Week 2 /3: Theories in Action

After completing the second and third week of my internship with the National Academy of Public Administration, I recognized a strong correlation between the effectiveness of the organization and the characteristics of Burns’ transformational leadership theory, which he defines as community-based, pro-social and idealistic. All members of the Academy share a strong belief in social equity and inclusivity within government, which was first proven to me through their adamant participation in the Social Equity Leadership Conference that took place during my first week. However, they continue to convey these values through their interactions with one another, the ideas they share and their work ethic. Within a communications strategy meeting I attended, CEO Terry Gerton listened intently to staff members as they shared their progress and ideas, while also asking how they, as a community, could do better and go the extra mile. Terry does not push her “followers” in a way that comes across as critical or negative, but instead is able to acknowledge their accomplishments while simultaneously noting room for improvement and the next steps forward. I believe her transformational leadership style produces such effective results because her followers, the staff members, share the same sense of idealism and are looking for ideas and suggestions to build off their own work. In the field of public administration, I have come to learn that idealism is a necessary and positive attribute to possess, as the members of the Academy are constantly striving to solve the government’s most challenging issues from both a social and business lens. 

Burns also defined transformational leaders’ relationships with their followers as a partnership; a relationship in which the followers have an opportunity to serve as a leader and the leader to serve as a moral agent as they work together on a shared goal. After attending several committee meetings and observing interactions between staff members and those with higher leadership roles, it is my belief that this form of relationship between staff is prioritized at the Academy. The language and tone used in meetings is one of the biggest indicators; Terry always uses language such as “we” and “our” when discussing accomplishments or goals. She also rarely takes over the meeting but instead has other staff members lead the discussion on projects.