Leadership definitions, traits, transformational approaches, and impact

Leadership is a powerful social role in which an individual or group of individuals inspire others to reach a common goal. The qualities that define effective leadership will vary depending on the role the leader plays, such as in business or politics. Some leaders will work behind the scenes in a more laissez-faire manner and that approach will work for the specific situation and for reaching those situational goals. Other leaders need to play a more active role in guiding other people by providing them with verbal inspiration or serving as a role model. Some leaders are authoritarian in nature, and do not share their power with others; some leaders are democratic in nature, and distribute their power with other members of the team.

Regardless of the type of leadership required in any given scenario, there are some core traits that help to define all leaders. With few exceptions leaders will need to remain committed to their goals. The leader is successful specifically because they get jobs done, and help reach goals they have set. Usually, a leader will have the ability to inspire others. The leader might not inspire all members of his or her organization, but inspiring some people is necessary in order to establish credibility and maintain trust within the group. After all, there is no such thing as a leader who has no power and therefore no followers. Leaders are, by definition, empowered individuals who are respected by a group of followers. Sometimes, leaders empower their followers as well, and other times, the leader relies on delegating tasks more than by distributing power. A leader is eventually distinguished from a manager in that whereas managers only delegate tasks, the leader always keeps in mind the big picture and has great control over the overall vision.

Ancillary traits that make up a good leader depend on the situation, but should include honesty and integrity, confidence in self and others, positive attitude, and the ability to think critically and creatively. Most leaders need to remain flexible, while still remaining focused on the end result. As Prive (2012) points out, good leaders also communicate well, have a sense of humor, and also have intuition. A leader needs to communicate well because the role of leadership is most fundamentally a social one. Even leaders who remain in the background and do not interact much with people on a daily basis are performing a social role in their leadership position. Moreover, effective leaders need to communicate well because they need to inspire their followers to take some kind of action or to at least continue believing in the cause. Communication is a cornerstone of leadership because a good communicator engenders trust and secures respect, which inspires and motivates others.

Sense of humor is not typically listed as a leadership trait but a sense of humor is often what prevents leaders from being discouraged by setbacks. A good leader knows that setbacks are inevitable, and uses humor to keep the end goal in mind and keep everything in perspective. Likewise, a sense of humor facilitates communication and harmony within a group (Prive, 2012). Intuition is also not a commonly mentioned leadership trait. Yet leaders without intuition cannot make the split-second decisions that are frequently required. Leaders do need to be decisive. Even when their decisions turn out to be wrong in hindsight, decisive action is a core leadership quality that proves self-confidence and promotes trust.

Ultimately, the goals of leadership are "to challenge followers to perform beyond normal expectations, to stimulate them to be innovative and creative, and to develop their collective leadership capacity," (Bass & Riggio, 2006, p. 2). In fact, these are the features of transformational leaders. Transformational leadership can be defined as an approach to leadership that "causes change in individuals and social systems," ("Transformational Leadership," n.d.). This means that transformational leadership extends beyond the organization or system in which it arose in the first place. Transformational leadership leads to deep and meaningful shifts in the ways people think about the world, or the ways people behave. Rather than simply focusing on immediate and mundane goals like financial gain, transformational leaders are concerned about making the world a better place.

The methods by which transformational leaders achieve their goals can include techniques that create a sense of belonging and identity within a group. Thus, transformational leaders might create a subculture or a movement. Transformational leaders also care deeply about the people they work with, and care for their followers. In fact, a primary goal of transformational leadership is the creation of future leaders ("Transformational Leadership," n.d.). Transforming followers into leaders requires connecting with people on a deep and meaningful level, finding out what core values or ideals inspire people, and help those people to recognize ways they can contribute to making the world a better place, too. Transformational leadership is essentially the opposite of laissez-faire leadership, which is "the epitome of ineptness and ineffectiveness" because of the lack of concern for others, and the narrow-minded focus on shallow goals achievable solely by delegation (Bass & Riggio, 2006, p. 194). Transformational leaders take great responsibility not only for their actions but also the actions of their followers. Whereas laissez-faire leaders might be able to lay blame on the people they delegated authority to, the transformational leader understands that part of their role involves deep and meaningful changes to the ways people behave, and to ethical systems.

Among the transformational leaders I have encountered or read about, I believe that Michelle Obama has proven herself to be a transformational leader. Although she is not imbued with any official title, as her husband is, Michelle Obama has taken it upon herself to change the ways families think about health, lifestyle, and nutrition. The definition of transformational leadership involves getting people to think differently about fundamental issues, thereby evoking a paradigm shift. Although there is still work to be done with getting Americans to think differently about food and healthy living, the programs Michelle Obama has spearheaded are helping to transform individuals, families, and communities.