Hi LO listers,
Winfried asked,
"Is there anybody in the list who really wants to be a transformational
leader? And if so, why? Surely you have to know first, in which direction
the transformation should go. I feel very uncomfortable with the idea of
being a transformational leader having the end of above mentioned leaders
in mind."
Being a transformational leader implies that there is something to
transform. That gets at issues of philosophy and ethics, purpose and
intent. You list a wide spectrum of leaders. What separated them was not
that some were leaders and others not, but whether their leadership was
ethically good or not. That gets at difficult societal and organizational
issues of shared purpose and values.
Sure I want to be a transformational leader. But I also want to be an
intelligent one. I don't want change for change sake. I don't want to
change just because I may not fit into the current power structure,
whether in an organization or community. Being a transformational leader
implies change. Now how do I know whether the transformation I seek
through my leadership is the right change? I don't know that by myself.
I can only know that in the context of dialogue and community.
What separates good from bad transformational leadership, at least on one
level, is the ability for the "leader/s" to be able to share leadership
and the actions of transformation.
One final comment stated as a question for the list: Can a middle manager
who has the ideals of shared transformational leadership lead in the
context where most of the leadership, especially by his/her superiors, is
of the transactional type? Is the only way to fully realize a
transformational model to be the boss or head of the organization?
What do you think?
Ed Brenegar
Leadership Resources
brenegar@circle.net
--"Edwin R. Brenegar III" <EdB3@classic.msn.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>