MSLD 511 Module 6 Transformational Leadership

Think about your leaders from the past and reflect on their qualities. Did any of them exhibit the qualities of a transformational leader? Did the leader exhibit certain elements that made you want to work harder? In what ways were you transformed by the leader you are describing?

As I was reading about Transformational Leadership my mind kept going to the president that was in charge of the USO chapter I worked for named Elaine. To provide some background, Elaine started her career with the USO just after the Vietnam War when she was still in her 20’s and grew her organization from one small USO center to 10 different centers to include one of the largest centers in the world and a staff of about 40 people. She also often asked to help consult for the Joint Chiefs of Staff to help the military determine the moral needs of the military. Although I did not interact with Elaine on a daily basis it was still very clear to me as a follower that she touched every aspect of the organization, and she set up a culture and environment in which the organization was able to thrive.

Northouse (2016) says that a transformational leader’s popularity is due to their, “emphasis to intrinsic motivation and follower development…[where followers] are inspired and empowered to succeed in times of uncertainty.” (p.161). Around 2014 there was a drawdown of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the military overall was being told to downsize. During this time I remember several meetings that Elaine emphasized that although other military support non-profits were struggling to stay afloat we were strong, and despite the change in military politics she expected us to continue to grow. She also emphasized that our ability to weather the storm and grow was because she believed that our team was able to carry out our mission and our ability to look towards the future. Instead of feeling stressed over these changes, she motivated us to aim higher. Through her transformational approach she helped us deal with this stress and created an environment where the organization was focused on continuing relationships with stakeholders and setting goals to create a sense of stability. (Bass, 1999).   

In Bass and Steidlmeier’s article: Ethics, Character, and Authentic Transformational Leadership Behavior, (1999) the authors emphasize that transformational leaders must have a moral and ethical code that they follow and instill in the organization itself. It was continually reinforced culturally in the organization that our mission always came first and she lead by example when it came to morals and ethics. There were times when the needs of volunteers and staff had to be balanced, but at the end of the day the mission came first. Another key ethical element that was enforced was how our money and donations were put to use. We could see how other non-profits were spending their money on parties for donors and had overly generous salaries, but only a fraction of money was going to actual programs. Elaine made sure that we were the opposite, and said that our inspiration to corporate and private donors was our story and integrity, not our parties. However, she discouraged a “we vs. they” mentality (Bass, Steidlmeier, 1999) and instructed staff not to speak negatively about the other non-profits. In addition to this, it was known that Elaine often times turned down raises that the board members wanted to give her and instead asked for that money to be used towards staff salaries and the mission.

Elaine was often times described as charismatic, and in the context of transformational leadership exemplified idealized influence (Northouse, 2016). She was insanely positive, energetic, tenacious and most of all passionate. As mentioned above, what made Elaine transformational was the fact that she was not self-serving, but held herself to a high standard and lead by example. Her pep-talks were well infamous which inspired motivation (Northouse, 2016). She created an environment that allowed for intellectual stimulation (Northouse, 2016) by communicating a clear vision and then delegating teams and individuals to brainstorm how to bring the vision to life. She also created a culture where constructive criticism was welcomed, and professional development was authentic and not something to check off of a list.  

Although I very rarely spoke with Elaine one-on-one and did not see her on a regular basis, it was clear to me that she created an organization that inspired me to do more. I didn’t feel like I was getting up in the morning to go to a job. Instead, I was getting up because I was needed. I wanted to be a part of the action! As Northouse (2016) describes transformational leaders create an environment that makes followers want to go above and beyond even if they may not have a specific transactional reward to do so. My husband came down on orders in November 2016 for us to move to Florida which was the busiest time at work with our holiday programs. I soon found out that I had banked up more leave than I could use, and if I continued to work 40 hour weeks I would technically lose some of my leave and pay. As a result, I put in for a lot of leave to prepare for the move. However, after a two days I found myself constantly thinking about what I needed to get done to tie up loose ends and how I wanted to be there to support the mission for my favorite holiday program. I texted by boss and told her to cancel my leave and that I would be back at work in the morning. She reminded me that I would technically be working for free and as an hourly employee was against the rules. Sarcastically I said, “What are you going to do, fire me?” She responded, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  As mentioned, although I didn’t work with Elaine on a daily basis, she created the environment that made me want to do more. She transformed me by creating an organization that empowering me. My value in the organization was not contingent on where I was in the totem-pole, and I was able to control my own destiny. I didn’t have to wait for a co-worker to quit or get promoted to move up. I was given opportunities to advance based upon my performance and roles were created for me. This alone was huge intrinsic motivating factor for me. As a result of her leadership, I “transcended [my] own self-interest for the sake of others.” (Northouse, 2016, p 175).

References:

Bass, B. M. (1999). Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(1), 9-32.

Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, Character, and Authentic Transformational Leadership Behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181-217.

Northouse, Peter G. Leadership Theory and Practice 7^th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.