Transformational Leadership - Meaning of Transformational Leadership and its Importance | HRMantra HR Software

Transformational Leadership - Meaning of Transformational Leadership and its Importance | HRMantra HR Software

6-7 mins 

Definition of Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership refers to the means or the method through which working people are motivated to do more than what is actually required of them. In the process, they do achieve maximum potential and, in turn, create a pleasurable change in their office.

The concept of transformational leadership has gained huge impetus in recent times as the leaders come from within themselves. One can certainly not wonder that in this era of digitization, big and small businesses are under constant changes. Only transformational leaders would understand how to inspire and guide employees in moving ahead and being the best productive versions of themselves in such a scenario.

And here, then, is where a great question arises: ""What exactly is transformational leadership?"". Come with us in the attempt to answer this question.

• What is Transformational Leadership Theory?
• Importance of Transformational Leadership
• Characteristics of Transformational Leadership
• Pros and Cons of Transformational Leadership
• Examples of Transformational Leadership

What is Transformational Leadership Theory?

Transformational leadership theory encourages and motivates the employees to step forward and share their ideas or opinions. Not only does this help the business flourish, but it also helps employees be successful in the future.

In doing this, it allows firms to empower their workforce to make decisions fit for the situation at hand and solve their problems mindfully.

Transformational leaders love what they do and are aligned with the purpose of the organization. They also spot out business processes that don''t reap the desired results and make the necessary adjustments along the way.

Importance of Transformational Leadership

Even though we have mentioned that it encourages actions that help a company in the long run, so to speak, transformational leadership is a leadership style that is increasingly becoming ''the in thing'' these days because it does what helps leaders and businesses thrive.

Thus, for instance, a transformational leader is not method-driven or perennially harping on short-term issues but, rather, one working at discovering what motivates each of his employees and allowing them to keep an eye on the long-term goals of the company.

Transformational Leadership Characteristics

Let''s look into some of the must-know transformational leadership characteristics:

• Accepting the Change: Transformational leaders accept the change and visualize the way it will impact the organization. This way, they are prepared to handle issues that crop up.
• Emotional Intelligence: Transformational leadership would require a person to be prepared for work with others, empathetic, and emotionally intelligent. They are supposed to be self-motivated, strong, and effective in obtaining trust and respect from those surrounding them.
• Adaptability: A transformational IT (information technology) leader can well handle the fast dynamism in his or her respective field and put difficult technologies into use. He or she also knows what these changes will mean for other systems and can see problems coming before they happen.
• Promoting Collaboration: Transformational leaders are open to ideas flowing from people around them and don''t judge or react at once. By the mere fact that they can talk to their employees in an open and honest way, it builds trust that lingers through time.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Transformational Leadership

Advantages

• These leaders are less strict in managing; therefore, employees are free to try new things and come up with new ways of doing things.
• People actually working and dealing with customers and business issues on a day-to-day basis are best placed to generate new ideas and approaches.
• Goals of the organization matter to the employees because of which they are more dedicated and laborious towards work.
• An effective transformational leader unites these hearts and minds of people in the organization towards a common goal.

Disadvantages

• A transformational leader often has an inspiring grand vision; however, they do not always outline the definite steps on how to achieve that grand vision.
• The vision may be too large or too aggressive that it causes employees to burnout or to give up trying to achieve it.
• A transformational leader is a person who makes change happen in an organization or not. The change might be devastating in such a way that it would be too disconcerting to several people.
• Keeping your employees engaged and enthused is probably one of the greatest challenges of the life of the transformational leader.
• The trick here is that the vision of the transformational leader is not always seen with all employees.

Examples of Transformational Leadership

Some of the most famous examples of transformational leadership include:

• Jeff Bezos: Online book sales were Amazon''s first big hit. In 1995, Jeff Bezos had the great idea of selling books online. Over time, he expanded his line of products, and consequently, Amazon quickly grew to become the huge online store we know now. Together with this, Jeff concentrated on building a company where all people are open to new ideas which brought help to Amazon and made them reach their goals with the minimum amount of effort.
• Steve Jobs: Many referred to the former head honcho of Apple, often-called genius and a visionary. In his two stints in Apple, he spearheaded a wave of new product development. He urged on and challenged teams to come up with the most user-friendly hardware and software ideas at Apple''s then infancy stage. It was only after a decade that his return to Apple became prominent with products such as iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He has seemingly put his message across well, that goods should be of a very high-quality standard and make it easier for customers to use.

There you go!

Now you are fully aware of what transformational leadership is. To implement such a kind of leadership at your workplace without disrupting the current activities, you must give HRMantra a try. HRMantra will provide you the facility to empower your employees and give them the much-needed independence. So, when are you changing your leadership style?

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