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personal leadership and leadership styles
transformational leadership model developed by Kouzes and Posner
examples of personal leadership styles
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After reviewing the many different leadership styles this semester, I feel that my personal model of leadership fits most closely with James MacGregor Burns model of Transformational Leadership. Burns research focuses on how leaders can motivate and enhance working conditions to increase performance. While my experience with having a position in which I had the ability to produce leadership results has been few, the experiences I have had, have helped to shape my career and sharpen my interests. In the following pages, I will discuss my theoretical concepts that match with transformational leadership and how my professional mission, values, and goals coincide with the main principles of transformational leadership. I will also examine some examples of where I have witnessed good and bad leadership skills as well as some of my own personal leadership examples. Finally, I will discuss what my professional leadership goals are and how I aim to accomplish them.
Transformational leadership is comprised of four major characteristics, which are referred to as the four “I’s” of transformational leadership. They are:
• Intellectual Stimulation
• Individualized Consideration
• Idealized Influence
• Inspirational Motivation
My personal leadership style includes all of these characteristics. I utilize intellectual stimulation by challenging the norm or what is currently in place. I am constantly looking for innovative new ways to complete tasks that help to save time and help others complete their work more efficiently. I also believe in challenging yourself as well as others. If you challenge yourself to do better and your team or group sees your determination to finish or produce the desired results, they will follow in your example if yo...
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I believe that to be a great transformational leader you also need to be creative. You need to show your team members that you are not afraid to take risks and encourage others to do so. By showing that you encourage risk taking, you show your employees its okay if you make mistakes. When an idea does not work out the way it is intended, it is best to learn from the mistake versus pursue the option of punishment. In both my personal and professional life, I tend to use humor and sarcasm, so I make that up front with the team. I think this puts people more at ease when you can laugh at your own mistakes and let them know that you are only human and that everyone makes mistakes. It is also important to find creative ways to reward those that challenge themselves and are independent thinkers. These types of team members who are strong and are beneficial to all.
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.
This model has been used over decades in research to chime in on the importance of knowing the behavior of leader’s and their effect on those who work for them. According to Brymer and Gray (2006), effective transformational leadership ensures a supportive culture and does not require boundaries and guidance. The concept of transformational leadership was created to bring together leaders and those who work for them, which in turn impact those in whom they serve because their personality is viewed in a positive
Transformational leadership theory conceptualized in the late 1970’s, proposed that leaders could motivate followers through shared vision and mutual interest to uplift the entire organization to a higher morality (Burns, 1978). Morality was defined as leaders and followers working together to fulfill organizational goals and achieve higher performances within a context of change and innovation. Leaders would surpass their own self-interest, in order to, foresee, foster, and indoctrinate a new organizational vision to their followers. Bass operationalized Burns’ seminal work into a leadership model to better indentify transformational leadership characteristics. The model emphasized four dimensions such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration in order to achieve success.
Realizing that although a way of doing a task might have worked for years there is always room for improvement. Also, incorporating the aspect of taking risk in changing a current practice to see if a new one works more efficiently (Judge & Piccolo, 2004). A transformational leader should foster creativity in their team members and show that even though there may be a designated leader, the team members or followers still have a voice that matters. In terms of importance, transformational leadership within my future career will be essential. I hope to be working in the field of Therapeutic Recreation as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) which is an emerging profession in healthcare. Advocating for change and taking risks will be key as I will need to show other health professions my benefits. Inspiring creativity, motivation and being able to lead a team and patients towards a goal will be essential. It will be part of my everyday job to create attainable, measurable goals for patients to achieve and I will be able to do this through the attributes and behaviours learned from transformational
Understanding the four components of transformational leadership help a leader apply this approach. According to Northouse (2001), a transformational leader has the following qualities:
Transformational leadership is the optimal style for a leader in an organization to have due mainly to its prominent characteristics such as being influential, innovative, motivating, proactive, and having the ability to both responsibly and reasonably delegate tasks. These aspects specific to the style of transformational leadership are essential to positive organizational function, environment, and advancement because they are characteristics that all hold power and constructive properties individually. When combined they are significantly capable of producing progress, change, and a healthy organizational environment.
In the ideal form, transformational leadership creates valuable and positive change with the end goal of developing followers into leaders. These may include connecting the followers sense of self and identity to the mission and the collective identity of the organization; being a role model for followers that inspires them; challenging followers to take greater pride for their work, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of individuals, so the leader can associate followers with tasks that improve their performance. Transformational leaders focus on intrinsic motivation and personal development of their followers. They believe in five key aspects of being a leader, which are being creative, interactive, empowering, visionary and
His or her actions can inspire others. The second component is Inspiration and Vision; this element assists the leader to look into the future. They work hard to ensure goals and dreams become a reality. Transformational leaders stay committed to the vision/goal in stressful times. “They set standards and instill others with optimism, a sense of meaning, and commitment to a dream, goal, or cause.” (Marshall & Broome, 2017). The third component is Intellectual stimulation. A leader with Intellectual Stimulation keeps probing and challenges the existing knowledge or ways various task is carried out. They challenge the status quo to make room for new and creative ideas to be innovative. The final component is Individual Consideration, which is an essential element for a transformational leader and a successful leader as a whole. They are servants who serve with humility, and according to Marshall & Broome (2017), they look beyond their self or personal goals. They are more invested in the organizational goals and
Transformational leadership has four behaviour dimensions which include inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and idealized attributes and influences. Firstly, idealized attributes and influences is the degree to which a leader shows charisma and emphasizes the importance of purpose, commitment, and the
Leaders with transformational leadership behavior can direct their organization toward effectiveness and productivity (Hur, 2011). Leaders can direct human resources toward the strategic objectives of the organization and ensure that organizational functions are in line with the external environment (Riaz&Haider, 2010). Furthermore, capabilities of effective leaders are predicting the future probabilities and planning strategies to satisfy uncertainties (Riaz&Haider, 2010). They can lead and supervise organizations to success by paying attention to changes especially environmental changes, which helps them set suitable goals and objectives.
Leaders in general are a significant part of the follower’s success on and off of the result charts. As we know, there are people who lead much better than others. The question then becomes, what makes this leader different? Or even, what makes this person a leader? And what is setting him/her apart from the rest of the leaders? And the answer is their individual leadership style determined by certain traits. In terms of the context of what is significant to the leadership that has taken place in my life, we will be analysing and unpacking transformational leadership as my primary leadership type along with servant and transactional leadership traits seen in the works of someone significant in my life.
According to Yoder-Wise (2015), a leader can be defined as, “an individual who works with others to develop a clear vision of the preferred future and to make that vision happen” (p 35). As employees, we often have our own ideal of a good leader, which may be influenced by experiences and perception of workplace norms. While one’s opinion of an effective leader may vary, there are several recognized leadership theories. The following will focus on the transformational leadership approach.
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.
A brief description of transformational leadership, according to James MacGregor Burns, is a new paradigm
The old system of management has undergone many changes within the last century. An employee once performed the assigned job duties during the allotted hours and then went home. Now employees are encouraged to grow, give input, and to contribute for the good of the organization. There is a plethora of information for leaders to learn why and how to grow personally thus allowing the organization to grow as well. This new emerging leader is a transformational leader.