Introduction

There are numerous leadership styles that inspire and motivate, and this means there isn’t one right answer or set way. Understanding this is a key aspect of leadership, not being limited to one method. Leadership is a concept that is culturally constructed. Stogdill (as cited in Northhouse, 2013) states that there are as many definitions and conceptualizations of leadership as there are scholars who have studied the topic (p. 7). I have learned that leaders inspire others to be their best. I have been fortunate enough to learn from positive and negative leaders in the past and in the present. Throughout my study of leadership, I have found some commonalities in successful leaders.

Ideal Leadership Style

 Leadership can be seen and felt. Leaders encourage, uplift, love, serve, and care. Leaders set aside their interests for the betterment of those they lead, even when that may seem like a hindrance or inconvenience. Effective leadership calls for sustainment of passion and persistence in daily tasks. Positivity is key in leadership and is contagiously spread from one individual to another. Leaders promote positivity without alienating the unique individuals they lead. Leaders control what they can control, holding themselves responsible and accountable. Leaders allow for growth, even if that means mistakes will be made in order for learning opportunities. Leaders give constructive feedback and

criticism with the intent of inspiring self-improvement and creating future leaders. Leaders know that success isn’t created alone, sparking meaningful relationships that are built to last. Leaders communicate by listening first. Followers want to see action and results. Reinforcement comes when leaders lead by example, showing they aren’t above any one task in the company.

I spoke with a mentor of mine in Los Angeles about leadership techniques, career advice, and personal development. He related having a life plan to making a plan when we go on a trip. Say we are going to San Diego. We first decide where we want to go. Then we talk about the ways we plan to get there. This could include a car, a bus, a bike, an airplane, a train, or walking to name a few. We then decide where we are going to stay and what we are going to do during the trip. In some instances, we plan out every hour of the day. When it comes to our lives and career plans, do we do the same? We may not have a plan for where we are going, and this will lead us to nothing. Rush said, “In the words of the title of a book by a great scholar, colleague, and author, David Campbell, If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You’ll Probably End Up Somewhere Else.” (2012, pg. xii) Reaching success doesn’t happen by accident. It requires leaders who can develop, implement, and sustain a plan.

Leadership begins with oneself. Validating yourself, holding yourself accountable, and leading yourself are required components for any leader with hopes of leading other individuals. Self-leadership and servant leadership are the styles I see as most effective. Combining these methods, transformational leadership traits begin to shine through.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is raising awareness among the followers being led. Awareness is powerful, especially when it becomes self-awareness. Self-awareness is part of our emotional intelligence. Our emotional intelligence, or EQ, needs to be combined with our IQ in our pursuit of successful and transformational leadership. Bass and Avolio (1990, 2000) proposed that transformational leaders are effective because they raise the level of awareness of followers about the importance of achieving valued outcomes; provide a vision and strategy; encourage followers to transcend their own self-interest for the sake of the team, organization or larger collective; and, they expand followers’ portfolio of needs by raising their awareness to improve themselves and what they are attempting to accomplish. Transformational leaders also align individual and organizational goals.

Transformational leadership is a style I use as a high school basketball coach. It takes strategic thinking to develop a common vision for a group of individuals, who had to put their egos aside, and come together to achieve one common purpose. This doesn’t mean that each individual team member couldn’t have personal goals. We established team goals and aligned our personal goals with the set team goals and used those individual goals to help us accomplish our goals as a team. Transformational leadership allowed me the opportunity to raise the awareness of the team about the satisfaction and method of how we would achieve something of value, which was becoming leaders on and off the floor, getting better every time we stepped in the gym, and win basketball games. This method helped our program as a whole reach the highest levels of organizational effectiveness.

Conclusion

Effective leadership can be accomplished in different ways and methods. While there is no shortage of concepts comprising the many leadership theories, there is little consensus on what constitutes effective leadership (Gordon and Yukl 2004). This statement solidifies there may not be one superior method but understanding and implementing leadership is crucial for any successful organization. Deciding on a style, combining certain aspects of differing styles, and committing to changing our habits to reflect our leadership are necessary components for effective leadership.

References

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Taking the long view for organizational success, in Rush, S. (2012). On strategic leadership. Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership, 1-11.

Latham, J. R. (2014). Leadership for quality and innovation: challenges, theories, and a framework for future research. Quality Management Journal, 21(1), 11-15.

Soane, E., Butler, C., & Stanton, E. (2015). Followers’ personality, transformational leadership and performance. Sport, Business and Management, 5(1), 65. Retrieved from https://csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.csuglobal.idm.oclc.org/docview/1653114522?accountid=38569