Positional leaders who occupy leadership roles unduly focus on the power, attention, benefits, and accolades of their titles and positions. They fail to realise that leadership is more attitudinal, competences driven, and people oriented. Leadership is simply taking responsibility by inducing followers to act on specific goals representing the values and motivations, the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations of both the leaders and the people.
A transformational leader can be identified by their effect on the followers, as it earns faith, admiration, and appreciation for the leader. A transformational leader uses an approach that will propel individuals and social systems to change, causing them to experience a better or higher quality of life. This leadership style creates positive and valuable change for team members and employees to become leaders themselves in most situations. It enhances morale, motivation, and performance using many different measurable mechanisms. These methods help to embed and align the employees’ sense of self and identity with the identity and mission of the organisation, being a role model in a way that encourages employee inspiration, challenges employees to take responsibility and ownership of their tasks, align and optimise employee performance by understanding their strengths and weaknesses.
A transformational leader has four distinct elements. The first is intellectual stimulation. Using intellectual stimulation, the leader questions the present circumstances and promotes innovation amongst followers. The leader urges their staff, or supporters, to discover innovative ways of completing tasks and seeking chances to learn new things.
The second element of transformational leadership is individualised consideration. Within individualised consideration, the leader extends assistance and support to various supporters or followers, as needed. The leaders keep communication options available to encourage connections so that supporters feel open to contributing to concepts. Also, leaders can extend immediate acknowledgment of the distinctive influences of each supporter.
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The third element is inspirational motivation. Transformational leaders have a strong concept or vision to communicate effectively to employees or supporters. Such leaders also assist supporters to experience consistent enthusiasm and inspiration to meet these objectives set forth by the vision.
The fourth element of a transformational leader is idealised influence. The transformational leader operates as an example for supporters. Because supporters, or employees, have faith in and appreciate the leader, they imitate this individual and adopt their principles.
So, what are the qualities and practices of transformational leaders?
Transformational leaders possess a critical component that allows them to have a strong, positive vision of the future. As a transformational leader, not only must you believe in the vision personally, but you must also inspire your team and employees to buy into your vision by setting clearly defined goals and objectives.
Being a transformational leader, you use fairness and integrity, stir up the emotions of your team, inspire and encourage others by using passionate, supportive, genuine, and trustworthy characteristics. You provide recognition and support to your employees, which are qualities that can help motivate followers to support your goals and visions for the organisation. Research validates that teams whom transformational leaders lead performs at a much higher level and are more satisfied than groups led by other leadership styles.
Transformational leaders believe that their teams or employees will feel more empowered and motivated by the transforming leadership approach to creating a significant change within the organisation and individually. The transformation leadership style can redesign the values, aspirations, and perceptions of their employees. Transformational leaders practice the ability to make changes and lead through role modelling behaviours and by leading by example to articulate the vision and challenging goals. They believe that they are leaders of moral conviction and model that will work best to benefit the team and the organisation.
Transformational leadership practices can measure the impact of employee performance and motivation. The first measurement would be how a transformational leader influences their team and followers. Employees who follow a transformational leader feel admiration, trust, respect, and loyalty and are willing to work hard. The reason for this outcome is that transformational leaders offer employees something more than just working for self-gain. They offer an inspiring vision and mission that offer employees an identity. Transformational leaders encourage employees to meet expectations based on their strengths and weaknesses, which provides them with unique ways to be successful.
In terms of leadership style, a transformational leader considers individual traits, organisational culture, and characteristics. This leadership style also models leadership behaviours; it causes a positive impact on followers and groups and increases outcomes. Transformational leaders are sometimes called quiet leaders; they lead by example. Their style tends to use rapport, inspiration, or empathy to engage followers. They are known to possess courage, confidence, and the willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good. They have a single-minded need to streamline or change things that no longer work. The transformational leader motivates workers and understands how to form them into integral units that work well with others. Transformational leaders create a culture of active thinking through intellectual stimulation, encouraging followers to become more involved in the organisation.
In conclusion, transformational leaders must have a strong vision for the organisation and persuade all relevant parties to agree with and support that vision. Transformational leaders often create intrinsic motivation and respect within their team or followers through encouragement and an open line of communication. Also, they are always mindful and respectful of culture, individualised preferences, and organisational needs. Transformational leaders lead by example, exhibiting the traits they would like their followers to exhibit.
