Leadership

The full range of leadership introduces four elements of transformational leadership:

  1. Individualized Consideration – the degree to which the leader attends to each follower’s needs, acts as a mentor or coach to the follower and listens to the follower’s concerns and needs. The leader gives empathy and support, keeps communication open and places challenges before the followers. This also encompasses the need for respect and celebrates the individual contribution that each follower can make to the team. The followers have a will and aspirations for self development and have intrinsic motivation for their tasks.
  2. Intellectual Stimulation – the degree to which the leader challenges assumptions, takes risks and solicits followers’ ideas. Leaders with this style stimulate and encourage creativity in their followers. They nurture and develop people who think independently. For such a leader, learning is a value and unexpected situations are seen as opportunities to learn. The followers ask questions, think deeply about things and figure out better ways to execute their tasks.
  3. Inspirational Motivation – the degree to which the leader articulates a vision that is appealing and inspiring to followers. Leaders with inspirational motivation challenge followers with high standards, communicate optimism about future goals, and provide meaning for the task at hand. Followers need to have a strong sense of purpose if they are to be motivated to act. Purpose and meaning provide the energy that drives a group forward. The visionary aspects of leadership are supported by communication skills that make the vision understandable, precise, powerful and engaging. The followers are willing to invest more effort in their tasks, they are encouraged and optimistic about the future and believe in their abilities.
  4. Idealized Influence – Provides a role model for high ethical behavior, instills pride, gains respect and trust.

Yukl (1994) draws some tips for transformational leadership[4]:

  1. Develop a challenging and attractive vision, together with the employees.
  2. Tie the vision to a strategy for its achievement.
  3. Develop the vision, specify and translate it to actions.
  4. Express confidence, decisiveness and optimism about the vision and its implementation.
  5. Realize the vision through small planned steps and small successes in the path for its full implementation.

 

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