Transformational Leadership in the Age of COVID-19

Based upon the experiences and interactions I have had with my supervisors thus far in my internship, I believe that transformational leadership is the most relevant way to describe the operation of my organization.

Transformational leadership is defined as leadership identifying change that needs to occur and guiding that change by inspiring their team members/followers. This type of leadership is based around the pursuit of a shared goal, however the relationship between the leader and followers is one of exchange (of money, help, advice, advancement, etc…), first and foremost. In my case, my supervisors and I (as well as the other interns) are both working towards the same goal of marketing and selling the services my company offerse, however our relationship is transactional insofar as my supervisors are gaining the work of intelligent students, as the interns are gaining valuable work experience that they will be able to put on their resume for future jobs. However, the nature and day-to-day operations of Cavi Consulting have most definitely changed due to COVID-19. Prior to COVID, the primary branch of the organization was functioning as a consulting firm, similar to that of Accenture or Avascent. Now, however, it has pivoted to focus more on selling its online services, such as their business courses they are selling on online platforms such as Teachable.com and SkillShare.

Due to this shift in the organization’s focus, my supervisors rely heavily on transformational leadership insofar as they make sure to explain to us why we are doing each task and why it is important to the organization’s success as a whole. This keeps us interns motivated to work hard since we are not simply cogs in a machine, working mindlessly towards an unknown goal. For example, my supervisor, Sam, was explaining how by working on one of our projects, we were trailblazing a path that no other organization has ever taken before. He motivated us by talking about how the success of this project was not just about his own financial success, but rather how it would transform the realm of online business courses and how we think about learning. Therefore, he was enacting transformational leadership in order to share the motives behind his actions and further inspire us to work towards this shared goal. This was particularly effective in the age of COVID-19 and the uncertainty that it inevitably brings with it.