Transformational Leadership in Public Health

Now a few weeks into my remote internship with the University of Copenhagen, I have had many experiences to glimpse how transformational leadership plays a role in this organization, and specifically with my supervisor.  In my Theories and Models of Leadership course, we defined this as “leaders connecting with followers in such a way that it raises the level of motivation and morality.”  To me, this means that the leader must be committed to a collective good.  In class we also discussed four components that make up transformational leaders.  One is that they typically are charismatic.  My supervisor fits this trait well, as she is an excellent communicator that is able to influence others through her words quite easily.  I have noticed this in meetings, as her ideas are often used in the group’s research.  Along with this comes another component of transformational leaders: inspirational motivation.  She has a unique story of how she came to the field of public health that she often shares with others to serve as inspiration.  Her mother passed away from breast cancer when she was an adolescent, and now she devotes her life to breast cancer research in hopes of preventing others from dying.  It is difficult not to feel inspired after listening to her tell this tragic story with such passion.  Another component that she employs when she leads is that of intellectual stimulation.  She is a professor in addition to being a researcher, so this quality comes quite naturally to her.  My work with her, as a whole, is designed to be intellectually stimulating in itself.  I appreciate that my supervisor intellectually stimulates me beyond the tasks of our research.  During our meetings, often times she will probe me with questions that extend beyond the scope of our question at hand, helping me to become a better researcher.  I have learned so much from her, and this knowledge will benefit me in both my future schooling and career.  The final of the four transformational leadership components is individualized concern.  I witness this aspect every week during the end of our meetings.  After we cover what I will be doing for the week ahead, she also makes sure to check in with me and ask how I am doing.  I have also had many conversations with her about graduate school, as she is very knowledgeable of schools in Europe and the US.  This is not part of her job description, but she is always happy to answer my questions about these topics, and I am very grateful for it.

Overall, my supervisor displays many of the characteristics commonly associated with transformational leaders. She raises her followers’ motivations and moralities to work toward the common goal of decreasing mortality from breast cancer through her personal anecdotes and leadership style.