Transformational leadership is defining organizations today. An increasing number of organizations are recognizing that traditional approaches are no longer effective. They understand that for meaningful and sustainable progress to be made, they must adopt new and creative approaches. This is why transformational leadership has become relevant. Essentially, transformational leadership is concerned with leading change (Gilbert, 2012). A transformational leader is able to create a vision and convince others to pursue it. My boss is one of the leaders who have embraced the transformational style. Thanks to his leadership style, he has been able to lead the organization through difficult times. While other organizations were forced to downsize, he was able to keep the organization alive without needing to let go of some employees. The transformational leadership that he has demonstrated is primarily responsible for the continued growth that the organization has experienced.
Transformational leadership is one of the concepts that have been addressed in this class. As already noted, this style mainly involves leading change. In the world today, change has become a vital component of organizational operations (Botha, Kourie & Snyman, 2014). Organizations need to adopt new approaches. They have been forced to abandon traditional techniques and tools in favor of fresh methods that are more effective. My boss recognizes the role that transformational leadership plays. He joined the organization at a time when it was facing a financial crisis. In the previous years, the organization had witnessed a decline in sales. This decline set the stage for a fall in profits and the organization was mulling over reducing the size of its workforce. The solutions that the organization had implemented before my boss came on board were rather generic and traditional. They were not fresh or creative. This is why they failed to address the financial issues that the organization was grappling with. When he joined the organization, my boss introduced a raft of measures. He led a redesign of the organization’s products and services. He also spearheaded an overhaul of the organization’s processes. All these initiatives were aimed at reversing the organization’s fortunes and minimizing the cost of operations. My boss is clearly an embodiment of transformational leadership. In the class, it was made clear that transformational leadership is the key to growth for firms that wish to remain relevant. Any company that desires to weather the storms in its operating environment must adopt transformational leadership. I am convinced that as my boss continues to apply his transformational style, the organization will continue to report encouraging performance.
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For a full understanding of the leadership style that my boss adopted to be gained, it is important to consider other concepts addressed in the class. Trait theory is among these concepts. The key foundation of this theory is that individuals possess certain traits that make them effective leaders (Northouse, 2010). For example, individuals with a sense of responsibility make for good leaders. As I applied trait theory to my boss’ style, I recognized that the theory does not hold. I find that my boss does not possess any exceptional qualities or traits. He is simply an individual who desired to turn the organization around. My boss understood that for the organization to be revived, he needed to work with all stakeholders. Employees and senior managers needed to join forces and pull in the same direction. He recognized that the direction that the organization had taken could only be reversed through the implementation of innovative approaches. None of the traditional approaches had been effective. While I recognize that he demonstrated exceptional command of the organization, I still feel that he is a regular individual whose personal attributes played a limited role in defining how he led the organization. This is not to say that I find the trait theory to be entirely inapplicable. I understand that there are certain leaders whose effectiveness has been enhanced by such personal traits as intelligence and the ability to rally support. These leaders serve to validate the trait theory. They possess certain attributes that have allowed them to create change and effectively drive organizations. The fact that my boss does not possess any special features indicates that leadership is not necessarily intrinsic. Whereas there are those who are born to lead, it is indeed possible for an individual to develop leadership skills through training and experience. The remarkable leadership that my boss provided is the result of years of working in the industry and his personal commitment to transforming the organization.
Trait theory is not the only perspective that allows for a clearer understanding of transformational leadership to be obtained. Behavioral theory serves a similar purpose. This theory was developed in response to trait theory. Unlike trait theory which focuses on the attributes that define leaders, behavioral theory places emphasis on the behavior of leaders (Bertocci, 2009). According to the behavioral theory, there are two basic classes of leaders. One class is composed of leaders who focus on tasks. These leaders are primarily driven by the desire to ensure that all tasks are executed successfully. They tend to adopt a managerial style. The leaders in the second class are those who place greater focus on people. These leaders seek to create relationships. They invest in their people and cultivate strong bonds with their employees. The styles used by the leaders in the two classes are appropriate for different situations and organizations. For instance, a company whose operations are task-intensive would benefit from the direction provided by the leader who places focus on tasks. I examined the behavior of my boss and realized that he falls in the second class. He understands that people hold the key to success. By investing in his employees, he is able to obtain their commitment and loyalty. It has been mentioned above that my boss is responsible for the remarkable recovery that the organization made. I think that it is his focus on his employees that enabled him to drive the organization towards growth.
The discussion above has focused on the behavioral theory. As already mentioned, this theory places emphasis on the behaviors of leaders. I have attributed the growth that the organization experienced to the capable leadership and the effective behaviors of my boss. While my boss has played a vital role in fuelling the growth of the organization, I observed some behaviors that I believed caused some damage. One of these behaviors is my boss’ tendency to blame others for failures that the organization suffers. For instance, recently, the organization lost one of its most productive and longest-serving employees. Instead of examining the real causes of the employee’s departure, he was quick to blame the human resource manager. He blamed the manager for failing to incentivize the employee sufficiently to convince him to stay. The contingency theory can help to shed light on my boss’ behavior. According to this theory, it is unwise for a leader to have a fixed style. Instead, leaders should be dynamic and malleable. They should adopt approaches that are most appropriate for particular situations. For the most part, my boss was the transformational leader who cared deeply about his employees. He understood that the company would only achieve progress through collaborative effort. His decision to lash out at the human resource manager is a clear departure from his style. I think that he adopted an authoritarian style. I am unable to fault him. As the contingency theory makes it clear, leaders must be dynamic. They should be able to adapt to different situations. While I still think that lashing out at the human resource manager was counterproductive, I feel that this situation allowed us to understand that my boss’ style was complex and multi-faceted. Instead of adopting a universal style that he employs in all situations, he has opted for an approach through which he is able to respond to different situations using different styles.
Humanity seems fascinated with leadership. The immense effort that has been committed to understanding the constitution of leadership serves as evidence for this. In addition to the theories mentioned above, OCEAN is another approach that is used to understand leadership and how leaders function. OCEAN is an acronym that stands for basic traits that define most leaders. Openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism are the five elements of OCEAN (Griffin, 2007). Openness to experience refers to one’s level of curiosity. There are individuals who are curious and inventive. On the other hand, other individuals are cautious and adopt consistent approaches. I find that my leader is inventive and curious. As already mentioned, he did away with the ineffective and traditional approaches that the organization had relied on previously. He replaced them with fresh perspectives and techniques that yielded better outcomes. Were it that my boss was cautious and consistent, the organization would never have experienced the growth that it registered. Excess caution and consistency are the chief enemies of growth for organizations. For sustainable growth to be achieved, organizations must be daring and depart from convention. They must take risks and adopt methods that have not necessarily been tried and tested.
Conscientiousness is the second element of OCEAN. It is concerned with organization and being dependable. On one extreme of the conscientiousness scale are people who are organized and efficient while careless people are found on the other extreme. From the discussion this far, it is clear that my boss is dependable and organized. He developed clear schedules that all employees are required to follow. He also subjects himself to the same schedule. I find that my boss is also dependable. Instead of waiting for the organization to get back on its feet, he took initiative and implemented programs designed to return the organization to growth territory. Without the leadership that he provided, it is possible that the organization would have continued to report disappointing performance.
Extraversion and agreeableness are the other components of OCEAN. Extraversion refers to the degree to which one is willing to venture outdoors (Griffin, 2007). It also concerns one’s level of enthusiasm. There are individuals who are energetic and outgoing. Found on the other extreme are individuals who prefer their personal space and tend to be reserved. Assertiveness, the expression of positive emotions and sociability are the other traits that constitute extraversion. I must admit that I do not understand my boss intimately. However, there are some observations that I have made that allow me to conclude that he is a rather reserved and quiet person. Whenever the organization organizes physical activities aimed at promoting team building, he tends to shy away. He prefers the comfort of his office. Furthermore, his interactions with the employees are limited. He only speaks when the situation demands it. Whereas I find that my boss’ demeanor and conduct creates a calm environment, I would prefer that he become more involved in the affairs of the organization. Employees look to their leaders for direction and insight. When the leader stays quiet, it becomes difficult for the employees to execute their mandate. Agreeableness has been identified as among the elements of OCEAN. It is chiefly concerned with whether one is friendly or detached (Griffin, 2007). For the most part, my boss is friendly. He creates relationships with his employees and he hopes that through these relationships, he will be able to create an environment that facilitates growth. However, there are other moments when he is detached, antagonistic and suspicious. These moments often occur when a blunder has been committed.
Neuroticism is the fifth component of OCEAN. It can be defined as how easy it is for one to experience negative emotions such as anxiety and depression (Griffin, 2007). There are some individuals who feel insecure and unstable while there are others who are confident and are able to control their emotions. I think that my boss is stable and confident. He is able to command respect without being loud or dramatic. I understand that I am not properly placed to determine if he struggles with such issues as anxiety and depression. However, from the observations that I have made, I am confident that he does not suffer anxiety and depression to the extent that they hinder his performance. I attribute the capable leadership that my boss has provided to his calm demeanor and his emotional stability.
In conclusion, this course has played an important role in shaping my perspectives. Thanks to the course, I have gained a broader perspective regarding leadership. I now understand that there are various leadership approaches. Transformational leadership is among these. Through this approach, leaders are able implement change. I have observed that my boss has adopted this leadership style. Instead of resorting to safe and traditional approaches, he implemented solutions that were radical. Since these solutions lifted the organization out of making losses, I think that transformational leadership holds the key to turning around organizations that are struggling with poor performance. I would advise other leaders to embrace this approach.
References
Bertocci, D. I. (2009). Leadership in Organizations: There is a Difference between Leaders and
Managers. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Botha, A., Kourie, D. & Snyman, R. (2012). Coping with Continuous Change in the
Business Environment: Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management
Technology. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Gilbert, K. (2012). Transformational Leadership. Maitland, FL: Xulon Press.
Griffin, R. (2007). Fundamentals of Management. Boston: Cengage.
Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
