Transactional Leadership
Essays

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the transactional, transformational, and authentic leadership approaches and indentify the most effective approach among them which can be used to motivate followers at the workplace. The discussion has been done in the light of leadership and motivational theories from the literature.

Transformational leadership is all about empowering others to foster a sense of change. Transactional leadership is largely about catering to the needs of followers via a system of rewards and punishments to compel them to follow you. Martin Luther King Jr. is a good example of the former style of leadership, while Joseph McCarthy is an example of the latter.