Influence of Transformational Leadership-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: 1.Analyse the Leadership Qualities demonstrated by Elon Musk. 2.Discuss about Transformation Leadership. 3.How the lessons from this case can be applied to a school or classroom Environment. Answers: 1.The term leadership, as per the concerned article, does not have one unanimous scientific definition due to its immensely broad scope of application; hold considerable significance in the contemporary world. This is because the presence of leaders and the way in which they operate can have huge implications (both positive as well as negative) on the organizations and on the people whom they are leading. Keeping this in consideration, Elon Musk, demonstrates several positive attributes of an efficient and productive leadership, emphasizing on transformational form of leadership over the widely existing traditional, transactional leadership, in the concerned article, which are discussed in the following section (Garca-Morales, Jimnez-Barrionuevo Gutirrez-Gutirrez, 2012). One of the primary positive attributes of the leadership pattern of Elon Musk is that, he gets involved passionately in any project he undertakes. Instead of only influencing the investors to invest, he himself takes the risk to invest his fortune in the projects, which in turn sends an immense positive vibe to the investors, who follow his footsteps. Another aspect of his leadership, which makes him immensely popular among his employees is that he always keeps on inspiring them to work hard by showing that he believes in them, even when their productivity is not impressive. He also ensures that the employees know that he will keep on working on and for them (Researchgate.net, 2017). Musk also intellectually stimulated his team and encourage them to think unconventionally, as can be seen from his approach when he estimated the cost of building the rockets. The team members also get individual attention from him such that each of them feel important which positively effects their productivity. 2.Transformational Leadership, unlike the conventional form of transactional leadership, where the leaders appreciate the followers by rewards in cash and kind, emphasizes on the long-term welfare of the employees or followers. In simpler words, transformational leaders, transcend over the temporary welfare of his or her followers and focus on building up the skill set, ability to think, productivity and overall welfare of the followers, which in turn helps them in the long run (Avolio Yammarino, 2013). There are several aspects of this type of leadership, which are discussed in the following section: Idealized Influence- This aspect of a transformational leader portrays him or her as an immensely confident role model, which in turn motivates his followers to listen to what the leader says without feeling forced. Inspirational Motivation- This is one of the most important aspect of leadership because inspiration from leaders and the assurance that the leader believes in his followers motivates them even more than any kind of materialistic rewards, thereby increasing their productivity. Intellectual Stimulation- A true leader does not only make his or her follower work for the purpose but also induces in his followers the ability to think and create. The intellectual stimulation of the followers in turn increases their efficiency and helps in reaching the goals (Wright, Moynihan Pandey, 2012). Individual Consideration- A true leader is an unbiased one who gives equal importance to each of his followers. Transformational leaders provide individual attention to the opinions and issues of their followers, thereby making each of them feel important. 3.The aspects of the transformational leadership, as discussed in the above, are relevant to great extent, in every aspect in the contemporary world. This form of leadership also has immense implications in educational institutions like schools and classrooms. This is because, the relation between the teachers and the students in any kind of educational institutions, are similar to the leader follower dynamics, where the teacher, acting as a leader, works in disseminating knowledge among the students and plays the pivotal role in shaping up their life. The students follow more than just the instructions of the teachers, as the overall behavior and attributes of the teachers whom they see everyday leave long term impressions on their everyday activities (Cavazotte, Moreno Hickmann, 2012). Transformational leadership, as can be seen in the above discussion, if taken up in classroom environment, is expected to have considerable positive implications on the students. A student often idealizes the teacher and therefore, if the teacher sets an example of positive leadership, by appearing as someone confident and stable in his goals, this may act as inspiration for the students who may try to follow his footsteps. Apart from teaching, one of the primary responsibilities of a teacher is to inspire the students to learn and study hard, without making them feel forced. This is especially true for weak students, who need motivation to boost their confidence, which can be done by a transformational teacher (Rd.com, 2017). The intellectual stimulation, which is the primary role of a teacher and which actually helps the students to think, question and understand is also an important aspect of transformational leadership. Individual consideration is also important in a classroom to make the students feel that all of them are equally important in the eyes of their teacher. This is also an important aspect of transformational leadership. Thus, it can be asserted that in the classroom environment and in the schools, there are immense scopes of transformational leadership on part of the teachers as it holds immense positive implications on the overall development of the students. References Avolio, B. J., Yammarino, F. J. (Eds.). (2013). Introduction to, and overview of, transformational and charismatic leadership. InTransformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead 10th Anniversary Edition(pp. xxvii-xxxiii). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Cavazotte, F., Moreno, V., Hickmann, M. (2012). Effects of leader intelligence, personality and emotional intelligence on transformational leadership and managerial performance.The Leadership Quarterly,23(3), 443-455. Garca-Morales, V. J., Jimnez-Barrionuevo, M. M., Gutirrez-Gutirrez, L. (2012). Transformational leadership influence on organizational performance through organizational learning and innovation.Journal of business research,65(7), 1040-1050. Rd.com, R. (2017).3 Inspiring Teachers and their Life Lessons-Reader's Digest.Reader's Digest. Retrieved 19 November 2017, from https://www.rd.com/true-stories/inspiring/inspiring-teacher-stories/ Researchgate.net. (2017).Elon_Musk_A_Case_for_Transformational_Leadership. Retrieved 19 November 2017, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299784561_Elon_Musk_A_Case_for_Transformational_Leadership Wright, B. E., Moynihan, D. P., Pandey, S. K. (2012). Pulling the levers: Transformational leadership, public service motivation, and mission valence.Public Administration Review,72(2), 206-215.