Deon Howard

Transformational Leadership for Effective Management

Organizations around the globe rely on excellent leadership to be efficient and effective in meeting organizational goals and objectives. These leaders are the heartbeat of every company and must be able to perform well with lower level employees. But what exactly is excellent leadership and what are the characteristics of an excellent leader? These answers can be found by examining one of the most popular management styles in business management today, transformational leadership.

inspirational motivation where managers motivate employees to fulfill company objectives; and intellectual stimulation where managers push employees to generate new ideas for company use.2 When these characteristics are present and implemented within the workplace, exceptional growth is sure to occur within the organization and within each individual employee.

Benefits of Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership has many benefits when implemented within an organizations management team. One important benefit is that it produces high levels of job satisfaction among employees. Job satisfaction is the feelings and beliefs that one has about their job, and managers play a critical role in the quality of job satisfaction that employees experience. Dr. Baker, a retired business management professor suggests that when job satisfaction is high in the workplace due to management influence, absenteeism and voluntary employee termination percentages are at their lowest. 3 So not only do employees who are under the leadership of transformational managers produce outstanding work results, but retention and absenteeism rates are positively affected and make commitment to organizational goals and objectives easy and obtainable.

Definition of Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is leadership that motivates, inspires, and focuses on employees growth for the advancement of the organization. Managers implement this leadership style when they: Ensure that employees understand the importance of their positions and the effect that they have on meeting organizational goals. Help employees discover their personal needs for growth and development. Persuade employees to work diligently and dedicate to the overall vision of the company without focusing on the benefits they will receive.1 In addition, there are four basic characteristics that managers must have in order to be transformational: idealized influence where ones leadership skills encourage others to duplicate; individualized consideration where managers meet the needs of employees;

Conclusion
Just as managers of organizations strive to serve their customers with excellence, they should in turn use that same motivation and serve their employees with the highest quality of management possible. Transformational leadership is the gateway to becoming a more effective organization internally and externally. Change never happens over night, but with consistency and endurance, companies will be exceptionally improved.

2 1

Essentials of Contemporary Management, 4e

www.leadingtoday.org Dr. Chester Baker; retired business management professor