Do you want to become a more effective leader? Do you want to inspire, motivate, and guide your followers to success? If so, consider adopting transformational leadership.
Transformational leadership is a process that increases the amount of enthusiasm between the leader and a follower. It involves providing knowledge, inspiration, guidance, and personalized mentoring. Transactional leadership, on the other hand, is a give and take relationship where both the leader and follower are givers and takers at any given time.
According to Northouse (2013), transformational leadership generates greater results than transactional leadership because individuals are motivated to do more than the usual. Transformational leaders exhibit leadership skills that influence, motivate, and inspire followers to imitate their behaviors. Lloyd Dean, the CEO of Dignity Health, is a prime example of a transformational leader. Dean transformed Dignity Health from an organization without a clear vision and continually losing money to reorganizing the whole corporate structure and reviving the organization within the first two years of being appointed CEO. Individuals close to Dean attributed his collaborative style and natural charm to his successful organizational transformation.
Transactional leadership enables leaders to build trust and commitment by leveraging a rewards system based on clear goals and objectives. The relationship between a line supervisor and staff exemplifies transactional leadership. In this scenario, staff ensures that their leader’s expectations are met in return for their job security and monetary rewards.
Transactional and transformational leadership styles complement each other and can be effective when used together. However, Northouse (2013) suggested that transformational leadership is most effective in driving performance outcomes due to individuals’ increased amount of motivation and aspirations. Transformational leadership provides vision and direction, while transactional leadership enables leaders to set clear expectations. CEO’s may benefit the most by exhibiting transformational leadership because they are responsible for the overall vision of the organization. Department or unit-based managers and supervisors benefit the most from exhibiting transactional leadership.
In conclusion, transformational leadership is a powerful tool for any leader looking to inspire, motivate, and guide their followers to success. By exhibiting transformational leadership, you can create a positive work environment and drive performance outcomes. So why not give it a try?
References
Dignity Health. (n.d.). Our leadership team. Retrieved from https://www.dignityhealth.org/our-organization/leadership
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
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