winstonchurchill.org
There are many people who come to mind who exude transformational leadership qualities. Individuals like Winston Churchill who through his clear vision and his famous speech entitled “We Shall Never Surrender” (video clip of speech here) brought a country together to inspire people to accomplish more than they originally thought possible.
Bill Gates courtesy of twitter.com
Bill Gates, Microsoft inventor, who not only created opportunities for his employees to be innovative and grow, he also built trust with his followers and modelled philanthropy through the creation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
I cannot even begin to compare to the individuals listed above and their accomplishments, however, on a much smaller scale, the chapter on Transformational Leadership (Northouse, 2019), is essentially describing my vocation. Transformational leaders “may be especially effective in environments where followers need to focus on learning, development, and mastering job related tasks” (Northouse, p.173).
I would like to share the following examples that I incorporate into my teaching practice as a transformational leader.
Teaching and the 4 I’s & Kouzes and Posner’s Five Fundamental Practices as referred to by Northouse (2019, pp 169-171 and pp 176-177):
Idealized Influence: As a teacher, I try really hard to act as a “strong role model” for students and to ensure that my students know that I have “high standards of moral and ethical conduct and can be counted on to do the right thing”(Northouse, p.169). It is important for my students to understand the difference between right and wrong and to learn how to act accordingly. Mulla and Krishnan in their 2011 article “Transformational Leadership: Do the Morals Matter and Do the Follower’s Moral’s Change?” addressed this by stating that there are 4 parts to moral development. Moral sensitivity (knowing what the moral issue is), moral judgement (developing a plan to deal with the issue), moral motivation (the pros and cons of each plan and knowing which plan to pursue), moral character implementation (following through with the plan of action). I also know that genuine respect is earned with students, and I do my best to gain their trust. This trust and respect is a two way street. It is important to recognize that transformational leadership is dually shared by both leader and follower. “Transformational leadership is not the sole responsibility of a leader, but rather emerges from the interplay between leaders and followers” (Northouse, p.179).
Inspirational Motivation/Model the Way/Inspire a Shared Vision: I have high expectations for all of my students and communicate this clearly, failure is not an option. Transformational leadership “moves followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected of them” (Northouse, p. 172). This applies personally, socially and academically. I provide my students with a clear vision of the future state of our classroom. Sharing this vision really is “simple, understandable, beneficial and energy creating” (p.175). Students genuinely support the vision because it helps them feel empowered “because they feel they are a significant dimension of a worthwhile enterprise” (Bennis & Nanus, 2007, pp. 90-91). I tell my students that we are like a family when we are together and because of that, we need to look out for each other and for those who we might not know yet but who attend our school. Students really do become “motivated to transcend their own self-interests for the good of the group” (Northouse, p. 172).
Intellectual Stimulation/Challenge The Process: As part of the curriculum expectations, I try to provide opportunities for students to be “creative, innovative and to challenge their own beliefs and values” (Northouse, p.171). It is essential that I promote both critical and creative thinking skills so that students can learn how to think for themselves and be successful problem solvers. We want our students to be “willing to innovate, grow, and improve” and “to take risks and learn from their mistakes to make things better”. (Northouse, p. 176). One way in particular that teachers have the biggest impact on their students is when they provide real life, authentic challenges. Students accomplish more and are intrinsically motivated when they find meaning in their work. Mohammed, Fernado, & Caputi, 2013 as quoted by Northouse (2019) state, “Transformational leaders are most likely to have a positive impact on followers when followers identify with or find meaning in their work” (p.172).
Individualized Consideration/Enable Others to Act/Encourage the Heart: I provide a “supportive climate” and “listen carefully” to the needs of my students (Northouse, p.171). I am not just an academic teacher, I also take on the role of life advisor, coach, cheerleader or counsellor depending upon the need. I “build trust with others and promote collaboration,” as well as “listen closely to diverse points of view, treating others with dignity and respect” (Northouse, p.177). According to Mulla and Krishnan (2011), “empathy is critical to leaders in understanding the needs of followers” (p.131). My role doesn’t end after my lesson is taught, but rather, I spend time “treating each student in a caring and unique way” as I try to assist my students in becoming “fully actualized” (Northouse, p.171). To some students, I give “strong affiliation” as they are self-starters, to others, I may give “specific directives with a high degree of structure” (p.171). As a transformational leader, I try to “create an environment where people can feel good about their work and how it contributes to the greater community” (p.177). I provide “praise for jobs well done” and am very “attentive to this need” through the use of “authentic celebrations” to “show appreciation and encouragement to others” (p.177).
In summary, transformational leadership focuses on inspiring followers to “accomplish great things by focusing on building trust, understanding and adapting to the needs and motives of followers” (Northouse, p.192). Smith, Montagno and Kuzmenko in their article “Transformational and Servant Leadership: Content and Contextual Comparisons” (2004), sum up transformational leadership as “when a leader inspires followers to share a vision, empowering them to achieve the vision, and provides the resource necessary for developing their personal potential” (p.80). This is definitely the role of an educator; to build trust, to model and help develop moral values, to listen and be empathetic, to adapt to the needs of the students and to empower them by providing them with the resources necessary to achieve more than they ever thought possible!
On a side note, do you think that the MLQ questionnaire alone is a valid and reliable indicator of effective Transformational Leadership? What are your thoughts on this?
References:
Mulla, Z.R. and Krishnan, V.R. (2011). Transformational leadership: Do the leader’s morals matter and do the follower’s morals change? Journal of Human Values 17(2), 129-143
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice, Seventh Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 971452203409
Smith, B.N., Montagno, R.V. and Kuzmenko, T.N. (2004). Transformational and servant leadership: Content and contextual comparisons. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 10(4), 80-92
One of my favourite places to visit (besides Pinterest) to be inspired and build my professional learning network is Twitter. I joined Twitter back in September 2012. One of my jobs in 2012 was working as an Instructional Services Teacher in the School Board Office. As part of my role, I would work one on one with teachers or conduct workshops on the use of technology and how to incorporate its use seamlessly into teaching practice and classrooms. Twitter was where I turned to for tips and ideas! Over the years, I have been able to connect with and follow people that I have found inspirational and who have shared the same philosophy of teaching. If you’re on Twitter as well, I would love to connect with you! You can find me 
What is it about this man and his posts that has attracted so many followers? He has a common goal with the rest of us, he truly wants to make a difference! His banner on Twitter reads “I want to do something that MEANS something”, and isn’t that what it’s all about? What makes him stand out from others who spout the same language, is that Danny Steele shares how he tries to make a difference both in his blog and Twitter posts. He goes beyond just words and demonstrates his words through actions. He is willing to be vulnerable and has the courage to share not just his successes but also his failures and how he has learned from them. People appreciate his willingness to put himself out there and to express what so many of us are thinking or wanting in ourselves, our community and in our leaders. He tackles those difficult conversations and asks thought provoking questions that promote self reflection and change. He’s not afraid to share his vision and is quick to acknowledge and give credit where credit is due. He puts his students and his staff above himself and his own needs.
“Letter to a Discouraged Student”
My family all knew how hard my Dad worked. He would often take phone calls from people in crisis well into the night and on weekends. When he passed away in 2007, the line up at each viewing stretched out the door of the funeral home and around the corner. Person after person would share with me stories of how my Dad had touched their lives and things he had done (mostly without anyone else ever knowing) to help others be successful. My Dad knew how to listen, was extremely empathetic, took care of others and was fully committed to helping others grow. Thursday was the anniversary of his passing, and 11 years after his death, people still share stories with me of how my Dad reached out to them. I am extremely lucky to have had this example set before me, because it has affected how I have approached every opportunity and relationship in life.
If I can listen first, I will essentially be putting others first. By demonstrating the ability to listen not just with my ears but with my heart, I will be able to genuinely acknowledge that I am receptive to others opinions and perspectives. I have worked with many leaders who model this example. They are the people who put away their devices, stop what they are doing and provide their full attention to the speaker. They listen without interrupting and without judgement. This is something that I believe so firmly in and try and practice in all areas of my life. By listening, we learn more than we ever could by talking. An example of this, is when a student comes to talk to me about a problem they are having with an assignment during my lunch hour. Even though it’s the first time, I’ve sat down all day for a second, I know that by putting aside my sandwich, and stopping what I was doing to focus wholly on them, I am demonstrating that they matter to me. Often times, it is during these moments, that the topic of conversation shifts from the minor assignment issue to what is really troubling them in other areas of their life. By listening, we show we care more than we ever could by jumping in and trying to problem solve. It is sometimes hard to not want to problem solve, especially if we’ve been there and done that. A funny example of listening without trying to problem solve is this 
Another principle of servant leadership that is most dear to my heart is empathy. Empathy according to Northouse (2019) is, “being able to stand in the shoes of another person and attempting to see the world from that person’s point of view. Empathetic servant leaders demonstrate that they truly understand what followers are thinking and feeling. When a servant leader shows empathy, it is confirming and validating for the follower. It makes the follower feel unique (p. 229)”. When I think of empathy, I automatically think of Brené Brown. I love her message and have read all of her books and watched all of her Tedtalks on Youtube. If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out some of her writing, I strongly recommend her! She talks about empathy in one of her Tedtalks. 
one point even writing the word ‘YES!’ in huge capital letters with a huge exclamation point and underlined twice for special emphasis in the blank space at the side of the page. What I was reading made perfect sense to me! I could personally relate to what he was referring to on several levels.
and align the people to build the teams. He was inspiring and energizing to listen to and his employees were empowered to be creative. Once a vision was established, Steve Jobs left the rest of the day to day organizational tasks to his management team and he continued to concentrate on creating positive change. 
Do you ever find yourself chafing at what feels like stifling organizational rules that you see as limiting potential and being reactive instead of proactive? As it pertains to Bennis and Nanus’ quote “Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing (2007, p. 221).” How would you (after giving it some time to observe and reflect) as an emerging leader (or an assigned leader) question process and promote change respectfully?