Journal #9 November 14th, 2021
For this journal, we focused on Chapter 9 which is on Charismatic and Transformational leadership, and then completed two self-assessments based on the content. My results from the ‘Are you more of a transformational leader?’ showed that I was in between being a transactional leader and a transformational leader. According to the text, transformational leadership “seeks to change the status quo by articulating to followers the problems in the current system and a compelling vision of what a new organization could be,” (Lussier & Achua, 2016). The text also says that Transactional leadership “seeks to maintain stability within an organization through regular economic and social exchanges that achieve specific goals for both leaders and their followers,” (Lussier & Achua, 2016). I believe that the results are accurate in terms of not leaning towards one because I have a mixture of both transformational and transactional leadership qualities. For instance, I feel as though I am able to limit my self-interests and needs for the better of the team and what they need so that we collectively are able to make the necessary changes and adapt quickly which correlates with transformational leadership. And I also feel as though I focus on motivating people with rewards and focusing on certain tasks getting done which relates to transactional leadership.
In Chapter 5, we discussed a variety of different powers that relate to the different kinds of leadership styles. Power can be defined as, “the leader’s potential influence over followers,” (Lussier & Achua, 2016). Power is neutral and can be used as the potential to influence but does not have to be used to influence followers (Lussier & Achua, 2016). In terms of power for charismatic leaders, referent power is mostly associated with it. Referent power is “based on the user’s personal relationship with others,” (Lussier & Achua, 2016). This power is mostly connected with charismatic leadership because charismatic leaders are the type of people that are best at making those around them feel comfortable and seen. That power works best because they will have a good relationship with those around them.
In all, I think that I am a servant leader. As a servant leader, I feel as though I put the needs of my colleagues and followers first so that they are capable of performing their best. I feel as though this could be a fault of mine, because I tend to put those around me before being able to help myself which only makes me struggle more in the end. However, I hope to be a charismatic leader because I want those around me to feel comfortable and for myself to have that confidence in a positive way.
References
Lussier, R. N. & Achua, C. F. (2016). Leadership: Theory, Application, and Skill Development (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage