Discuss this discussion : - What are the key attributes of the transformational

Question

Discuss this discussion :

- What are the key attributes of the transformational style of leadership? Explain why you think these attributes are required of a transformational leader.

Transformational leaders must be courageous. They can't be afraid to lead and manage change. Anthony & Schwartz (2017) narrowed the list to 3 main sets of metrics:

New growth - Creating new products

Core repositioning - Adapted to change and disruption, giving new life to the company

Financial performance - How have the growth and profits compared to a benchmark like NASDAQ

Transformational CEO's tend to be "insider outsiders" (Anthony & Schwartz, 2017). That means they have no predetermined way of doing things, they are not boxed in to a set of rules or thinking that governs their behavior. Many people and organizations like to say that are transformational but they "tweak" more than they transform. Transformational change is hard, you are basically turning the organization upside down. Good CEO's also understand that their culture will change as a result of the transformation and they address that as part of the shift (Anthony & Schwartz, 2017). Microsoft's CEO drove engagement by encouraging employees to work on things they were passionate about and this drove Microsoft's expansion into cloud services and artificial intelligence, which now accounts for 32% of their revenue (Anthony & Schwartz, 2017). So in the midst of transformation, you can not only improve your organization for the better in terms of its structure, you can develop new products, increase employee engagement, and foster professional development.

From either personal experience, or through observation, provide examples of transformation leadership.  

Well, years ago when I was leading a department, we went through a re-organization. There were people who lost their jobs throughout the organization and even some in our department. I did research on what I could do to help manage this team through this disruptive change. Vernon (2015) says that truly transforming others is difficult; I understood that this transformation wasn't just about the organization or my department, but really about these people.  Situations and adversity change all of us, even if we are not directly impacted by the event. It's like a child going through a divorce, they may not leave their home and they aren't the ones being displaced, but they will be impacted by one parent departing. So, I knew I had work to do. I started off by spending time with each employee (I had about 6) explaining to them why the change happened, first individually to answer their questions and later collectively. I asked them what their questions were, what fears they had, and I was very impressed with the trust that they had in me and the candor they exhibited. I increased my communication and showed some vulnerability through things that were going on in my personal life. Our relationships grew stronger and we really bonded as a team. A year later, we ended up leading our region in sales, going from 11th to 1st. To this day, this is still one of my greatest accomplishments! I still keep in touch with some of them, 12 years later. It was a very special time for all of us, to go through change like that, and actually come out better for it.

Which of the other leaders who you have seen come close to being effective transformational leaders? How could they have changed to be transformational leaders? Justify your answer with appropriate examples.

Well, I had a boss once, and this is why I said this earlier, who liked to call himself a disruptor and was a self-imposed change agent, but really didn't have a strong change bone in his body! He liked to make small changes, he was afraid of hurting people, and always put personal feelings before the betterment of the organization. Whenever he was tasked with a directive, that clearly came from above him, he would always say, "You know, I don't want to do this, but i have to..." That is horrible leadership! He was the nicest guy in the world! We would go to his house and eat tacos with him and his family (they were disgusting lol) and it was so appreciated. Don't get me wrong, caring about people is not a bad thing! I think it's good to have a heart for people and factor that in when you are making organizational decisions, but it has to be exactly that, a factor, not the driver in the decision. I enjoy leading; I'm outgoing, positive, a good communicator, and I understand directional strategy. It's important to continue driving toward continuous quality and improvement and I am my harshest critic. I believe in the power of transformative change and leadership!

Explanation / Answer

Key attributes of Transformational Leadership style

A transformational leader sees opportunities that can impact the organization or a community. In order to achieve the envisioned state of matters, a transformational leader not only discloses ones’ vision but also inspires others to become leaders and replicate the original vision. While interacting with the people a transformational leader shows creativity and inspires people to work towards an ideal goal. The concept of transformational leadership was proposed by Bernard Bass and a lot of research has been conducted on this topic. Most researchers conclude the following four attributes of transformational leadership.

Transformational leaders are purpose driven, people driven, innovative and inspirational. In order transform a situation in an organization of community, a leader must carry out these four functions.

Example of Transformational leadership

From a very popular setting, Steve Jobs, the erstwhile CEO of Apple Inc. may be counted as transformational leader. He had a vision for the company and the kind of products it should make. That vision became his passion and he immersed every employee of Apple Inc. into his vision. He managed simplicity and sophistication together and made every body to be simple but create products that are sophisticated. He regularly challenged his people to move beyond the ordinary and come up with ideas and innovation that gave product breakthroughs.

A real life example of Transformational leadership

There was club president who developed a valuable strategy to engage the members in productive ways. The leader fully engaged in interacting with members improved their commitment to cause, made them contribute and rewarded them with fairness and appropriateness. The leader had some principles, positive energy and a long term vision that created an aura to be followed.

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