Transformational leadership is defined by James Burns as occurring when “one or more persons engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality” (Burns, 1978, p. 101). This type of leadership requires a mutual bond between the leader and the follower. Unlike transactional leadership, the benefits to the relationship must be mutual. I find it really interesting that research into transformational leadership tends to find that women are more effective in transformational leadership than men (Bass, 1999, p. 17). However, Bass then went on to point out that women might not necessarily be better transformational leaders naturally, but that by societal standards they are forced “to be that much better” in comparison to male leaders “to attain the same positions” as them (Bass, 1999, p. 17).
These observations remind me of the different expectations of leaders based on genders and races in our society that we have discussed in class. A white woman that is assertive and hard-working will more likely be called bossy and a workaholic, whereas a white man that is assertive and hard-working is simply admired. Women have to work harder to overcome the negative evaluations of their work than men do. In that process, I think it is incredibly plausible that women would also appear to be better transformational leaders because of the effort they must put into their work to surpass societal barriers. In order to break down sexist boundaries, a woman has to put in more effort and thus ultimately making her a stronger leader in the exact same position as a man.
I agree with your takeaways one hundred percent. I think it is important and am glad that you noted that women are not naturally better but are forced into trying so much harder that we become better. The sad fact is that still after all this work women oftentimes still are not validated.