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Applying leadership contexts to counseling

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This is a short video that illustrates a guide to creating your own leadership philosophy.

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Guide to Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy

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Guide to Developing a Personal Leadership Philosophy

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Leadership Paradigms, Inc. (2006). Developing a philosophy of leadership. Retrieved from http://www.leadershipparadigms.com/docs/Developing_a_Philosophy_of_Leadership.doc

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How To Be A Leader - The 7 Great Leadership Traits

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Leadership Variables in Movement Therapy

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Leadership Variables in Movement Therapy

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Content analysis of leadership variables in dance therapy

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This study represents an analysis of the variables that constitute dance therapy leadership. Content analysis was employed to analyze leadership content in three major dance therapy books:Marian Chace: Her Papers (1975),Dance Therapy: Focus on Dance

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This is an insightful article/interview of a movement therapist regarding the ability to connect and guide children, which is helpful in my future career path as a movement therapist.

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Dancing has always been something that children do naturally. It can be a powerful tool for the development of a growing child physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively. It becomes more prominent when special children are being taught the art (and science) of dance.

Gee Paary, 31, a dance and movement therapist, shares with LAY HSUAN, LIM on how she danced her way through from being in the information technology (IT) field to something more fulfilling and purposeful in touching the lives of children with special needs.

1. Tell me about yourself.

Even in the years when I was studying and working in the IT sector, I was already learning the various types of dances like the Odissi, Kathak (classical Indian dance), hip hop, jazz, salsa and aerial arts.

This eventually led me into teaching dance part-time, and ultimately a course on autism movement therapy, which changed my whole perspective on how I can use my passion in dancing for a greater good.

2. What are the pre-requisites to becoming a dance and movement therapist?

Paper qualification is definitely an added advantage, but sometimes we lose sight of things. We are pre-conditioned to believe that more qualification equals better performance.

I beg to differ, as I have personally come across some of the most amazing dance teachers or therapists with minimal paper qualification.

What they have is a great deal of empathy, an understanding of the human psyche, and the ability to use simple movements to influence neurological and societal conditions.

For anyone starting out, it is always good to go through a structured, modularised education for the science of things nonetheless. And dance therapy for people with special needs is a union of science and art.

3. What sparked your interest in this? Initial response from your loved ones?

I had always wanted to do something more challenging than just dance. I wanted something that will make a difference in my life and benefit others. Autism movement therapy was something I chanced upon, and it spurred me on to do a lot of research on the subject.

My parents were great. They were the ones who encouraged me to pursue my dream.
When I first started out, my husband (then boyfriend) was extremely supportive and had a clear vision on how this would turn out.

Not only did he give me ideas about how I can grow in this unfamiliar ground, he also encouraged me in many ways. He was very hands-on with some of these projects, and I find myself emulating him to have the drive and discipline to do what I needed to do.

4. How is your typical day like?

I usually have my lessons prepared beforehand. At the same time, I am also ready to improvise according to the energy and 'feel' of the class.

With children, you really have to be at the top of your game - to have positive energy and be spirited at all times. They are adorable and loving, but sometimes it can be quite challenging based on the emotions picked up on that day.

I usually arrive early for classes, prepare the props or music and have their attention from the time they come. I sometimes play little games and have fun activities to de-stress and stretch our muscles at the end of the day, just to have the 'feel good' experience.

5. How has your journey been?

It has been a very fulfilling and humbling experience. As a dancer, I have had amazing teachers and friends who have guided me.

As a teacher to special children, you hold that responsibility to be a good role model to teach them the right things. It is also important to make them feel comfortable and be responsive to the sessions.

6. What were some of your challenges?

When I first started out, the lack of awareness of different learning styles among parents of children with special needs was a challenge.

Some could not accept that their children have special conditions. But in recent times, parents are more receptive of alternative styles of education for their children.

7. How do you unwind after a day's work?

One of the beautiful things about working with these children is the amount of 'feel good' hormones released through the work. I find myself in a very happy place after a typical day's work with children, be it a normal dance class or a movement therapy session.

I also share highlights of the day and encouraging stories of the children's progress with my husband.

8. What keeps you going?

My life principle is a combination of carpe diem and YOLO (you only live once). I try not to fill my life with anything mundane. As I continue to refine my purpose in life, it has given me quite an enriching experience thus far!

9. Which part of the job do you like most?

I get inspired when I see visible improvements on the children. I also love to see my children having fun. Their smiles, laughter and enthusiasm fuel me on.

There was a time when I was doing a house call to work with a 10-year-old autistic child. He had severe autism, whereby he would never give me eye contact, nor does he follow any of my lesson plans. The mother used to sit and watch from afar, so as to not make him feel any more uncomfortable than he already had.

The movement therapy session slowly helped him to follow my instructions and patterns of movement. One day, he managed to carry out a routine, while maintaining eye contact with me the whole time. The mother who had been watching us was overwhelmed with emotions and ran towards her son to embrace him when he completed the dance.

10. What is your future plan?

I hope to get more people who are passionate about this therapy to be affiliated with me, so that I can train them to become dance and movement therapists. I believe the supply of teachers is far lower than the demand for it.

Sometimes, I even think that the demand has not reached its potential because not many people are aware of the alternative learning and therapy methods.

11. What do you hope to achieve at the end of the day?

I am the happiest, if through the dance and movement therapy, a child with autism is able to fit well in society.

I am contented if a child with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is able to concentrate in class for longer periods of time than before. Something simple as that is actually a great achievement for them. I strive to help them do that.

12. Your advice to those who are interested to do what you do.

You need a lot of patience! The teacher should understand the methods to teach children, especially when dealing with special needs children. He/she should know how to move with them; work with them and make them work with us.

The teacher has to be strong physically and emotionally in dealing with the children, as they can really test you. You have to believe with all your heart that dance and movement is part of the solution to help these children.

13. Your parting thoughts.

Find what you are good at, and what you love doing. You will know it when you don't count the hours whenever you do that particular thing. Then, do it really well. Share it so that others will benefit from it too. I quote a famous saying:

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."

If you would like to learn more about Gee's work with special children using the dance and movement therapy, and would like to connect with her, please email us at editor@leaderonomics.com. For more A Day In The Life feature articles, click here.

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Connecting With Children Through Dance And Movement Therapy

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Dancing has always been something that children do naturally. It can be a powerful tool for the development of a growing child physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively. It becomes more prominent when special children are being taught the art (and science) of dance.

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Authentic leaders are seen as genuine, or "real." Authentic leadership is still forming as a theory, but more research has been done the past few decades due to people's insecurity in leadership and their desire to have leaders who are honest and "good" (Northouse, 2016). My current supervisor, Beth, whom I just started under a month ago, is a great example of an authentic leader according to Bill George's practical approach to authentic leadership.

George's model focuses on the different qualities an authentic leader has (or can develop). If a leader demonstrates these qualities or characteristics, they will be a more authentic leader and their followers will respond positively and the organization will benefit. There are five dimensions described by George, and each are associated with an observable characteristic: purpose and passion, values and behavior, relationships and connectedness, self-discipline and consistency, and heart and compassion (Penn State, 2017). Beth displays all of these.

Authentic leaders have a sense of purpose, knowing what they are about and where they are headed (Northouse, 2017). Purpose manifests itself as passion. Passionate people are interested in what they are doing, are inspired and intrinsically motivated, and care about the work they are doing (Northouse, 2017). About a month ago, the work at the office was restructured. A new unit was created for a specific part of our job. I was placed in that unit under Beth who was selected to lead. Beth demonstrates passion for this new job, as she shows she cares about figuring out the best way to accomplish the work, and spends a lot of time running reports and brainstorming ways to help the new unit succeed.

Secondly, authentic leaders have values, know what they are, and don't compromise on those values (Northouse, 2017). This quality manifests itself through the leader's behavior, authentic leaders acting in accordance with their values. Beth clearly values that work is does according to policy and in the best interest of our clients. She does not let people take shortcuts if they are against policy, and will not compromise the rules. I see her as a better leader because of this, compared to other supervisors I have dealt with that do not follow policy at all times.

Thirdly, authentic leaders build relationships with others and have connectedness with their followers. They are willing to share their experiences and listen to others' experiences, and are communicative with their followers (Northouse, 2017). Beth does this often, she talks to us about her work and personal life sometimes, and listens when we talk about our lives as well. She is open about what changes are occurring, the thought process behind them, and demonstrates respect of all of us. Because she connects with us, we respect her in return, understand what is going on, and are more committed to her goals and ideas.

The fourth dimension of authentic leadership is self-discipline, which gives leaders focus and determination: ability to focus on a goal, and move forward towards that goal even in the face of setbacks (Northouse, 2017). This is consistency. Self-disciplined leaders remain cool, calm, and consistent during stressful situations (Northouse, 2017). Beth has demonstrated this a lot in the past month. Implementing our new process has come with a lot of confusion, stress, and situations coming to light that need adjustments. Beth has consistently kept her cool and kept all of us on track. She stays focused, adjusts what needs changed, keeps us in the loop, and moves forward.

Finally, authentic leaders have heart, which shows in their compassion. They are sensitive to others' needs and are willing to help them (Northouse, 2017). Beth has done this by noticing when we are stressed about the process (it has caused our workloads to increase dramatically and deadlines to shorten immensely). She checks in with us as a group and individually to see how we are dealing with everything, and what she can do to relieve the stress. She seems like she is genuinely concerned about her followers' well-being and wants to alleviate as much as she can.

Overall, all of these qualities of Beth are what make her an authentic leader. Her passion, behaviors, ability to connect, consistency, and compassion are all inspiring. It is clear through these actions that she cares about her job, the work, how to accomplish it, and how to keep her followers happy, productive, and focused. We know that no matter how stressful or complicated this new process is, Beth has our back, wants to find the best approach to get the work done, and will help us genuinely. I wish more leaders would display this level of authenticity.

References:

Northouse, Peter G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7 th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Pennsylvania State University. (2017). Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership. In PSYCH485: Leadership in Work Settings: Spring 2017. Retrieved from: http://psu.instructure.com.

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Five Characteristics of Authentic Leadership

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Authentic leaders are seen as genuine, or "real." Authentic leadership is still forming as a theory, but more research has been done the past few decades due to people's insecurity in leadership and their desire to have leaders who are honest and "good" (Northouse, 2016).

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This is a good break-down of the relational leadership style.

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Do Good Well: Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation (a piece of my book review)

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Do Good Well: Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation (a piece of my book review)

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Vasan and Przybylo (the authors) encourage the readers to be mindful of and remain educated about current events evolving in the world, discover something that aligns with their passion, and use it as a starting point for future research.  Progression towards the development of thoroughly understanding the problem will allow the reader to create “the vision” (Vasan & Przybylo, 2013).

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A leader creates and encourages positive change in his/her followers to develop them into leaders themselves (Cherry, 2019).

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There's no one-size-fits-all definition of leadership. Leaders can succeed with all types of personalities, education, and theories. One popular leadership style is servant leadership, which will become more familiar when you recognize its characteristics.

Think about the terms "socially responsible companies" or "participative management" styles. Organizations and managers who fit these descriptions are the ones who typically fit the mold of servant leadership.

Examples of servant leaders include Stephen Covey, author of "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," and Richard Murphy, a legendary youth development leader in New York City.

Servant leadership is "a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world," according to the Center for Servant Leadership. If that evokes your ideal of socially responsible organizations, you're probably thinking of places where servant leadership is the norm.

Servant leadership is a classic concept, but the term was coined in 1970, when Robert K. Greenleaf published his essay, "The Servant as Leader." Greenleaf maintained, "The servant leader is servant first."

Greenleaf believed that organizations - not just individuals - could also be servant leaders. His second major essay, "The Institution as Servant," unequivocally reinforced that point.

Unlike authoritarian leaders, the servant leader does not depend on accumulating or exercising power within a company. Instead, the servant leader:

Considers the needs of employees first. Servant leaders focus on satisfying the highest-priority needs of others. Servant leaders feel a strong sense of caring and responsibility for their staff.

Commits to helping employees develop expertise and improve performance. Servant leaders prioritize the personal and professional development of others, ensuring they build their knowledge base and professional skills.

Insists that the organization make a positive contribution to society. While not losing their focus on a healthy bottom line, servant leaders make sure an organization improves its community, region, and nation.

Many theories and curricula tend to focus on three classic leadership styles:

Authoritarian. This leader accumulates power and uses it to manage and lead the organization. Employees typically must follow strict rules and procedures with little deviation.

Participative. This leader empowers employees to be creative, offers suggestions and opinions, and encourages subordinates to provide input on senior management decisions.

Laissez-faire. Loosely translated from the French, laissez-faire means "let them do as they will." According to BusinessDictionary.com, these leaders discard authoritarian conventions, give minimal guidance to employees at all levels and leave subordinates alone to do their jobs as they see fit.

Servant leadership most closely resembles participative leadership. While history often cites few examples of any management theories beyond autocratic, or authoritarian, leadership until the 1950s or 1960s, servant leadership is actually an ancient approach. Lao-Tzu referenced servant leadership in the classic Chinese text "Tao Te Ching" as early as 500 BC.

There is no perfect leadership theory or technique. Leading as a servant comes with certain advantages and some downsides. Understanding the pros and cons of any philosophy is crucial to any leadership style you adopt.

Pros

Servant leadership can improve an organization and/or society over the long term.

Caring treatment of employees often encourages similar treatment of the organization's customers and vendors.

Servant leaders attract employee trust, which can improve the credibility of the organization's brand.

Servant leadership typically develops a positive corporate culture and can correct a prevailing negative culture over time.

This leadership style encourages and motivates high performance from employees.

Cons

Servant leadership requires time to achieve positive results.

Critics such as Deborah Eicher-Catt believe this leadership style is vastly overrated and gender discriminatory.

While servant leadership may not be a perfect fit in every situation, the style remains popular and is attracting more fans among organizational leaders. This leadership style is building a track record of success among managers who focus on improving their people and their community.

Sources:

Paul Schmitz, " Richard Murphy: A Powerful Example of Servant Leadership "

" What is Servant Leadership?," Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

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What is Servant Leadership? - St. Thomas Online

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There's no one-size-fits-all definition of leadership. Leaders can succeed with all types of personalities, education, and theories. One popular leadership style is servant leadership, which will become more familiar when you recognize its characteristics. Think about the terms "socially responsible companies" or "participative management" styles.

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A scholarly article discussing the differences of a leader vs. a manager

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Importance of principals/administration bringing awareness to mental health of students

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Within the first eight days of school this year, three students in a suburban district East of Los Angeles killed themselves.

None of the deaths were related-the students had been from different schools, in different grades, and didn't appear to know one another.

But the quick succession of suicides left the community reeling.

"I'm not sure how to explain that, it's a punch to your gut. It's just absolutely unbelievable," said Mat Holton, the superintendent of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District. "But as a superintendent or a principal, you have to move into the mode of OK, what is our next step? How do we best help the kids? And you just move right into crisis mode."

Crisis mode meant deploying a school psychologist, a psychiatric therapist, and a counselor to each of the schools where the deceased students attended.

But it has been the principals of those schools who've taken on the most difficult role since the students' deaths.

In each case, principals immediately called the families of the students who died to offer condolences and to express ongoing support for them. They hung out in the classrooms to do what Holton calls the "empty chair" exercise. While acknowledging the vacant seat the deceased student was assigned to, the principals invited classmates to share their memories, emotions, and questions.

"It's really important in my philosophy that principals are out there leading this. The kids know them," Holton said. "In scenarios like this, kids are looking to that leader."

Rise of Mental-Health Needs

The tragedy in Chaffey Joint Union represents the most extreme manifestation of a growing problem in schools: the rise of mental-health needs among students.

An estimated 32 percent of adolescents have an anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Twelve percent of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 say they have experienced one major depressive episode in the past year, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

The suicide rate among teenagers has been steadily on the rise since 2007. It's gone up 30 percent among 15- to 19-year-old boys and doubled among girls, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's the second leading cause of death in that age group.

But schools have had limited resources and expertise to deal with the wide range of mental-health needs that children and youth are now experiencing.

"If you look at education reform over the past decade-it's all been about achievement," said William Wong, the principal of Coolidge Elementary, a school in San Gabriel, Calif. "But there's another crisis brewing: it's mental health."

And principals are on the front lines of that crisis.

Just 20 percent of students diagnosed with mental disorders receive mental-health services, said Stephen Brock, a professor and school psychology program coordinator at California State University, Sacramento. And of those who do, the vast majority receive services from their school, said Brock, who formerly served as a president of the National Association of School Psychologists.

"Ninety percent of our nation's youth will go to a public school. It can be a very powerful resource for identifying and serving kids with mental-health challenges," said Brock.

But one of the biggest obstacles facing schools as they scramble to help students struggling with anxiety, depression, or even suicidal ideation, is that the country is facing a shortage of school psychologists.

The shortage-especially drastic in rural areas-has been created in large measure by the dwindling numbers of new school psychologists entering the field to replace those who are retiring, said Brock.

The Great Recession restricted the pipeline of school psychologists as universities scaled back or axed programs altogether. That trend, followed by more recent pressures on schools to identify students who might be prone to violence-a reaction to school shootings-has created more demand for mental health professionals from a smaller pool of applicants.

Currently, the national average is one school psychologist to 1,700 students, with some districts having as few as one per 6,000 students, according to NASP, which recommends a ratio of one school psychologist for every 500 to 700 students.

While there's consensus among the experts and educators Education Week spoke with that mental-health issues among students are on the rise, no one knows why.

But theories abound.

Social media is frequently cited as a potential cause. Research has shown a correlation between social media use and depression among teenagers. Another theory is that fear of school shootings is driving up anxiety among students. And there's the notion that there's more animosity in the news, politics, and society in general, said Wong. "We seem to have lost our collective heart as a society."

Still other causes could vary depending upon the student.

Immigrant students are suffering more anxiety over the "rhetoric around immigration and ICE raids," said Dale Erquiaga, the president and CEO of Communities in Schools, a national nonprofit that works to connect schools with community services. "The other is race. We hear a lot from our sites about African-American students... [that] race conversations in the country ratchets up their anxiety and anger."

Students in foster care are also at greater risk of anxiety and depression, said Holton, the superintendent. And the opioid crisis is putting a strain on students' mental health, said Katherine Cowan, NASP's communications director.

If there's a silver lining to all of this, it's that most of the experts Education Week spoke with agree there is less stigma around mental health in that more school leaders see it as an issue and want to address it.

What Principals Can Do

But what can principals do, especially as they juggle competing priorities disparate as raising achievement and ensuring that students, faculty, and parents feel like their school is safe from the possibility of a shooting or other violent act?

A three-tiered system of supports is the most important strategy to implement, say experts. The idea is to head off mental-health issues in students early before they metastasize into more serious problems.

To start, schools should provide basic mental-health support to all students, such as universal depression screenings from kindergarten through 12th grade.

This stage, which focuses on prevention, wellness, and building coping skills, is called Tier 1.

Tier 2 provides services for students who need more targeted help from mental health professionals, such as small group counseling.

Students are only moved into Tier 3-level services if they have chronic or intense mental-health needs that require medication, daily counseling or check-ins, or close coordination with a clinical professional such as a psychiatrist.

For this triage-like system to work well, a school needs a team of mental-health professionals that ideally would include a school psychologist, social worker, and counselor; a data specialist; a partnership with a community mental-health provider; and professional development for staff.

If implementing that tiered system seems too daunting or requires resources that schools don't have, there are other, lower-resource steps principals can take.

First, recommends Cowan, principals must know the particular risk factors of the student populations in their schools, and that they are using their school's mental-health professionals strategically.

A school psychologist should be included in hammering out solutions with the school's leadership team, said Cowan. Principals can shift some of a psychologist's workload, such as paperwork, to other qualified staff so they have more time to spend with students.

"Do we have mental-health professionals in the building? What are their assigned duties? Are our school counselors doing nothing but scheduling and college counseling?" said Cowan. "Is a school psychologist only spending their time working on special education? Can we help them free up their time from paperwork so they can work with more kids?"

If a school doesn't have mental-health professionals, Cowan suggests that principals in a district band together and lobby the school board for one. "Having principals become advocates around these issues is so important," she said.

Cowan also recommends that principals explore partnerships with local mental-health clinics.

Psychoeducation, which helps students and their parents understand a mental disorder and the options for effective treatment, is another a good investment.

"Ask the PTA to sponsor having that training done for parents," she said. "Make sure your health classes are teaching what the risk factors are. But you have to have a system in place when you find a kid who needs help."

Holton is trying something new in the wake of the three student suicides. During Suicide Prevention and Awareness month in September, principals planned a host of activities and lessons for students. Then the principals passed out small cards with a suicide hotline number for students to keep in their wallets.

Holton said it's important for students to have many ways to reach out for help, in case they aren't comfortable going to their principal or school psychologist.

But, should a student's mental-health struggles reach the most tragic conclusion, Holton says the single most important thing a principal can do is call the family of the student who died by suicide.

"I have found that people are afraid to contact the parents, even friends. We are often the first person they hear from outside of immediate family," said Holton. "That family deserves to hear that you care about them and what your plans are to support them and those who they knew."

Published in Print: October 17, 2018, as What Principals Can Do About a 'Brewing Crisis' of Student Mental Health

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special report: principals under pressure

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Why Principals Need to Make Student Mental Health a Priority

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Within the first eight days of school this year, three students in a suburban district East of Los Angeles killed themselves. None of the deaths were related-the students had been from different schools, in different grades, and didn't appear to know one another. But the quick succession of suicides left the community reeling.

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A scholarly article discussing the similarities and differences of a transactional leadership and a transformational leadership

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Have you ever been in a group where someone took control of the situation by conveying a clear vision of the group's goals, a marked passion for the work, and an ability to make the rest of the group feel recharged and energized? This person just might be what is called a transformational leader.

Transformational leadership is a leadership style that can inspire positive changes in those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well.

Quick Background

The concept of transformational leadership was initially introduced by leadership expert and presidential biographer James MacGregor Burns. According to Burns, transformational leadership can be seen when "leaders and followers make each other to advance to a higher level of moral and motivation."﻿﻿

Later, researcher Bernard M. Bass expanded upon Burns's original ideas to develop what is today referred to as Bass's Transformational Leadership Theory. According to Bass, transformational leadership can be defined based on the impact that it has on followers. Transformational leaders, Bass suggested, garner trust, respect, and admiration from their followers.﻿﻿

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

Components

Bass also suggested that there were four different components of transformational leadership.

1. Intellectual Stimulation: Transformational leaders not only challenge the status quo; they also encourage creativity among followers. The leader encourages followers to explore new ways of doing things and new opportunities to learn.

2. Individualized Consideration: Transformational leadership also involves offering support and encouragement to individual followers. In order to foster supportive relationships, transformational leaders keep lines of communication open so that followers feel free to share ideas and so that leaders can offer direct recognition of the unique contributions of each follower.

3. Inspirational Motivation: Transformational leaders have a clear vision that they are able to articulate to followers. These leaders are also able to help followers experience the same passion and motivation to fulfill these goals.

4. Idealized Influence: The transformational leader serve as a role model for followers. Because followers trust and respect the leader, they emulate this individual and internalize his or her ideals.

So what are some typical signs of a transformational leader? Groups led by this type of leader tend to be both successful and loyal. They give a lot to the team and care deeply about the group's ability to accomplish its goals. Turnover tends to be quite low as transformational leaders are able to inspire a great deal of commitment in their followers.

In their classic text, Transformational Leadership, authors Bass and Riggio explained:

"Transformational leaders...are those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. Transformational leaders help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual followers' needs by empowering them and by aligning the objectives and goals of the individual followers, the leader, the group, and the larger organization."

"Research evidence clearly shows that groups led by transformational leaders have higher levels of performance and satisfaction than groups led by other types of leaders," explained psychologist and leadership expert Ronald E. Riggio in an article for Psychology Today.

The reason, he suggests, is that transformational leaders believe that their followers can do their best, leading members of the group to feel inspired and empowered.

What can you do to become a more transformational leader? Leadership experts suggest that having a strong, positive vision of the future plays a critical role. Not only is it important to believe in this vision yourself; you've also got to inspire others to buy into your vision as well.

Link to Well-Being

According to the results of one study, this style of leadership can also have a positive influence on employee well-being.﻿﻿

The study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine involved surveying workers at several different German information and communication technology companies. Researchers asked participants to answers questions about their employer's leadership style.

A score for transformational leadership was then determined based on qualities such as providing intellectual stimulation, giving positive feedback for good performance, leading by example, and helping employees feel like they were making a contribution toward the goals of the group.

The researchers discovered that employees who identified a higher level of transformational leadership in their employers also had higher reported levels of well-being. The effect stayed significant even after researchers controlled for factors that are linked to well-being such as job strain, education, and age.

"The results of this study suggest that a transformational leadership style, which both conveys a sense of trust and meaningfulness and individually challenges and develops employees, also has a positive effect on employee well-being," the authors summarized.

Real-World Applications

So what impact could such results have for managers and workers?

The study's authors suggest that the results are important and can help companies develop leadership training programs that can be used to teach transformational leadership skills. Acquiring communication skills such as resolving conflicts in the workplace and recognizing the needs of employees are an important part of transformational leadership.

"Such training programs can be seen as another essential component of workplace health promotion and prevention efforts and therefore should receive wide support," explained the study's authors.

A Word From Verywell

The transformational style of leadership can be highly effective when used appropriately, but it might not necessarily be the best choice for every situation. In some cases, groups may require a more managerial or autocratic style that involves closer control and greater direction, particularly in situations where group member are unskilled and need a lot of oversight.

One way to improve your own leadership skills is to assess your own current leadership style and think about ways in which your strengths can benefit the group you are leading. By evaluating your own skills, you will be better able to play to your strengths and work on improving your areas of weakness.

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How Do Transformational Leaders Inspire and Motivate Followers?

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Have you ever been in a group where someone took control of the situation by conveying a clear vision of the group's goals, a marked passion for the work, and an ability to make the rest of the group feel recharged and energized? This person just might be what is called a transformational leader.

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Transactional leadership, also known as managerial leadership, focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. Leaders who implement this style focus on specific tasks and use rewards and punishments to motivate followers.﻿﻿

This theory of leadership was first described in by sociologist Max Weber and further explored by Bernard M. Bass in the early 1980s. Take a closer look at how the transactional style works as well as some of the potential benefits and downsides of this style.

Basic Assumptions of Transactional Leadership

People perform their best when the chain of command is definite and clear.

Rewards and punishments motivate workers.

Obeying the instructions and commands of the leader is the primary goal of the followers.

Subordinates need to be carefully monitored to ensure that expectations are met.﻿﻿

This theory takes a behavioral approach to leadership by basing it on a system of rewards and punishments.

Athletic teams also rely heavily on transactional leadership. Players are expected to conform to the team's rules and expectations and are rewarded or punished based on their performance. Winning a game might mean accolades and bonuses while losing might lead to rejection and verbal castigation. Players often become highly motivated to do well, even if it means suffering pain and injury.

Unlike transformational leaders who tend to be forward-looking, transactional leaders are interested in merely maintaining the status quo.﻿﻿ Transformational leaders try to sell their ideas and vision to followers. Transactional leaders, on the other hand, tell group members what to do and when to do it.

How Transactional Leadership Works

In transactional leadership, rewards and punishments are contingent upon the performance of the followers. The leader views the relationship between managers and subordinates as an exchange - you give me something for something in return. When subordinates perform well, they receive a reward. When they perform poorly, they will be punished in some way. Rules, procedures, and standards are essential in transactional leadership.

They do not, however, act as catalysts for growth and change within an organization. Instead, they are focused on maintaining this as they are and enforcing current rules and expectations.

These leaders do tend to be good at setting expectations and standards that maximize the efficiency and productivity of an organization.﻿﻿ They tend to give constructive feedback regarding follower performance that allows group members to improve their output to obtain better feedback and reinforcement.

When Is Transactional Leadership the Most Effective?

Followers are not encouraged to be creative or to find new solutions to problems. Research has found that transactional leadership tends to be most effective in situations where problems are simple and clearly defined.﻿﻿

It can also work well in crisis situations where the focus needs to be on accomplishing certain tasks. By assigning clearly defined duties to particular individuals, leaders can ensure that those things get done.

Transactional leaders focus on the maintenance of the structure of the group.﻿﻿ They are tasked with letting group members know exactly what is expected, articulating the rewards of performing tasks well, explaining the consequences of failure, and offering feedback designed to keep workers on task.

While transactional leadership can be useful in some situations, it is considered insufficient in many cases and may prevent both leaders and followers from achieving their full potential.

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How a Transactional Leadership Style Works

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Transactional leadership, also known as managerial leadership, focuses on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. Leaders who implement this style focus on specific tasks and use rewards and punishments to motivate followers.﻿﻿ This theory of leadership was first described in by sociologist Max Weber and further explored by Bernard M.

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CNN article on understanding emotional intelligence and its effects on your life

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What is emotional intelligence? It gives us the ability to read our instinctive feelings and those of others. Find out how you can test and improve your emotional intelligence.