2. Transformational Leadership
initially introduced by James MacGregor Burns in 1978
a leadership expert and presidential biographer
Defined transformation leadership as “…a process where leaders and
followers work together to advance motivation and morale” (Anderson,
2017).
Leadership style that “…transforms follower attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors…” (Anderson, 2017) that promotes the followers to rise above
what is required and perform at high levels of achievement.
James MacGregor Burns
3. Transformational Leadership
Initial theory expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass
Developed into Bass’s Transformational Leadership Theory in 1985
Defined based on the impact that it has on followers
Transformational leaders “…garner trust, respect, and admiration from their followers”
(Cherry, 2020).
Four components: Intellectual Stimulation, Individualized Consideration, Inspirational
Motivation, and Idealized Influence.
Bass’ work is the “…cornerstone research on transformational leadership in the
classroom, highlighting transformation leadership behaviors” (Anderson, 2017).
Bernard M. Bass
4. What is Transformational Leadership?
“Transformational leadership is a leadership style that can inspire positive changes in
those who follow” (Cherry, 2020).
Characteristics of a Transformation Leader: energetic, enthusiastic, passionate, want all
members of group to succeed
“Being genuine, passionate, supportive, and trustworthy are all key characteristics that will
help motivate followers to support your goals for the group” (Cherry, 2020)
Research has shown transformational leadership has a positive effect on group members
and their well-being.
Transformational leaders work with their employees to “…identify needed change, create
a vision to guide the change through inspiration, and execute the change in unison with
committed members of a group” (Anderson, 2017).
Transformational leadership has proven to have a “…positive impact on teacher
commitment, performance, job satisfaction, and other areas that help facilitate overall
school success…” (Anderson, 2017).
5. Servant Leadership
Robert K. Greenleaf published in an essay in 1971, where he first used the term.
“Greenleaf believed that servant leadership was more of a lifestyle than a technique
that could be implemented in one go” (Tait, 2020).
Concept of Servant leadership began to be “…studied formally in a proper and
empirical way” (Tait, 2020) in 2004.
Components: listen, empathy, focus on emotional well-being, aware of self and
others, persuade without force, conceptualize and communicate the vision,
anticipate future events and their impact, be committed and accountable, and
create a sense of community.
Robert K. Greenleaf
6. What is Servant Leadership?
According to Harris et al. (2017)Greenleaf defined a servant leader “is [a] servant
first…begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then
conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. He or she is sharply different from
the person who is leader first”.
“Servant leadership occurs when the leader's main goal and responsibility is to
provide service to their people” (Tait, 2020).
Focus is placed on people and not the company, resulting in “…skilled, talented,
knowledgeable and motivated employee…” (Tait, 2020) which in turn makes for a
more productive company.
“In servant leadership, the leader ensures that the followers are growing in all areas
— their profession, knowledge, autonomy and even their health and physical
development” (Tait, 2020).
7. Similarities of Leadership Styles
Transformational
Individualized consideration to
consider and meet each person’s
needs
Inspirational motivation to develop
and grow employees
promotes cooperation and assists
team members to work towards a
common goal
Transforms school culture
(Anderson, 2017)
Servant
Ensures others needs are prioritized
Focus on development of others
Builds community and creates
positive collaboration
Positively related to school climate
(Harris et al., 2017)
8. Differences of Leadership Styles
Transformational
Work with others
Leadership style can be learned and
at times manipulated to achieve
leaders goal
(Anderson, 2017)
Servant
Serves others first
Is a personal trait/lifestyle that can be
grown
(Tait, 2020)
9. Application for School Leaders:
Transformational Leadership
An important part of transformational Leadership requires leaders to identify and
understand the needs of his/her employees and develop communication skills such as
conflict resolution. School counselors need both these skills when working with staff
members and students.
Principals manage the school, much like a business. They are responsible for staffing their
school, managing budgets, maintain the framework of the school and helping struggling
students. With training and development in transformational leadership, principals, along
with other school leaders can enhance and promote the success of their school setting, as it
has been proven effective in the business setting (Anderson, 2017).
Incorporate the approach and practice of transformational leadership into preparations
programs for educational leaders.
School leaders instruct teachers and leadership committee members on transformational
leadership.
Teacher’s show higher levels of self-efficacy under a leader who practices transformational
leadership; a review of studies conducted by Menon & Lefteri (2021) concluded that the
positive correlation between leadership style and teachers self-efficacy promote teacher
well-being, improved workplace, and overall school success.
10. Application for School Leaders:
Servant Leadership
Servant leadership requires leaders to build community, value others, and be
authentic, which promotes leadership being able to respond to the needs of
students and staff, and create positive change to school climate
Servant leadership can be used to help create a sense of community among staff
by focusing on staff needs and promote professional development.
By identifying the needs of students, specifically those who are minorities and/ or
females, school leaders can identify the academic gaps and advocate for change.
(Harris, et al., 2017)
11. References
Anderson, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in education: A review of existing
literature. International Social Science Review, 93(1), 1–13.
Cherry, K. (2020, January 19). How do transformational leaders inspire and motivate
followers? Verywell Mind. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-transformational-leadership-2795313.
Harris, P. N., Hockaday, M. S., & McCall, M. H. (2017). Black girls matter. Professional
School Counseling, 21(1b). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759x18773595
Menon, M. E., & Lefteri, A. (2021). The link between transformational leadership and
teacher self-efficacy. Education, 142(1), 42–52
Tait, B. (2020, March 11). Traditional leadership vs. servant leadership. Forbes.
Retrieved November 3, 2021, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/03/11/traditional-
leadership-vs-servant-leadership/.
