Who doesn’t want to succeed in life? People will take any measures to reach their dreams, though we must admit that it’s hard surviving in this digital era. There is a myriad of skills we must possess to be able to adapt with the rapid development, one of them is leadership skill. Leadership, including transformative leadership, is one of the characteristic or skill most sought-after by companies/organisations across various fields.
Transformative leadership is a leadership approach that focuses on transforming individuals and the social system.[1] A transformative leader takes hold of situations by delivering clear vision on the group/organisation’s goals. They have clear motivation to work and have what it takes to make other members feel motivated as well. This theory attempts to introduce a new approach in leadership. Along the way, this leadership model becomes popular with its focus on intrinsic motivation and development, which is in line with the needs of the majority of working groups that may require inspiration and empowerment to succeed in difficult times.[2]
Unlike other leadership styles, where the leader holds all control in a team, transformative leadership distributes control with all of the other stakeholders. A transformative leader is able to reach consensus with individuals looking to collaborate with them in order to achieve their common goal. Consensus can be achieved by identifying a common vision between the leader and the members, which means a leader will develop and share their vision to the people who will be working with them.[3]
According to Bernard M. Bass, there are four components to transformative leadership. These components are intellectual stimulation, individual consideration, inspirational motivation, and ideal influence.[4] Every leader is different, but transformative leadership has the main qualities of originality, self-awareness, modesty, collaboration, and interdependence.
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This leadership style can be really effective when used appropriately, but it might not be the best one-for-all solution for every situation. In some cases, some organisation may need a more managerial or autocratic style involving tighter control and greater direction, particularly in situations where team members are less skilled and require more supervision.
Development of this leadership method is also driven by the rising demand for better leadership theory that views a leader and the people they lead as important partners in achieving the vision and mission of an organisation. Therefore, a good teamwork to achieve goals will be cultivated.
Are you a transformative leader? Do you want to become one? You can train and hone this skill through a series of training with various self-development methods. Let’s join Kacapikir to participate in the Transformative Leadership Program and get this must-have skill!