My primary leadership goal is to become a transformational leader working in an organization in which the central work unit consists of work teams that encourage participatory and empowered work relationships. According to Pierce and Newstrom (2000), transformational leaders are those who perceive their role as moving and changing organizations not by offering tokens of inducement, but rather through the inspiration of others. A transformational leader is an individual who understands the intrinsic value of inspiring and motivating others and a leader who has an advanced understanding of the relationship of leadership style to employee-influencing behavior (Deluga & College, 2000).
Unlike a typical transactional leader, a transformational leader incorporates and amplifies an employee's higher level needs that surpass immediate self-interests. By appealing to these elevated needs, a transformational leader motivates employees to perform beyond initial performance goals and objectives (Deluga & College, 2000).
Because my goal is to become a transformational leader, I believe that I would be most effective in an organization that bases its structure on the team concept. Leadership in a team setting is leadership that recognizes the importance of individual contributions to work outcomes. It is leadership in which the leader seeks to empower and enhance the performance of subordinates and in which shared decision-making is emphasized (Pierce & Newstrom, 2000).
My expectations include a formal leadership role and a desire to enter the business arena at a lower managerial level. Given that I will enter this arena with limited work experience and proven professional expertise, I would anticipate a managerial position in which a small number of employees are to be supervised. As I stated, I would prefer to be a team leader of a group of like-minded professionals who perceive themselves as independent and as self-motiv...