Académique Documents
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2/27/2019
Introduction
Any organization needs leaders at various levels to achieve their mandated objectives and this
holds good for organizations that work with a profit motive or otherwise. Leaders at the helm
of the organization give a clear sense of direction and purpose to the organization; whereas
other leaders within the organization do the same within their own level in the organization.
However, the purpose of the leader is to be able to lead others and these remains irrespective
of being at an overall leadership level or at a lower rung within the organization. As a student
with an eye for a leadership position in a career, it becomes important to acquire leadership
skills at a very early stage in the career. Leadership is a skill that needs to be acquired and
The skills that are required of a leader needs to be imbibed into the persona in such a way that
one can climb up the career ladder to reach the leadership position(Goleman, Boyatzis, &
McKee, 2013). A leadership position in an organization or in any other form of activity has to
be inculcated in such a way that there is a natural progression towards the leadership position,
lived one. This paper attempts to study about leadership quality using self-assessment
techniques thereby trying to understand the deficiencies in me which could help in taking
transformational leader; however, there are quite a few areas which require active attention.
The first segment of the test which had an overall score of 13 brought out the aspects of my
personality which I cherish as a person. As a person, I have been inculcated the habit of
showing kindness and consideration to others apart from keeping promises and honoring
commitments. This upbringing also shaped me into not speaking ill about others which helps
me to keep myself within positive thoughts along with a positive frame of mind. I have
balance as I have realized the importance of the same recently. While working in a team I
have always realized the importance of keeping in mind the concerns of others within the
team at the same time do not overdo things to go into levels of creating a burnout in self. At
times I tend to lose control of my life and get a bit out of focus due and try to think about
things beyond my control. I would only gather that this is more due to the age factor and have
the resolve in me to take control of my life, however, I have the ability to take responsibility
for my moods and actions and would not prefer to blame others for the same. My lack of
among the various options available in front of me, but I still have the time to make the
choice. One major deficiency that I have observed in me is about not being organized and not
being a great planner, though I do try and ensure not to get into a crisis mode, the feeling of
not having a plan for all my chores and activities still haunts me. However, if I do have a plan
at all I would ensure in a disciplined fashion that the plan is well executed to the best of my
ability. As an individual, I do take care to see the success of others apart from own success
and I extend my full cooperation with all others around me. In the event of any conflict
resolution, I strive to find a solution that creates benefit for all. In person I have always given
thoughts to the feelings of others apart from seeking their viewpoint, as part of this I have
always tried to be a good listener and try to listen more than to hear. Being a good listener, it
enables me to seek the insights of others and helps me in being creative while searching for
new and better ideas for solutions apart from wanting to encourage others to express their
opinions. A major weakness in me is the fact that I have forgotten to take care of my physical
health and well being. I have always tried to build and improve upon relationships with
others, however, have lost myself in other pursuits thereby not being able to take time to find
Transformational Leadership
James Macgregor Burns who introduced the concept of transformational leadership was the
first to propose the term transformational leadership and was limited to political leadership
when it was first proposed(Burns, 1977). However, later academics and management gurus
used this term to give more connotations to it and increased the spectrum of transformational
leadership to other domains as well. It was in the year 1985 Bernard M Bass in his book
Leadership and Performance beyond expectations has given more dimensions to the concept
as a model of integrity and fairness and one that sets clean and unambiguous goals. While
adding on he also explained how a transformational leader would keep high expectations and
would encourage others by providing support and recognition to his team members. He
further explains how transformation leaders would be able to kindle the emotions of people
which would prompt them to look beyond their self-interest to do things that they may not
probably dream to have achieved. It is noteworthy to note in this context that even after two
arguably one of the most important ideas in business leadership(Goleman et al., 2013).
Transformational leadership is a leadership style where the leader works with his team
members in identifying the required change in the organization, by creating a vision and
guiding the change by inspiring the team members(Holten & Brenner, 2015).
Transformational leaders are found to be working at all levels of any organization in different
departments and also in the organization as a whole. These leaders have a clear vision of
what they want to achieve and align the goals of the team members with this organizational
vision. They have an inspiring and charismatic appeal and they exhibit four characteristics
consistent vision, mission,and values to the team members such that they know what they
would want from each interaction. These leaders provide meaning and challenges in the work
life which motivates the teamwork and commitment among the team members.
become innovative and creative by encouraging new ideas from the team members. He gets
ideas and opinions from the team members and allows them to be part of the decision-making
process.
By idealized influence, the transformational leader often practices what he preaches. The
leaders often act as role models for their team members and such leaders always command
trust and respect of the team members by placing their needs in front of his/her own
needs(Northouse, 2015).
By individualized consideration, leaders act as mentors to their followers and often reward
them for their achievements, creative ideas,and innovations. The followers are empowered to
involve themselves in decisions and are provided with adequate support to implement their
ideas.
Three strengths
One of the major strengths in me, as I understand, is the ability to be a listener rather than just
hear out others. I have observed that good leaders would want to hear to listen and understand
others rather than just hear from others. While listening it becomes a process of
understanding others and trying to figure out what they intend to communicate as against
As a person sensitive the feelings of others, I engage myself in trying to seek the insights of
others and give due recognition and value to the same. A leader who recognizes the value of
his team members will always be remembered for being a good leader who lends a passionate
ear not just to listen to grievances but also to the thoughts of others(Mccleskey, 2014).
As already mentioned above and thanks to my upbringing, I have imbibed a habit of trying to
keep promises and honor commitments. This is more in the form of a habit and I strive and
also go the extra mile while trying to do even it does ruffle a few feathers in the process of
As already put forth in the theory mentioned above by Bass a transformational leader needs
to kindle the emotions of people which I can by lending a passionate hear to my team
members apart from giving themproper recognition. I understand the value of each team
member and understand the importance of each and every member akin to the cog of a wheel
where each cog is equally important for the smooth functioning of the wheel.
Three weaknesses
While trying to be more compassionate and understanding about others at times I have found
to be wanting in knowing more about me and at times consider it immaterial which can be a
key weakness which I need to work upon. As a good leader to I need to know more about
myself in full before I can be fully qualified to lead a group of people. Having tried to spend
more time on others I often do not find the time to find the meaning and enjoyment in life.
These have also lead to an imbalance in the work-life balance and have lost out to friends
while trying to spend time with my teammates. As mentioned by Bass in his book a
transformational leader needs to inspire others and the above-mentioned areas need to be
worked upon by me to bring in the qualities and over the weaknesses, as mentioned above.
To quote Bass, “the transformational leader uses charisma, individual consideration, and
third weakness identified is the use of tobacco in the form of smoking as an habit which
needs to stopped. I have plans to undergo a detox program to help me come out of this habit.
A transformational leader has to be a person whose qualities can be worthy of being followed
by the members of the team, in the context of the having an imbalance when it comes to
work-life balance the same can set a bad precedent to the people who watch a leader with an
imbalanced work-life imbalance. Having such a weakness can be a major hurdle to being a
life balance and this could be imbibed through conscious efforts towards the same. I am
trying to catch up with some good books on the subject and try to read whatever possible on
this subject. While trying to do so I have also started trying to spend time for myself and
undergo some personal pursuits to give more time to probe on my inner self. This has also
provided me with an opportunity to understand the meaning of life as well as how life needs
to be enjoyed. As a part of this pursuit, I have decided to take to art in the form of art from
scrap which gives me lot of ample opportunity apart from the time I have decided to dedicate
towards a reading of more books. The third recommendation is to identify a good detox
program at a good healthcare centre in a nearby place and to enroll for the same with
immediate effect.
SMART goal – 1
Specific – To read the book “Off Balance” by Matthew Kelly, this book is considered one
among the top of the charts and best sellers about the subject of work-life balance and I
propose to read this book to make an attempt of learning the art of work-life balance.
Measurable – I propose to use an app to keep track of the book reading which will help me in
Achievable – One book per month should be an achievable target to make a start.
Relevant – To become a transformational leader one needs to strike a right tone in work-life
Time - I shall finish reading the book within a 30 day period and shall allocate one hours time
on a daily basis towards reading this book and attempt to finish 12 books in a year.
SMART Goals – 2
Specific-1 – To join the local art club in our locality which promotes scrap art and has a good
fan following among the local art lovers and they have a wonderful gallery to display good
works of art.
Measurable – while joining the art club I would consider getting an annual membership.
Achievable = I shall visit the art club and spend time on creative work during the weekends.
Relevant – A good transformational leader should have the requisite soft skills that it takes to
inspire people around him and art can be a good platform for this(Podsakoff, MacKenzie, &
Moorman, 1990).
Time – I shall spend a minimum of three hours on Saturday and Sunday in the art club to
I have purchased an Amazon Kindle reader which will allow me the flexibility to read during
all possible times during the course of day or night. Carrying of books while on the move
could be a bit cumbersome as compared to carrying a Kindle reader and this can also help in
buying more books at a time as the soft copies are less costly than the hard copies.
I have joined the local Picasso Art ClubLe in my locality and have started attending the
orientation sessions which are conducted by artists of international and national repute. This
has become another opportunity for allocating time on self which was not happening earlier.
It is also propose that I shall allocate 1% of my annual earnings to purchase scrap for use in
such art forms and dedicate a part of my backyard for storage of the same. As mentioned by
Bass in his book a transformational leader needs to be a role model to the team members and
create an aura thereby creating self-respect and admiration for such a leader. While such an
aura needs to be created using the qualities of one’s personality and or such an aura cannot be
created artificially. Once this aura sets in the leader automatically assume the role of a role
model for others to emulate and think in line with the leader's capabilities. A transformational
leader would be able to create leaders from within and would have a discerning eye to
identify future leaders by molding and or giving shape to their characters. In pursuit of
creating a work-life balance it is also proposed that I will work for five days in a week only
as against working for the six days in the present this will enable me to spend more time for
pursuits as mentioned above apart from devoting time with family and friends.
Conclusion
A transformational leader must give individual level consideration to each and every member
of his and move in a fashion where all members are given equal attention. Such a leader must
able to stimulate the intellect of the team members leading them to open up on ideas and give
more creative solutions during problem-solving. Lastly, a transformational leader must be
able to create an ideal influence on team members whereby the leader can become a role
model ethical behavior, instill pride and gain respect and trust of the team members. Though
these are very generic traits of a transformational leader to conclude this paper all other
qualities that are desired off a transformational leader are embedded in the same. As an
individual with dreams of leading large organizations I take pride in imbibing the best
qualities from international icons who have been leaders in their own spheres of activity such
as Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi etc to name a few and have resolved to
read their inspiring stories to get inspired. In the course of my journey towards being a
transformational leader, I resolve to become a learner for life and maintain an open-ended
learning curve which will enable me to learn more things as I progress into my career towards
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