Leadership is the ability to influence and motivate others toward the achievement of a common goal. Leadership is concerned with the development of mutual purposes. The aim of leadership is to create a multidirectional relationship where every member of the team or organization contributes, influences and are valued (Rost 1993, p. 105).
There are different bases of power for leaders. These include Reward, Coercive, Legitimate, Referent and Expert. Reward power depends on the ability to give other people something they value. It can be verbal or nonverbal, tangible (as money, a gift or career development opportunities) or, more commonly intangible (Bass 1998). Coercive power is the ability of a leader to punish those who do not conform to their ideas or demands. A leader’s ability to impose punishment or withhold rewards ensures obedience from subordinates. This type of power tends to be the least effective form of power as it builds resentment and resistance within the targets of coercive power. Legitimate power stems from an individual’s position within an organization and their right to require and demand compliance from subordinate (Chemers 1997). Legitimate power is a formal authority delegated to the holder of the position. This type of power exists in organization with a strict chain of command (Bass and Stogdill 1990). Expert power may include communications, interpersonal skills, scientific knowledge and so on. Such expertise is very valuable but specific to a task. Expert knowledge is the power of knowledge. It is based on the perception of the leader’s ownership of distinct superior knowledge, expertise, ability, or skill (Hersey and Blanchard 1988).
In the case of Malcolm X, I can say that as a leader he has Referent Power. Referent power is based on group member’s identification with, attraction to, or respect for, the leader. It is a leader’s charisma and interpersonal skills which causes subordinates to gain a sense of intrinsic personal satisfaction from the identification of being an accepted follower. Potential influence from referent power stems from the strength of relationships between a leader and their followers (Gill 2006). Through associating with others, sharing personal information, or providing something of value, Malcolm X was able to build on common interests, values, viewpoints, and preferences to a point that other people can get to know him and respect him.
The leadership style of Malcolm X is so much different from the leadership styles of the leaders of his time. There are basically two forms of leadership – transactional and transformational.
Transactional leaders focus on the key purposes of the organization. A transactional leader assists people to recognize what needs to be done in order to reach the desired outcomes. When the parameters for success are well defined, transactional leaders can be very effective (Louis and Riley, 2000, p. 32). A transactional leader tells the subordinate what to do, and the subordinate follows because of the rewards that he or she may get from following. Transactional leaders are authoritative, they create clear structures in which the expectations from the follower are clearly defined including the rewards and benefits that the followers will get from getting the job allocated by the leader done. A transactional leader allocates work to a subordinate who will be expected to take full responsibility of it. The work is expected to be accomplished whether or not the subordinate has the resources or capability to accomplish it. When things go wrong, the subordinate will be punished for his failure to carry out the task. Transactional leadership emphasizes the transaction or exchange that takes palace among leaders, colleagues, and followers. This exchange is based on the leader discussing with others what is required and specifying the conditions and rewards these others will receive if they fulfill the requirements. The transactional leader relies more on rational and logical thinking and free exchange of work in return for extrinsic rewards such as pay, vacations, hospitalization, and so on (Fulton and Maddock, 1998, p. 15).
Transactional leaders have a tendency to hand over responsibility to the followers who are left to their own devices. Transactional leaders often rely on contingent rewards. Meaning, they reward followers for attaining performance levels that the leader have specified. Oftentimes, the followers perform because of the rewards. Transactional leaders take action only when there is evidence of something not going according to plan (Rosenbach and Taylor 2001).
Malcolm X is a fine example of a transformational leader. The focus of transformational leadership is the people and their relationships. Transformational leadership aims to transform feelings, attitudes and beliefs. Transformational leadership occurs when one or more persons engage with other sin such a away that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. Transformational leadership leads to the transformation of the leader, the followers and the social system in which they function (Bass and Riggio 2006). There are different characteristics of a transformational leader. A transformational leader is Charismatic. By being charismatic, transformational leaders encourage change, cooperation, commitment, development and loyalty among employees. The transformational leader serves as a role model to his or her followers. The transformational leader earns the admiration, respect and trust of the followers. A transformational leader is Inspirational and Motivational. Transformational leaders inspire and motivate. Transformational leaders provide challenging yet rewarding and meaningful work. He or she is Able to Stimulate Minds. Transformational leaders stimulate the minds of their followers. They encourage innovation and creativity. Followers are encouraged to try new approaches, and are allowed to share their ideas. He or she is also Considerate. Transformational leaders act as mentors and coaches. They pay attention to the followers; development and growth needs (Ciulla 2004). Transformational leaders support their followers. They facilitate continuous learning and development and realize that everyone has their special needs. Transformational Leadership focuses on the people involved and their relationships, and requires an approach that seeks to transform feelings, attitudes and beliefs (Louis and Riley, 2000, p. 33).
As a leader, Malcolm X is charismatic, he inspires and motivates, he stimulates the minds of his followers, and he is considerate. These are the characteristics that a leader must posses in order to become a transformational leader.
Leaders must be Charismatic
One component of transformational leadership is charismatic leadership. In order to encourage change, cooperation, commitment, development and loyalty among employees, the leader must be charismatic; he must be a role model. The leader must earn the admiration, respect and trust of the followers. The leader must do the right thing, demonstrate high standards of ethical and moral conduct (Bass 1998).
Leaders must Inspire and Motivate
Leaders must be able to inspire and motivate employees. This is done by giving them challenging yet rewarding and meaningful work. Inspired and motivated employees are the key to success.
Leaders must Stimulate the minds of the Followers
Effective leadership requires leaders to stimulate the minds of their followers. An effective leader encourages innovation and creativity. Followers are encouraged to try new approaches, and are allowed to share their ideas.
Leaders must be Considerate
Leaders must act as mentors and coaches. They must pay attention to the followers’ development and growth needs. Leaders must support their followers. They must facilitate continuous learning and development. An effective leader recognizes that every one has special needs.
Malcolm X is a Charismatic Leader
1. Envisioning
Envisioning involves creating an overall picture of a desired future state with which people can identify and which can generate excitement. The creation and communication of a vision is one of the most prominent characteristics of charismatic leadership. Charismatic leaders formulate a vision that clarifies idealized goals for an organization or group, and articulates values attractive to their followers. In addition to formulating a vision, they are adept at communicating the vision and infusing day-to-day work with a larger sense of purpose and greater intrinsic appeal. Most charismatic leaders, therefore, are known as persuasive speakers. They often rely on various rhetorical techniques such as metaphors, analogy, and stories to inculcate key ideas into the followers’ minds, so that their message would have a profound impact on followers.
2. Empathy
Empathy indicates the ability to understand another person’s motives, values, and emotions, and it involves entering the other person’s perspectives. Empathy may underlie relationship-oriented leadership behaviors such as consideration, which is characterized by mutual trust, respect for and support for another person’s ideas, and appreciation of their. A high degree of consideration thus implies a strong sensitivity to followers’ needs. Charismatic leaders have a strong tendency to display sensitivity to their followers’ needs and emotions. They understand what followers want and focus their attention on issues that are important to followers. They also share followers’ feelings in a way that creates an emotional bond between them. By doing so, they generate a feeling of oneness with followers. Furthermore, in order to help followers realize their objectives, charismatic leaders take the followers’ interests into consideration when making decisions.
3. Empowerment
Empowerment is a distinguishable behavioral characteristic of a charismatic leader from an ordinary manager. By facilitating empowerment, a charismatic leader helps followers feel powerful and capable. As followers possess the enhanced feelings of self-efficacy resulting from the empowerment of a charismatic leader, they start to become independent in the initiation and continuation of work behavior and processes.
References
Bass, B M 1998, Transformational Leadership: Industrial, Military, and Educational Impact, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah NJ.
Bass, B M and Riggio, R E 2006, Transformational Leadership, Routledge.
Bass, B M and Stogdill, R M 1990, Bass and Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications, Free Press.
Chemers, M M 1997, An Integrative Theory of Leadership, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah NJ.
Ciulla, J B 2004, Ethics, The Heart of Leadership, Greenwood Publishing.
Fulton, R and Maddock, R 1998, Motivation, Emotions, and Leadership: The Silent Side of Management, Quorum Books, Westport CT.
Gill, R 2006, Theory and Practice of Leadership, SAGE.
Hersey, P and Blanchard, K H 1988, Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources, Prentice-Hall.
Louis, K S and Riley, K (eds.) 2000, Leadership for Change and School Reform: International Perspectives, Routledge, London.
Rosenbach, W E and Taylor, R L 2001, Contemporary Issues in Leadership, Westview Press.
Rost, J C 1993, Leadership for the Twenty-First Century, Praeger, Westport CT.
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