Transformative Leadership Analysis

According to Richard L. Daft in his book Management, a transformative leader is one who is able to bring about creativity and change. A transformational leader does this by inspiring followers, promoting positive values, creating positive relationships, and empowering followers. James Burns, one of the first researchers to present the idea of transformational leadership, described it as a “process in which leaders and followers make each other advance to higher levels of morale and motivation (1978).” I strive to be a transformational leader who takes great care to act as a positive role model, to act as a visionary, and to demonstrate genuine concern for the needs and feelings of my followers, and to motivate and inspire my followers.

Strength 1.

The first transformational strength I have is my ability to provide a consistent example of the beliefs and actions I expect from my followers. According to Richard L. Daft in his book Management, a transformative leader promotes positive values. One of the best ways to promote positive values is to provide a clear example of what you expect through your own example. As a leader, I always try to ensure that my managerial duties are completed on time and in the highest quality. I am not the type of leader who stays in my office all day; I work hard to be physically present, to work alongside my workgroup each day. I can regularly be found helping a staff member with a task that requires immediate attention, or providing follower feedback on a completed task. I attend all daily team meetings, weekly department head meetings, and monthly roundtable staff meetings. My presence, consistent adherence to my convictions, and belief in a strict ethical code help provide a clear example of the attitudes and actions I expect from my

team.
Strength 2. My second transformational strength would be my ability to act as a visionary for my work team. According to researchers Sajeet Pradhan and Rabindra Kumar Pradhan, a leader must present a clear and constant set of organizational goals (2015, p.228). For each project, I work hard to develop a set of objectives that are exciting and developed in a manner that will secure the commitment of my followers. All too often, work tasks are just that, mundane items to be checked off a list; followers do not buy into the task and do not see the work as important to the overall success of an organization (Mert, Keskin and Bas, 2010, p.4). As a visionary, I work diligently to create and sell a vision that has workers looking past the “what’s in it for me” attitude, but to see the tasks as steps needed to secure the team’s success. Linking your goals to the success of the overall organization’s success has been found to increase worker performance and levels of commitment to the task at hand (Pradhan, p. 228).
Strength 3. My third transformational strength would be my ability to develop strong relationships with my followers. I have worked hard to create an open dialog with my staff; I use my empathic skills to really hear what my followers are saying, to understand how they feel, and to be what they need from me as a leader. Transformational Leadership research has shown that showing personal attention to followers creates emotional attachments to the organization and increases the likelihood that my followers will go above and beyond the traditional scope of their job requirements (Mert, et al. 2010).