For almost the last 16 years, I have been employed by a labor union. One would assume a labor union, given America’s current political climate, to be progressive, and because of this ultimately, cultivate a progressive, diverse workforce. Both are true to a large extent, but like any generalization, there are always some exceptions. One thing that seems to have permeated the internal culture of our organization though, is an effort to create a more diverse lineup of leaders, and as a result, we currently have a female Vice President and the majority of departments are now led by women.
During what started off as a temporary job in the mail room at a time when I was working part-time on a freight dock, which has eventually bloomed into a career for me, one of those department heads that happened to be female has chosen to be a mentor to me, a male. It really shouldn’t be that shocking, and to be honest, I have never given it that much thought until I read the part of this week’s lesson on gender and leadership. I have always been of the opinion that I was plucked from the bowels of an Accounting Department by a lady who saw a hard worker with a semi-functioning brain. I still feel, to an extent, that this is the case.
Over time though, as I have worked together more closely with this mentor of mine, I have begun to realize that she has really tried to mold me into a leader myself. Even going so far as to tell me she was in the process of “changing the way that I would be seen around here”. When I read in the Northouse (2016) text that women’s leadership style could tend to be more transformational, and that they may engage in more contingent reward behaviors than men, something clicked for me and I realized what has been happening all along. A lot of the way I have analyzed the lessons presented in this class have been from the perspective of how I could take knowledge from them to hopefully make myself a better leader someday. This week, I began to better understand a process that has taken place in which I was the follower, having a path cleared for my success, by a transformative leader.
Transformational leadership is about developing the skills of followers to a point where they can perform at a higher level than previously imagined (Northouse, 2016). This is what my boss has done for me without me even realizing it. In fact, my taking of this class and writing this blog, are part of the process she has had me engage in to become more fully actualized and capable of handling what will inevitably become more difficult challenges in the future. There are four main factors of transformational leadership (sometimes referred to as the four “I’s”); idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration (Northouse, 2016). I want to take this opportunity to more fully explore the nature our interactions through the lens of transformational leadership, and give some examples of how she and I have experienced these factors together.
Idealized Influence
This is a leadership factor that is all about providing followers with a vision of, and a sense of belonging to, a larger mission for themselves, and potentially the organization as well (Northouse, 2016). My leader has clearly influenced me in this way by laying out a path for success for me, but all the while maintaining her strict work ethic that has inspired me to act in the same way. As she has moved from being merely my department head to a higher level of management, she has continued to motivate me through not only showing me her path to success, but also by creating one of my own for me. Her personal code of conduct and hard work, and the way it has led her to where she is, serves as a guide that influences me to be the best that I can.
Inspirational Motivation
This is an area where my leader has been particularly helpful to me when I resort to a tendency of mine; to become overwhelmed by what seems to be an insurmountable task. She often is able to remind of things that I have accomplished in the past, as a reminder that this new obstacle that has me worried, is similar to things I have already done, and that she has complete confidence in my being able to handle it. Whether it is fear of disappointing her, or genuine relief once she has pointed out the similarities to the task at hand with previously accomplished challenges, the results are the same. I have been able to, for the most part, receive from her the motivation I need from her to keep me calm, plugging along and eventually living up to the expectations she has placed upon me.
Intellectual Stimulation
My transformative leader has created an environment for me at work in which she allows me to basically figure out the best way I think things should be done, and after making the case for why, generally allows me to move forward. A specific example of this is by allowing me to fully engage with vendors on large conventions that I set up. This has led to me uncovering a myriad of ways in which we have been able to save the organization money by eliminating duplication of services and contracting with some vendors directly, instead of the layering that was taking place previously. Over the years she has loosened the reigns on me a bit, and allowed me to really take a deep dive into whatever I am currently working on. This has created a situation where I feel more confident to explore all options on the table in any given situation, and to me, typifies intellectual stimulation.
Individualized Consideration
With regards to individualized consideration I am sort of going to revisit the example used for intellectual stimulation. You see, when I am mentioning my leader’s loosening of the reigns and allowing me to more fully engage with vendors, what you are seeing is an example of her changing the way that she managed or led me. As I changed and matured myself, she understood that at certain points along the path she has created for me to succeed, what I was and was not ready for. She did this by carefully observing my individual needs as a follower (Northouse, 2016), and knowing that they varied along my own personal journey to becoming a more integral part of the department, and the organization.
The takeaway for me, after analyzing a situation that existed well before I knew the textbook terms, theories and approaches to be able to explain it, is that having someone care enough to want to see you succeed means a lot. To have leaders invest the amount of time and effort it takes to try and transform not only followers, but also themselves and the organization that all are a part of, is something that is truly inspiring to witness. I hope to one day be able to positively influence others, with the hard work and dedication to making a difference in the world, that my own personal transformative leader has been able to use to have such an impact on me.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 7th Edition. Los Angeles: SAGE