Amanda Coots

EDUC 686
17 April 2014
Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is the type of leader that takes the time to
recognize their followers values and identity and can inspire them to use those for
the organizations best interest. This leader uses their followers strengths to
enhance the organization and challenges their followers to take great ownership for
their work and encourages performance done well. This type of leader can motivate
through positive role modeling and energize his followers through conveying a goal
minded vision and passion for the organization and every detail each followers does
to complete the goal.
James McGregor Burns had the idea that "leaders and followers make each
other to advance to a higher level of morality and motivation" and was inspired this
leadership expertise of a transformational leader. He believed that a leader like this
required strength in their vision and personality to stimulate their followers and
would be successful in empowering their followers if they would obtain trust,
respect, and admiration from their followers.
The four components of a transformational leader are Intellectual
Stimulation, Individualized Consideration, Inspirational Motivation, and Idealized
Influence. When the leader uses intellectual stimulation they take the time to
challenge their followers, but also give the enough freedom and space to have
creativity and be innovative in their specific job area. This type of stimulation gives
the follower the understanding that trust is built and their opinion matter to their
leader. Individualized consideration is the basically the open door concept that the
leader has time for each follower to come to him for support and questions. The idea
is that the leader will know more about the individual and will be able to better
recognize and praise their efforts and achievements on an individual basis. A
transformational leader has to have the ability to use inspirational motivation and
be able to inspire their followers to be as passionate as they are about the
organizations goals and vision. It is the ability to bring the followers to the leaders
level of enthusiasm and motivation. Idealized influence is the power that the leader
gained over and worked for from the followers. The followers have given their trust
and respect for the leader and are motivated to please their leader.
From the perspective of a PLC, how incredible would it be if there was one
individual in the PLC that took on the role of a transformational leader. This leader
would then inspire others to be this type of leader in multiple PLCs and the effect
would spread throughout the school. For a PLC to be successful all it takes is one
passionate leader to inspire the rest and use the four components Intellectual
Stimulation, Individualized Consideration, Inspirational Motivation, and Idealized
Influence of to motivate their followers.