Reflection Log Week 2: Transformational Leadership

• What does transformational leadership means to you? 
• How do you define transformational leadership based on your reading?
• How can transformational leadership flourish in a learning environment?
• How can transformational leadership impact the way an administrator leads a school?
• How can transformational leadership impact the school administrator as he/she leads integrating technology with instruction?

Transformational Leadership is guiding people to a destiny greater than just showing up to work and getting a paycheck. It allows for people to invest in something deeper than just power, position, and money. It leads people to go beyond themselves and focus on the bigger picture rather than just themselves. It instills the concepts of values, morals, and purpose to come into play when influencing followers. According to Cox (2010), Transformational Leadership consists of four components:

1. Charisma or idealized influence - leader is trustworthy and carries himself or herself in a manner that demonstrates genuineness and conviction
2. Inspirational motivation - leader communicates the vision in a way that provides hopefulness and optimism to the followers
3. Intellectual stimulation - leader allows followers to take the foundation and be creative in reaching the vision
4. Individualized consideration or individualized attention - leader sees each and every person in the organization as an important part by respecting, listening, and praising each individual contribution to the team

A learning environment or organization is one "where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning how to learn together (Senge, 1990)." Transformational Leadership falls exactly within a learning environment. A learning environment can only occur if the components of Transformational Leadership are present. In order to be able to learn, discover, and collaborate within a group, that group must be provided the freedom to do so. 

Transformational Leadership allows for an administrator to not have to carry the burden of running a school by themselves. It relieves the pressure of having to develop all ideas and get the rest of the staff on board with those ideas. The administrator will be able to articulate their goals, hopes, and vision to the staff and have the staff help each other to reach them.This then allows for a shared vision to come into play and allow all staff members to share the responsibility in attaining that vision.

As an administrator facilitates integrating technology with instruction, Transformational Leadership can open the eyes of teachers who may be fearful to delve into something new with their students. Teachers may complain that using technology in the classroom takes too much time or the teachers do not have the proper skills to teach students how to use the technology properly. With Transformational Leadership, teachers should be inspired to at least see how the technology can be used to enhance instruction and be able to formulate how they can use it in their classroom. For a reluctant teacher, being forced to use something they are not comfortable with will only lead to more resistance. Providing unlimited support and models for them will not only allow them to feel more comfortable, but to then seek out other technology-based ways that can assist them in the classroom.

References:

• Cox, R. (2010). The Transformational Leadership Report. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CGMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.transformationalleadership.net%2Fproducts%2FTransformationalLeadershipReport.pdf&ei=kGQxUKfAO-Gi6wGM54HoDw&usg=AFQjCNGh38dUUDoD04I7PkkFDi8W29xkhA&sig2=25aOjh0cDmRZJijUtQEFvA. [Last Accessed 19 August 2012].
• Senge, P. M., (1990). The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday.