Matthew Poland

OGL 300

Module 5 paper 2

Imagine for just a moment, you are newly hired employee going in to work for your first day on
the job. So many emotions are going through you, nervousness, excitement, happiness, curiosity, all
these things going on in your mind and you keep wondering what is your new boss or bosses going to be
like? You have some Idea formed in your head of the kind of boss you would like to have. Imagine you
walk in to the conference room for the first time and you had an option to choose your bosses
leadership style, would you rather have a manager who leads transformational or a manager who leads
authentically? You may be asking yourself what the difference is, well that’s a great question and as you
stick with me through this paper, I will define the differences and use examples from real world
experiences and how the two styles handle these situations. Together we will explore these questions
and more.

Transformational leadership is all about how you can pull the best out of people, and how you
can redirect their thinking to be solution focused. According to the book “Transformational leadership is
the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of
motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (p.165).” According to this quote from the
author, transformational leadership inspires and motivates not only followers but the leaders as well. By
utilizing this approach, leaders can connect with their employees, learning what motivates them, what
gets them out of the bed in the morning, the leader can strategically maximize the potential of
themselves and their team. This helps us to understand leadership because it gives us a better sense of
the intrinsic motivator's in individuals, it relates to how leaders can effectively manage their teams
through a process that is successful in leadership.

Although there can be various forms of transformational leadership, take for example Bass who
came up with the term of Pseudo-transformational leadership. This type of transformational leadership
focuses more on the leader and the leader's desires or needs as opposed to the follower as well. This
seems to me as though a leader is taking advantage of employees or utilizing them for the leaders own
personal gain and or development and that the leader is not giving back to their employees or elevating
them in any way. Another type of transformational leadership or a type that goes hand in hand with is
charismatic leadership. According to the text, “House suggested that charismatic leaders act in unique
ways that have specific charismatic effects on their followers (p. 167).” As this state’s, a leader who is
transformational and shows a great deal of charisma can have a lasting impact on followers, creating
inclusion, confidence, empowerment, and a sense of purpose. Transformational leadership can be a
great and positive thing if used for the right reasons.

The other type of leadership we have to discuss is Authentic leadership. As the book explains
there are various ways to define and label authentic leadership, one view point is intrapersonal
perspective. According to the text, “Interpersonal perspective focuses closely on the leader, and what
goes on with the leader. It incorporates the leader's self-knowledge, self-regulation, and self-concept
(p.198).” This definition explains that authentic leadership has everything to do with the individual
leader and what is happening with them internally. Being authentic comes from within so focusing on
that individual's talent, ability to be genuine, and ability to be transparent. These leaders are straight
forward and build trust with employees. This definition is related specifically to the leader only.

A second view or way to see authentic leadership according to the book is interpersonal. In this
method according to the text, “This perspective outlines authentic leadership as relational, created by
leaders and followers together (p.198).” In this breakdown of authentic leadership, it takes two to tango
as they say. A leader can be authentic and lead that way only if followers exude the same type of
authenticity in return. This style will not work if only one party is being authentic in their approach or
being them true selves. I would think that this type of authentic leadership would make the most sense
to me. In order for me to be authentic and vulnerable with transparency, I require a level of authenticity
in return, I can't have people on my team who do not expose who they really are or hold reservations
about the team or leader. I want real, genuine people working for me, people who I can rely and
depend on.

An example of transformational leadership would be Oprah, over the years she has been able to
affect millions of lives by the way she leads. Not only is she able to pull the best out of people on a daily
basis, but she is also pulling the best out of herself and giving back all the time. Rather than trying to get
ahead and make a name just for herself, she was able to inspire her followers, which is millions of
people to give back, to help their fellow neighbor, and to be good people. Oprah can tap into the ability
of charisma as well, her personality draws people in, her love of life gives others hope, and her
willingness to put others first is what transformational leadership is all about.

For authentic leadership I would have to use my boss as an example. My district manager is
always transparent and honest in her communication, expectations are clearly defined, and she is
genuine in her care for her partners. My DM shows a constant interest in mine and my coworker's lives,
ensuring family is always ok, and that the state of her partners and morale is high. Being genuine in her
connections is obvious and it allows for an environment where we can be authentic in return, knowing
that we have a good working relationship and that our conversations are a safe space. Being genuine
and authentic is easy to pick up on, so having a boss who is just that, is super refreshing.

After reviewing these two types of leadership I think it is a lot easier to answer our original
question of which type of leader would you want or want to be. I think that the best type of leadership
would be a mixture of the two, being authentic and transformational is the best option and will provide
the most benefits to leaders and followers alike. There is no leadership style that will apply to all
scenarios or situations, so being flexible and adapting to using both styles together is the best option to
inspire, grow, and nourish leaders and followers together.