1. Introduction & Definition
Transformational leadership describes a leader moving followers beyond immediate self-interests through idealized influence (charisma), inspiration motivation, intellectual stimulation, or individualized consideration. Transformational leaders are change agents. They influence the mission and objectives to make way for a brighter future for the organization. Followers are motivated to do more than is originally expected because of their feelings of trust and respect for the leader.
Transformational leaders, like Colin Powell, inspire a shared vision by envisioning future success. These leaders motivate the team and visualize the goals for the entire organization. They foster collaboration and teamwork to achieve mission success. They recognize individual success and celebrate team accomplishments.
Colin Powell learned during his leadership development, Army training through Secretary of State, to employ the style that best suits the situation. He did not approach every situation in the same way. Transformational leaders restudy the situation and look for the best approach. Powell continues to inspire others to excel and they give everybody inspirational motivation, individual consideration, and idealized influence. His leadership discussions stimulate people to think in new ways. He enables the transformation of people and organizations with which they work.
Inspirational Motivation (IM)
General Colin Powell displays the transformation leadership qualities of Inspirational Motivation. He provides “energy and direction that fuels the actions of followers.” His model of effective leadership requires “pushing the vision down to every level of the organization.” The most important role is ens...
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...ography of Colin Powell (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1993), 48.
Ibid.
Ibid., 66.
Ibid.
Karen DeYoung, Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006), 146.
Ibid., 147.
Ibid., 161.
Ibid., 167.
Christopher D. O’Sullivan, Colin Powell: American Power and Intervention from Vietnam to Iraq (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009), 62.
Ibid., 76.
Ibid.
Colin Powell, It Worked For Me: In Live and Leadership (New York: HarperCollins, 2012), 217.
Ibid., 217.
Ibid., 223.
Ibid., 223-224.
Bruce J. Avolio and Bernard M. Bass, Developing Potential Across a Full Range of Leadership: Cases on Transactional and Transformational Leadership, 17.
Colin Powell, It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership, 4-27.
Oren Harari, The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002), 3-4.
Colin Powell: Military leader, Statesman. The question of “What makes a leader great?” is without one solitary answer. Effective leaders in the corporate and political arenas are deserving of praise, but because of the nature of their work, military leaders are arguably more complex and intriguing. “Military leadership qualities are formed in a progressive and sequential series of carefully planned training, educational, and experiential events—far more time-consuming and expensive than similar training in industry or government.
Transformational leadership theory emphasizes on how a leader can acquire the ability to affect and motivate his followers to succeed beyond expectations. A transformational leader is one, whose vision for the future motivates and excites his followers. For this reason, a transformational leader is judged according to what he achieves as opposed to his character. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was the least charismatic leader of all the American presidents. However, his use of transformational leadership to develop his agenda and vision was unprecedented. Furthermore, a transformational leader is more likely to be effective in a chaotic environment. Carter was faced with a stagnant economy, double-digit inflation, and oil and gas shortages.
Transformational leaders exhibit personal and professional qualities that other want to emulate and follow. These leaders advance the mission in combative environments. Transformational leaders propel the growth of the team through communication. Finally, transformational leaders leave a legacy that instills pride, moral, and determination for future success.
Pierce, Jon L. and John W. Newstrom (2011) 6th edition. Leaders and the Leadership Process.
George Washington was a transformational leader who inspired Americans across the country to fight for the cause of the new great nation. Leadership is a process of influence toward a common goal. Transformational leadership, however, is more than merely influencing someone and helping them arrive at a common goal. It embodies that the followers pursue organizational goals instead of personal goals. Washington’s followers were inspired to see the bigger picture of things,
There are numerous traits that make up a visionary leader; I believe that true visionary leaders have multiple traits in common that propel their followers to accept their message and embrace their vision to achieve goals that serve a purpose higher than they could have ever imagined. One trait that visionary leaders have in common is adaptability. Within the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education [BCEE] (2015) study guide on change management, adaptability is a key trait. Within adaptability there are three characteristics, for a leader to be considered adaptable, they must posses two out of three. Colin Powell possessed both cognitive flexibility and
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B., (2007). The leadership challenge, (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
I see myself developing into this type of leader by working to create valuable and positive change and empowering others to become leaders that also create valuable and positive change that they believe in. I will empower others to gain a sense of identity and self to the mission, be a role model that inspires others, challenge others to take ownership of their work, and provide understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of others. To be a transformational leader I will need to display the ability to communicate clearly, listen, collaborate, empower, build strong healthy relationships, and provide others with intellectual stimulation.
Transformational leadership is one of the most popular leadership styles. According to Kendrick (2011), “Transformational leadership involves four factors: 1. idealized influence, 2. inspirational motivation, 3. intellectual stimulation, and 4. individual consideration.” These four factors make transformational leadership have an impact on followers. The goal of transformational leadership is to cause a positive change in individuals, help motivate them, and develop a leader within each individual.
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2007). The Leadership Challenge (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA 94103-1741: Jossey-Bass.
Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy (2009). Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience (6th Ed). New York, NY McGraw-Hill Irwin
Transformational leadership begins with a vision. Once that vision is captured by the leader, he or she then "injects" this vision into others with motivation, enthusiasm, and encouragement (Hall, Johnson, Wysocki, & Kepner, 2012). The company was satisfied with the way we did business before the leader joined the company. When he started working, there was always encouragement to think outside the box, look for new ways to do things. He has the vision of taking the division from doing just Medicare business to all government insurance projects. He wanted the division to come up with solutions that will make it easier for customers and help the government as well. One of the example was to suggest the US government to send explanation of benefits (EOB) as electronic rather than paper to the Medicare beneficiaries. This saved the US government printing cost and prevented the mail fraud to some extent. It increased the government trust in our company and they appreciated
Have you ever had a leader that inspired you to develop your own leadership traits? “A leader is someone who demonstrates what’s possible” (Mark Yarnell, 2015). There are numerous leadership styles. Each of the numerous leadership styles can be beneficial if utilized in an appropriate means. I have chosen three leaders and their unique leadership styles to discuss in this paper. The unique styles that will be discussed are situational leadership, transformational leadership, and laissez-faire leadership. I will also discuss each leader’s approaches, their fundamental leadership principles, and how each leader used their style within their profession.
Transformational leaders are building blocks for the job satisfaction and commitment. Transformational leaders develop extra mile partnership. Followers go extra mile for the leader and work beyond the expectations.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary