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Leadership Style and Philosophy

Cristen Simone

Grand Canyon University

EAD-501: Foundations for the Developing Leader

Mia Damiani

October 21, 2020

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Leadership Style and Philosophy Research

There are many leadership styles such as transactional, transformational, and servant.

Researching these topics gave me an overview of what these leaders value, the following is a

brief description of each:

Transactional: These leaders value the use of contingent rewards and sanctions. They

believe that rewards and sanctions are linked to employee behavior’s, efforts, or results (Nielsen

et al., 2019a, p. 420). Rewards are used to increase employee performance. Material and verbal

rewards or praises can be used as positive feedback for employees (Nielsen et al., 2019a, p. 420).

This leadership style can be considered controlling. They are persuading employees to do things

they normally would not do, thereby controlling their behavior (Nielsen et al., 2019a, p. 420).

Others, can see this leadership style as motivating by using incentives.

Transformational: A transformational leader transforms people. These leaders are

concerned with long-term goals, and they access followers motive and satisfy their needs (Sage

Publications, 2019). Transformational leaders move their followers to do more than what is

normally expected from them. These leaders create connections to raise motivation and morality

within themselves and with others (Sage Publications, 2019).

Servant: These leaders put their followers first and are meant to serve them. They are

attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them (Sage

Publications, 2019). Servant leaders empower followers and help them develop to their full

potential. These leaders lead in ways that serve the greater good of the organization, community,

and society at large (Sage Publications, 2019).

Leadership Style and Philosophy

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After researching these styles, I can see differences and similarities in how I want to

represent myself as a leader. My personal beliefs and values are the closet to those of a servant

and a transformational leader. I value bonds and connections with everyone in the building.

Staff, students, workers, and families should all be treated with kindness and equality. In my

school, no one is better than anyone else. I believe when making decisions that determine the

outcome of how the school is running, everyone should provide input and feedback. When

people put their ideas together, it allows more ideas to expand. Setting goals or making day to

day decisions require a leader to know what issues everyone in the building are facing. This

allows a leader to make conscious decisions and set goals on what needs to improve, or what

needs to be implemented so the school and students can perform better. Integrity and fairness

are important in my beliefs and values as a leader. I want everyone to have equal opportunity to

voice their opinions. I want staff included in all school events and attend professional

development opportunities. This gives everyone a chance to be involved and advance in their

roles. I hope to interact with everyone in the same way, so I can let them know I am here to help

them in any way I can. I want to motivate everyone in the building to achieve new goals. In

order to do that, I will also work on myself and my professional development to set an example

for others.

Servant and transformational leadership are similar in my values and beliefs. As a leader,

I aim to put others above myself and be there to support and guide them. Both leadership styles

put followers first and lead with motivation to help them be the best version of themselves.

Transformational leader behaviors are one of the most successful ways to promote leader

effectiveness because of the positive effects on followers (Lin et al., 2019, p. 1579). Some

positives include less emotional exhaustion and greater engagement in organizational citizenship
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behavior (Lin et al., 2019, p. 1579). Furthermore, research states that the way a servant leader

treats an employee not only affects the employee but also influences the leaders own behavior

(Zhou et al., 2020, p. 3). The outcomes of leading with these leadership styles in mind will give

great results for everyone in a school.

My philosophy is an emerging model of effective and inspirational leadership because it

takes into account everyone in the building. I want to inspire my students and employees to be

the best versions of themselves. I believe if you take care of others in the building, it will be a

more enjoyable place for everyone to be. When employees and students are happy, this allows

more growth and learning to happen. I hope to set goals and expectations for everyone and push

them to be the best version of themselves. I hope to set goals for the school and implement ways

to make the school succeed. Leading by example is an effective way to motivate everyone. I

hope to grow professionally and inspire those around me. As a leader, I will incorporate types of

leadership style such as servant and transformational to build my own philosophy.

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References

Lin, S.-H. J., Scott, B. A., & Matta, F. K. (2019). The Dark Side of Transformational Leader

Behaviors for Leaders Themselves: A Conservation of Resources Perspective. Academy

of Management Journal, 62(5), 1556–1582. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.1255

Nielsen, P. A., Boye, S., Holten, A. ‐. L., Jacobsen, C. B., & Andersen, L. B. (2019a). Are

transformational and transactional types of leadership compatible? A two‐wave study of

employee motivation. Public Administration, 97(2), 413–428.

https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12574

Sage Publications. (2019). Leadership Theory and Practice. Https://Viewer.Gcu.Edu/27xeuu.

https://viewer.gcu.edu/27xeuu

Zhou, D., Liu, S.-M., & Xin, H. (2020). Servant leadership behavior: Effects on leaders’ work–

family relationship. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 48(3), 1–

12. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.8980