Transformational Leadership
My supervisor, Sam, is the most transformational leader I have ever met. We have read about transformational leadership and the many great leaders who have adopted this method of leadership. However, it is not often that you are directly influenced by such a strong force. Sam takes a hands-off approach to leading the interns; however, this is essential to his transformational approach. Sam has thoroughly explained his hopes for us throughout this summer experience, as well as moving forward in our career. The way that Sam talks about his expectations for us makes me want to succeed. He speaks in the most motivational and inspirational manner. He speaks about his experiences starting his own company and before. It is not only his story and success that motivates his employees to work hard, but also the way he speaks to others. I cannot describe his charisma that makes his drive infectious. I have seen his transformational leadership style firsthand. I have had several mentorship meetings with him in which he continually informs and motivates me. Through these meetings, I have learned so much from him including the hard skills that are necessary to be a consultant as well as the importance of “soft skills”. However, he also engages me in extremely intellectual conversations in which I am forced to think deeply about my career, hopes for the future, and direction and steps I am taking to reach these goals. His enthusiasm is incredibly encouraging and he makes me want to succeed. I have been fortunate enough to see direct effects of Sam’s incredible character and the transformational leadership he exhibits. I have seen him speak at a variety of presentations, in front of company employees, and at his book launch. Regardless of the situation, Sam’s charisma and ability to intrinsically motivate people is consistent and admirable.
Sounds like Sam has been a really wonderful supervisor and mentor. Moving forward (and this fall with assignments) – I encourage you to be even more specific in the way that you connect experiences/actions/behaviors from the internship and the theories and concepts. You’ve provided several examples that illustrate the various factors of transformational leadership, so go ahead and link the two. For example, the way in which you describe Sam’s storytelling (about his own career, etc.) is a perfect illustration of inspirational motivation; his charisma illustrates idealized influence; the conversations in which he engages you (and probably also the work he gives you, though you don’t specify that here) illustrate intellectual stimulation. My guess is that Sam also practices individualized consideration…and I’m sure you have examples of behaviors/actions of his that embody that transformational factor too. Linking the concrete examples to elements of concepts and theories will better equip you to complete the academic assignments this fall.