RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational Leadership Introduction Leadership is a critical element of existence.

Any group of organisms that exhib it existence also demonstrate a structured level of governance and consequent le adership. The animal kingdoms as well as mankind exemplify this in many ways. A brief look at a variety of organisms existence shows a great diversity of organiz ation and leadership structures and models. Take for example the organization wi thin a pride of lions; or the structure of a perk of dogs in the wild; or a colo ny of bees; a school of fish or even micro-organisms like a colony of bacteria. All of them exhibit a level of structural governance within which a defined lead ership resides. Consequently, human beings exhibit a greater level of governance than all created order. A family is said to be the tiniest social structure thr ough which leadership is demonstrated. Beyond the nuclear family of father mothe r and children, societal structures begin to develop into more complex organizat ions that demand more leadership acumen. Considering theinevitability of leaders hip, these social structures, whether big or small demand a strong and purposefu l leadership if any purpose is to be achieved. The question, therefore, is not w hether tolead or not but whether to lead in a visionary and purposeful way and w hether to lead in astructured and defined way or haphazardly.Seeing that leaders hip is such a vital and inevitable element of existence it is necessaryto have a proper understanding of what it is and the purpose it serves. Various attempts have been made to define leadership. In his class notes, Bill Premo explains tha t leadership is socialinfluence; leaving a mark; initiating and guiding; the res ult is change (Premo, 2010). Hughes RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational Leadership(2005) on the other han d argues that leadership is a complex phenomenon involving the leader,the follow er and the situation.Leadership is like Dancing with a GirlIn agreement with Hug hes, I submit that leadership is like dancing with a girl. To dancewith a girl a few things must be taken into consideration. First, there must be consent for t hedance to be exciting and meaningful. It is possible to bully a woman into danc ing with you.However, that kind of bullying is idiotic since one deceives himsel f that he is enjoying the dancewhile he knows deep within himself that one party is not in the game. An African proverb usedto express this idea is: You can tak e a cow to the river but you cannot force it to drink. Simply put, the follower must be willing to be led for leadership to be authentic and transformative. Thi sfirst consideration casts aspersions on those who usurp power or illegitimately force themselvesinto leadership. An example of such is politician who rigs elec tions or an incumbent who refusesto relinquish power upon losing and election.Th e second consideration for the dance analogy is that an enjoyable dance must bes tructured otherwise one risks running over the dancing partner or stepping on he r toes. It is possible to dance haphazardly or in a free style but that serves w hen one is dancing alone inwhich case it does not fit in this analogy. A good da nce follows a general pattern. However,within that general pattern there is suff icient room for the partners to flavour the dance with avariation of styles as t hey deem fit. Similarly, good leadership follows some foundational principles wi thin which the leaders and the followers are free to implement in various ways a sthey deem appropriate and convenient. 2 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational LeadershipThirdly, in a dance, th ere is a leader and a follower. Take a swing dance, for example,where the man le ads and the woman follows. The woman assumes a position that allowsflexibility a s she responds to the direction of the mans leading. She leans slightly backwards butis ably supported by the man who anchors her with his arms as he uses the sa me to direct her.The woman not only trusts that the man will lead her well but a lso that he will keep her fromtripping. A situation where this is not establishe d makes the dance difficult and tiring to the arm.Thus the element of trust, sub mission and responsibility are equally important for leadership.Last but not lea st, even within the swing dance there are varieties of patterns. The westcoast s

wing dance, for example, allows the woman (follower) to do the bulk of the movin g whilethe man who appears to be doing the least still directs and is responsibl e for the womansanchorage. The east coast on the other hand distributes the respo nsibilities equally yet the manstill gives direction and anchorage. The leader i s therefore the director and the anchor in everysetting. He is the backbone of t he organization and he also gives direction. S/he may be flexibleand may delegat e responsibility but at the end of the day, the buck stops with him. The safety, the process and the results good or bad are ultimately his responsibility. Impor tantly though,is that at the end of the day, both the man and the woman danced t ogether and they enjoyedthemselves.Transformational LeadershipLike mentioned bef ore, there are different organizational structures as well as differentleadershi p models. Different historical dispensations have emphasized different models wi thvarying degrees of success. Particularly important is the understanding that e ach model probablydeveloped as a response to a situation. For the purpose of thi s paper, the transformational model 3 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational Leadershipwill be revisited. The bulk of the discussion will include what it is, how it is applied, theattributes of a transformational leader and the relationship between leadership and manage mentare explored. Finally, I will draw conclusions about the usefulness of trans formational leadershipand then attempt a demonstration of how it integrates with Adlerian principles as well as how itfits into my leadership philosophy and pla n. Setting off this discussion is a brief background tothe origins of transforma tional leadership theory. Cox (2001) asserts that there are two basic categories of leadership: transactio nal andtransformational. According to Hay, this distinction between the two was first made byDowntown though the idea gained little currency until James McGrego r Burns work on politicalleaders was published. Hay writes:Burns distinguished be tween ordinary (transactional) leaders, who exchanged tangiblerewards for the wo rk and loyalty of followers, and extraordinary (transformational)leaders who eng aged with followers, focused on higher order intrinsic needs, and raisedconsciou sness about the significance of specific outcomes and new ways in which thoseout comes might be achieved (Hay)Bernard Bass further developed the idea of transfor mational leadership disputing Burnsconception of transactional and transformation al leadership as opposites on a continuum, instead,he suggested that they are se parate concepts and that good leaders demonstrates characteristics of both (Hay) .Two tendencies are attributed to the emergence and growth of transformationalle adership: significant global economic changes from the early 1970s and the failu re of thetheoretical base of work on leadership that prevailed in the 1970s to a ccount for someuntypical qualities of leaders (Hay).Burns wrote, I define leadershi p as leaders inducing followers to act for certain goalsthat represent the value s and the motivations-the wants and needs, the aspirations and RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational Leadershipexpectations (Burns, 197 8). The leader does not just wield power but also appeals to thefollowers values. Quoting Cashin, Hay writes that transformational leadership is that which:facili tates a redefinition of a peoples mission and vision, a renewal of their commitme nt and the restructuring of their systems for goal accomplishment. It is arelati onship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders andmay convert leaders into moral agents. Hence, transformational leadership mus t begrounded in moral foundations. (Leithwood, Cashin and Hay, as cited in Hay) Transformational leadership fosters capacity development and brings higher level s of personal commitments amongst followers to organizational objectives. This o ccurs when leaders broadens and elevate the interests of their employees, when t hey generate awareness andacceptance of the purpose and mission of the group, an d when they stir employees to look beyond their own self-interest for the good o f the group. This heightened capacity leads toadditional effort and greater capa city (Bass, 1990).Transformational leadership is anchored by four pillars: ideal ized influence (Charisma),inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. Hay writesthat idealized influence is about build

ing confidence and trust and providing a role model thatfollowers seek to emulat e (Hay). It's having a dynamic, energetic and commanding presence(McCrimmon, 200 8). Unlike idealized influence which motivates individuals, inspirationalleaders hip is about motivating the organization. Leaders who are inspirational motivato rs appealto basic values with enthusiasm and an eloquent speaking style to offer a compelling vision(McCrimmon, 2008). Intellectual stimulation means inspiring people to think differently or creatively by suggesting new ways of looking at t hings. It involves arousing and changingfollowers awareness of problems and their capacity to solve those problems (Judge, 2004).Finally, Individualized consider ation involves responding to the specific, unique needs of thefollowers to ensur e they are included in the transformation process of the organization (Hay).Show ing individualized consideration means paying attention to people as individuals and 5 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational Leadershiphelping them meet their needs (McCrimmon, 2008) with the intention of helping them to reachhigher level s of achievement than might otherwise have been achieved. This may be donethroug h individualized career counselling, coaching, fair workload distributions, ment oring andother professional development activities.The four-dimensional pillars of transformational leadership are interdependent andmutually co-existent. With good management, they could create a great effect that yields performance beyond expectations.The attributes of a transformational leader Transformational leade rs elevate people from low levels of need, focussed on survival tohigher levels (Hay). They foster social interest as they motivate followers to transcend their owninterests for a collective purpose. The approach is holistic as the leader u niquely aid followers insatisfying their individual human needs. Such leaders ar e imbibed with such attributes as trust,loyalty, admiration and respect among th eir followers (Barbuto, 2005).Transformational leadership views the follower as holistic and encompassing and not asmere employees. It involves leaders and foll owers raising one anothers achievements, moralityand motivations to levels that m ight otherwise have been impossible (Hay).The transformational leader executes a four stage process for organizational change. Firsthe makes a compelling case. Secondly, he inspires a shared vision through seeking broad inputand encouraging everyone to think of a new and better future (Hay). This is achieved throughcoa ching and conscious role modeling strategies. Third, the change needs to be led by instilling asense of urgency and encouraging collaboration. Finally, change n eeds to be embedded. Toachieve this, the leader must create an effective monitor ing process, change appraisal andrewards systems as well as hire staff with a co mmitment to collaboration (Hay). 6 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational LeadershipCarlson and Perrewe arg ue that what leaders pay attention to, what they measure and howthey measure it, and what they control are critical factors in transforming an organizationscultu re and embedding new ways of thinking and acting (Perrewe, 1995). Stone et all m akes acompelling summary:the transformational leader articulates the vision in a clear and appealing manner,explains how to attain the visions, acts confidently and optimistically, expressesconfidence in the followers, emphasizes values with symbolic actions, leads by example,and empowers followers to achieve the vision (Stone, 2003, p. 4).Leadership and Management A word on leadership and management must be mentioned. For the purpose of clarif ying this thought we must make mention of transactional leadership. As Burns rec ognized,transformational leadership does not stand alone in the leadership lexicon . As mentioned, hecoined another leadership term, transactional. Of transactional leadership, Colonel Mark Homrig wouldnt have been clearer:Transactional leadershi p is based on a transaction or exchange of something of value theleader possesse s or controls that the follower wants in return for his/her services. Therelation s of most leaders and followers are transactional-leaders approach followerswith an eye to exchanging one thing for another: jobs for votes, or subsidies for ca mpaign contributions. The transactional style is precisely what happens in acontr acting scenario. The contractor provides the specified service purchased (Homrig

,2001).Transformational leadership and transactional leadership are not at odds with oneanother, but complement each other as the circumstance dictate. There is no magic formula or checklist that dictates when one is more relevant than the other in any given situation. Accordingto Bass, the best leadership is both tran sformational and transactional. Transformationalleadership augments the effectiv eness of transactional leadership; it does not replacetransactional leadership ( Walsman, Bass, & Yammarino, 1990). 7 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational LeadershipLeadership situations v ary and therefore call for different approaches. What you do inone situation wil l not always work in another. You must use your judgment to decide the bestcours e of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. Sometimes a tran sactionalapproach may befit a situation while sometimes a transformational appro ach may becircumstantially prudent. Either way, both approaches should be employ ed with much wisdom.Murray argues that leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the samething. But they are necessarily linked, and compleme ntary. Any effort to separate the two islikely to cause more problems than it so lves (Murray, 2010).Leadership without management sets a direction or vision tha t others follow, withoutconsidering too much how the new direction is going to b e achieved. Other people then have towork hard in the trail that is left behind, picking up the pieces and making it work. Managementwithout leadership controls resources to maintain the status quo or ensure things happenaccording to alread y-established plans. Leadership combined with management does both - it both set s a new direction and manages the resources to achieve it.Transformational leade rs, whose choice would be to gain agreement by appealing to thevalues of the fol lowers or peers, finding the road blocked, may resort to the transactional style .Walsman avers: When the transformational leaders sees himself in a win-lose neg otiation he triesto convert it into a win-win problem solving situation. If this is not possible, then he or she candisplay the transactional skills necessary a s an effective negotiator, (Walsman, Bass, &Yammarino, 1990).Bass argues rightly that leaders must learn to use the best style of leadership for eachsituation b ut only because they have the ability to understand the available options and to act inthe manner that is most appropriate to the situation. However, transactio nal style should be 8 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational Leadershipemployed minimally and only in situations of dire need. Homrig warns that while thetransactional style may be the most prevalent, it produces results that may not be as high as withth e transformational style.Adlerian principlesCore Adlerian principles are elegant ly interwoven within the framework and thoughtsystem of transformational leaders hip. To start with, it finds resonance with Adlers thinking thatmankind and his p roblems must be addressed holistically. Thus the leader seeks to address theindi vidual human needs of his followers. Furthermore, it is collaborative and encour ages ahealthy pattern of striving as it advocates horizontal striving while at t he same time seeks to helpthe followers develop their best potential both in the service of the organization as well as to thesatisfaction of the individual wor kers involved.Transformational leadership does not emphasize hierarchy but mutua l co-existence andinterdependence. Any form of hierarchical structure serves to enhance processes and operationsand are by no means meant to demonstrate status. Furthermore, this leadership model encouragessocial interest as it gives due co nsideration to all stakeholders and the environment. Leadersstrive to develop an d clearly communicate a shared vision which is pegged not personal values.These espoused values transcend individual agendas and loyalties. Other Adlerian conce ptsinclude diversity; taking responsibility for individual as well as team decis ions and actions;recognition and development of individual potentials as well as maintaining high ethical andmoral values.How it fits into my leadership philoso phy and plan. Todays networked, interdependent, culturally diverse organizations requiretransfo rmational leadership to bring out in their followers creative imagination and be st efforts.

9 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational LeadershipConsequently, it behove s leaders to recruit people who think on their feet, are creative solution-seeke rs who do not need close supervision as they do what is necessary since they hav e theunderstanding that it is the right thing to do. Such people must then recei ve equal measure of nurture, development and reward.Taking into consideration th e myriad leadership assessment models that I haveundertaken and with a clearer u nderstanding of my personality strengths and weaknesses aswell as individual pre ferences, espouse a transformational leadership style that authentically builds genuine trust between leaders and followers hence my previous analogy of leaders hip asdancing with a girl. My model holds that a continuous commitment, enforcem ent and modellingof leadership, standards of business ethics are critical to ach ieving successful results of theorganizations goals poorly led organizations tend to operate unethically.Furthermore, terminal values such as fairness and integr ity and fairness must be help upwith high esteem. There must be a strong resolve to seek the highest good at all cost and thatwhat is right and honest must prec ede the bottom line. Also the social interest is integral to goodleadership as f ollowers are encouraged to pursue self-actualization but the kind that goes beyo ndself interests for the good of the group, organization or society. In addition , efforts must be madeto enhance pursuit of value congruence between the leader and the follower.Follower empowerment cannot be emphasized further. This must be based on corevalues and unifying purpose. Zero or limited (if situationally req uired) emphasis on positionalauthority must give way to interdependent work rela tionship centered on common purposes. Itcannot be emphasized enough that sharing of the same organizational culture and values is pertinent to the adoption and use of the transformational model. This can be established at the 1 0 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational Leadershipoutset during training so as to enculture the new entrants into the organizations vision and patterns of striving. Training is particularly important as it imbues the individual with t he ethicaland moral standards widely accepted and espoused within the organizati on.ConclusionIn sum, and almost to the risk of oversimplification, this paper ho lds that transformationalleadership is a timely model as its merits speak clearl y for themselves. Ten tenets that give asummation of the model are that: leaders must have high moral and ethical values; leaders shouldexpress genuine interest in followers; have an inspirational vision; genuine trust exists betweenleaders and led; followers share leaders values and vision; leaders and followers perfor m beyond self-interest; participatory decision-making is the rule; innovative th inking and action isexpected; motivation is to do the right thing and lastly, th at leaders are essentially mentors. 11 RUNNING HEAD: A Blueprint for Transformational LeadershipReferencesA.G. Stone, R . F. (2003, October). Transformational versus servant leadership a difference inleader focus . Retrieved September 18, 2010, from Servant Leadership Roundtable:http://www.re gent.edu/acad/cls/2003servantleadershiproundtable/stone.pdf Barbuto, J. E. (2005 ). Motivation and transactional, charismatic, and transformational leadership:a test of antecedents. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies , 11 (4), 26-40.Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership : learning to share thevision. Organizational Dynamics , 13 , pp. 26-40.Bass, B. M. (1960). Leadership, Psychology and Organizational Behaviour. New York: Harper and Brothers.Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper and Row.Cox, P. L. (2001).

Transformational leadership: a success story at Cornell University . RetrievedSeptember 15, 2010, from Proceedings of the ATEM/aappa 2001 conferenc e:http://www.anu.edu.au/facilities/atem-aappaa/full_papers/Coxkeynote.htmlHay, I . (n.d.). Transformational Leadership: Characterisitcs and Criticisms . RetrievedSeptember 20, 2010, from School of Geography, Population and Environm entalManagement - Flinders University:http://www.leadingtoday.org/weleadinlearni ng/transformationalleadership.htmHomrig, M. A. (2001, December 21). Transformational Leadership . Retrieved September 28,2010, from Leadership: http://leadership.au.af.mil/docu ments/homrig.htmJudge, J. E. (2004). Personality and transformational and transa ctional leadership: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology , 89 (5), 901-910.McCrimmon, M. (2008, January 17). Benefits and Limitations ot Transformational Leadership .Retrieved September 19, 2010, from Suite 101.com:http://www.suite101.com/conten t/transformational-leadership-a41909Murray, A. (2010, August 23). What is the Difference Between Management and Leadership? Retrieved August 25, 2010, from The Wall Street Journal:http://guides.wsj.com/ma nagement/developing-a-leadership-style/what-is-the-difference- between-managemen t-and-leadership/Perrewe, D. S. (1995). Institutionalization of organizational e thics through transformationalleadership. Journal of Business Ethics , 18 (10), 829-839.Premo, W. (2010, 08). What is a Leader? Organizational Leadership - 642 . Unpublished Works.