Transformational Leadership

A leader is someone who has the ability to influence followers that have the same determination and outcomes for change as they do. Not all leaders are famous people, or people in high positions of power. There are leaders all around us. They are just ones that possess leadership qualities that not all people have. This does not mean though that they are born leaders. This also doesn’t mean that all leaders are good leaders. They can also harm society, like Hitler. People build their leadership qualities through life experiences.

Great leaders are able to effectively influence their subordinates. This influencing is usually done by using their authority. Most people tend to believe and trust in people in authority because they have reputation and rapport. Another source of influence that leaders use to influence others is expertise. “If subordinates believe that their managers have more knowledge or technical skill than they do, they will accept the manager’s view more easily” (Hellriegel et al). Lastly, charisma can also be used to influence others. “A charismatic leader is a person who has the ability to influence others because of his or her inspirational qualities, and have the power to obtain cooperation and devotion of their followers” (Hellriegel et al).

Effective leaders know that they need to do more than simply convince others to follow them. They need to effectively communicate their goals along with the goals of their followers to make sure that they are both heading in the same direction. When a leader and their subordinates share the same goals, they help each other work harder in achieving that final common goal. Good leaders are great at making change happen. They see the need for change and work with their followers in making the change happen in the future by setting real goals.

The purpose of this paper is to describe what type of leadership style I have at the moment, whether I would like to become a transformational or servant leader in the future, and how and what I can do to become that in the future. As of this moment I think that I possess both a Theory X and Theory Y behavior of leadership. I think I am more Theory X though, because that is what I’ve grown accustomed to growing up in my family life. Coming from an Asian family, my parents are more command and control type people. I can’t really blame them because that is also what they are used to. According to my parents they direct their children to act and live their lives a certain way because they have gone through their experiences and automatically assume that what works for them will work for their children. They seem to not understand that people will only learn through their own life experiences. They believe that through total control their children will turn out “right.” They persuade, reward, punish, and tightly control our actions. This is similar to what is expressed as the Theory X leadership style in our textbook.

I have noticed that my parents have rubbed off on me quite a bit. I often find myself trying to control other’s actions by persuading them that one way is correct versus the other. Sometimes I ask for input, but then find that my way sounds better than the other. I’ve found out through this class that this attitude is very ineffective, because you need to make others feel that their points of views matter so that they are more motivated to reach a certain goal. People need to feel that they matter and in turn they become more productive.

I would like to become a transformational leader in the future. “Transformational leaders inspire others with their vision, often promote this vision over opposition, and demonstrate confidence in themselves and their views” (Hellriegel et al). I think that it is easier for people to follow a person that inspires them. A person with a vision and passion can achieve great things, both very valuable traits to have. If I can inject enthusiasm and energy into myself and others, many great things can be achieved. In the future when I am in a leadership position I want to be able to develop my followers by making sure that they possess the passion and energy needed to work towards our organization’s common goal. I want to care about them and make sure that they succeed at what they