TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

James MacGregor Burns (1978)[1] first introduced the concept of transforming leadership in his descriptive research on political leaders, but this term is now used in organizational psychology as well. According to Burns, transforming leadership is a process in which “leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of morale and motivation”. Burns related to the difficulty in differentiation between management and leadership and claimed that the differences are in characteristics and behaviors. He established two concepts: “transforming leadership” and “transactional leadership”. According to Burns, the transforming approach creates significant change in the life of people and organizations. It redesigns perceptions and values, and changes expectations and aspirations of employees.

It is easy to let ego take over when you are in a position of power. However, in transformational leadership, it is important for the leader to keep their ego under control and not let it interfere with the best interest of their team or the organization. By keeping their ego in check, the transformational leader is able to put the organization before their own personal gain and also elicit the best performance from others.

Transformational leaders typically don’t need much direction from others, and are able to manage themselves well. They are also highly internally motivated, and they use this motivation to direct the organization to the right path. These leaders do what they love, and the values are aligned with those of the organization that they lead.

The ability to take calculated risks is a key characteristic of a transformational leader. They trust their instinct, and use the intelligence gathered by team members to make informed decisions. A transformational leader’s team is right behind them and is ever willing to do the research that is necessary to evaluate the situation appropriately. The leader seeks inputs from the team to make risky decisions that facilitate growth.

Being a leader is not always smooth sailing, you often have to make tough decisions. Transformational leaders do not shy away from difficult decisions. They make their decisions with a clear focus on the values, vision, objectives, and goals of the or gan i zat i on .

A transformational leader shares and understands the collective consciousness of the entire organization. This makes them particularly attuned to the feelings of their team members, and gives them a clear idea of what actions to take to elicit desired actions from the employees. Since they’re tapped into the organizational consciousness, they are able to make decisions that spur growth, and also create a shared vision for the organization that all employees feel a part of.

Finally, Transformational leaders set a realistic and achievable vision for the organization. They then communicate the vision effectively to their followers, and also inspire a sense of commitment and purpose. By getting every person to buy into the common vision, transformational leaders are able to strongly guide the organization in the direction that they want.

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The author is Head Teacher III/OIC of Sucad High School