Is 'Performance Beyond Measure' Achievable?

Leadership is not just about the people at the top. Leadership can occur at all levels and by any individual. It is a story about an ordinary citizen who shows their continued leadership to organize what is needed to get the job done. 

A new paradigm of leadership has captured widespread attention. James MacGregor Burns (1978) conceptualized leadership as either transactional or transformational. Transactional leaders are those who lead through social exchange. On the other hand, transformational leaders stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their leadership capacity. Transformational leaders help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to their individual needs, empowering them, and aligning their objectives and goals to you (the leader), the group, and the larger organization. More evidence has accumulated to demonstrate that transformational leadership can move followers to exceed expected performance and lead to high levels of follower satisfaction and commitment to the group and organization (Bass, 1985, 1998a).

Transformational leadership has much in common with charismatic leadership, but charisma is only part of transformational leadership. A critical concern for transformational and charismatic leadership theories involves what many refer to as the dark side of charisma—those charismatic leaders who use their abilities to inspire and lead followers to destructive, selfish, and even evil ends. Many examples of such leaders are the international leaders who wreaked havoc, death, and destruction on thousands and even millions—Adolf Hitler, Pol Pot, Josef Stalin, and Osama Bin Laden. But these leaders are those who can be called pseudo-transformational. They exhibit many elements of transformational leadership - the charismatic elements mainly - but have personal, exploitative, and self-aggrandizing motives. 

Transformational leaders do more with colleagues and followers than set up simple exchanges or agreements. They behave in ways to achieve superior results by employing one or more of the four core components of transformational leadership described later. There are four factors to transformational leadership (also known as the "four I's "): idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration.

• Idealized influence describes managers who are exemplary role models for associates. Managers with idealized influence can be trusted and respected by associates to make good decisions for the organization.
• Inspirational motivation describes managers who motivate associates to commit to the organization's vision. Managers with inspirational motivation encourage team spirit to reach increased revenue and market growth goals for the organization.
• Intellectual stimulation describes managers who encourage innovation and creativity by challenging a group's traditional beliefs or views. Managers with intellectual stimulation promote critical thinking and problem-solving to improve the organization.
• Individual consideration describes managers who act as coaches and advisors to the associates. Managers with personal care encourage associates to reach goals that help both the associates and the organization.

Each of the components of transformational leadership can be scrutinized to determine whether they indicate authentic or inauthentic leadership. The element of transformational leadership that usually best distinguishes authentic from inauthentic leaders is individualized consideration. The authentic transformational leader is genuinely concerned with the desires and needs of followers and cares about their individual development, and followers are treated as ends, not just means (Bass & Steidlmeier, 1999). 

Research evidence from around the world suggests that transformational leadership typically provides a positive augmentation in leader performance beyond transactional leadership. Furthermore, transformational leadership should be a more effective form of leadership globally because the transformational leader is consistent with people's prototypes of an ideal leader (Bass, 1997). Effective transformational leadership results in performances that exceed company expectations. 

However, is performance beyond expectations truly achievable?

We ask this question not to undermine an exceptional concept but to try and complete it. The Four I's in creating a transformational leadership touch good points on balancing intellectual and emotional strengths needed in a leader. But we believe there are two more factors needed to become a transformational leader and achieve performance beyond expectations truly: they are Mission and Compassion.

By incorporating Mission and Compassion into your leadership style, leaders will achieve performance beyond expectations. Beyond still, they will gain a greater sense of benefit because they would have completed those expectations together with their team.

Source:

• Bass, B. & Riggio, R.E. 2006. Transformational Leadership (2nd edition). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
• Farnsworth, D., et al. 2020. Transformational Leadership: The Transformation of Managers and Associated. Retrieved from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HR020