Last week, we explored your personal leadership style through the lens of Authentic Leadership theory, specifically the work of Bill George. Keep in mind, as we adventure through different leadership approaches together, you’ll enjoy and embrace some of them – likely because they resonate with your values and communication practices – and you’ll give the side-eye to other approaches that simply aren’t your leadership taste. That’s fine! Consider the theories and styles like a menu or a toolbox. You get to select what works for you!
Today, we’re continuing our discussion of leadership styles by fleshing out the components of Transformational Leadership, typically credited to Bernard Bass and his predecessor, James McGregor Burns. (On a side note, I was blessed to communicate with Bernard Bass directly while working on my dissertation that examined the moderating effects of verbal and nonverbal immediacy on one’s transformational leadership effectiveness. I was starstruck! OK, I’m done being a nerd for today.)
Though there has been some expansion and diversion along the way, most leadership research agrees with the earliest conceptualizations that transformational leadership consists of four primary behaviors: Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration. Let’s define each one and see what it might mean for your personal leadership style.
First, idealized influence refers to the extent to which a leader serves as a role model for subordinates. Specifically, are you living as a good example to your followers of what it looks like to fulfill the mission and vision of your organization? When followers see that you’re “walking the walk” in this way, it builds trust in your leadership, confidence in the company’s direction, and assurance about their personal role. When idealized influence is lacking, followers are left wondering if you care – and they might start to question their own energy investment in the company.
Next, inspirational motivation encompasses everything a leader does to encourage followers and build a sense of team spirit. It means drawing from your vocabulary to clearly articulate the “why” of your company’s activities and paint a beautiful, motivating picture of the future. Done well, inspirational motivation heightens the intrinsic motivation for working hard and serving company goals. Employees understand why their work matters and they feel valued for their efforts.
Intellectual stimulation, the third component, creates space for followers to have a voice in the organization’s operations, policies, or goals. It means they’re comfortable challenging the status quo from time to time. From a leader’s perspective, this can be challenging, because it means truly listening to follower feedback, criticisms, and contradictions. That’s not easy for most people in general, let alone in a leadership position. But if followers feel that you’re the only one with a say, they may start to feel stifled or resentful. We live in a world where people want to be heard – and your employees may have ideas that propel your organization forward in ways you never expected. Give them a voice!
Finally, individualized consideration involves a leader’s ability to personally mentor followers and flex his or her leadership style according to unique personalities. When employees receive this gracious and tailored attention, variables such as job satisfaction, job commitment, well-being, and personal motivation improve. They feel irreplaceable and understood – powerful factors in employee engagement.
So, are you a transformational leader? Could you see yourself and your leadership behaviors shining through the descriptions above? Though it takes great time, effort, and attention to followers to lead in this transformational way, the abundant positive outcomes are worth the investment.
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