they are all unique to different situations (PSUWC, 2020).
Transformational leadership can be used in many different forms but one of the great characteristics of a transformational leader is the ability to inspire. We know some of the great leaders in history that helped shape the future such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa. These leaders fought for the truth and their beliefs in making changes to the lives of many individuals and it is because of them the future of the world was changed. It certainly takes a lot of courage, hard work and dedication to go against some of the biggest forces during that time to perform such work. As Northouse describes, “Transforming leaders used creative development of self through positive self-regard. Leaders new their strengths and weaknesses, and they emphasized their strengths rather than dwelling on their weaknesses” (Northouse, 2016, p. 173).
It certainly does not matter where the leader is from, some of the common personal characteristics of these leaders include strong desire to influence others, strong sense of moral values and self-confidence. When looking through the lives of some of the greatest leaders, they all certainly focused on different aspects and concept such Martin Luther King, Jr. focused to ending racism in America, Mahatma Gandhi gave the Indian freedom movement a sense of direction and purpose and Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s first black president who dreamed of destroying apartheid. Our future of the society is constant changing and it takes a strong leader to hold and shape the future that helps many different individuals at once. Our leaders from today’s world such as Barack Obama who became the first black president in the history of the United States. one of the reasons he is respected is because of his sense of humanity and compassion that brought many individuals together.
A leader’s work is never done, they are always focusing on how to change the world and make it a great place. It is also true that anyone can become a transformational leader whether its in a small local organization to some of the biggest companies around the world. Transformational leadership includes motivating others, creating an inspiring vision and building strong yet trusted relationship with their people helps shape the future. It is certain that we will continue to see some of the great leaders be born in the future who will continue to use their skills and knowledge to transform the world.
References
Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (Eds.). (2013). Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH 485. Lesson 10: Transformational Leadership. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2045005/modules/items/28166660
Michael Mallory says
You mentioned that a characteristic of a transformational leader is the ability to inspire. This leads me into Steve Jobs as also having this characteristic. He changed society as we know it as most of the population around the world right now is most likely using one of his products he created such as the iPhone or MacBook. He possessed the transformation leadership characteristics such as vision and rhetorical skills. Vision is where transformation leaders are future oriented. They recognize the problems of a present system and offer a vision to overcome these problems (PSU WC, 2020). Steve Jobs saw a vision into creating the first personal computer that would eventually change the way society communicates. Although some might say Steve’s personality wasn’t that great, he was able to influence his employees and built the empire of Apple to what it is today.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH485 lesson 10: Transformational Leadership. https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2045005/modules/items/ 28166659
wsk5 says
As your post implies Transformational leaders are better at driving organizational change and getting results. These types of leaders exhibit a strong sense of internal values. Your examples including Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Teresa are strong examples of people that exhibited a transformational leader style. These leaders also possessed the qualities of Charisma, Inspirational Motivation, Intelectual Stimulation and Individualized Concern among their followers. They also used task interdependence to help facilitate the different goals desired. These leaders used their personal influence to transform followers to accomplish the different goals. A quote from nelson Mandela puts this into perspective “And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same”.https://www.biography.com/political-figure/nelson-mandela
References:
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 7th Edition. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.