Communicating Leadership, Traditional Versus Transformational
THE LEADER AS COMMUNICATOR
April 11, 2008
Leadership, Traditional versus Transformational
What should a leader look like? Important leaders, such as presidents and prime ministers, work hard communicate an impression of confidence and power. A leader, they assume, should look like a leader, and many of them hire an image specialist to learn how. Wherever they go, press agents, bodyguards, loyal assistants, and throngs of eager admirers follow in their wake. In the Bible, Matthew depicts Jesus as a true leader, a king in fact, however one who broke stereotypes. Jesus had undeniable power and he was not concerned about a powerful image. The Word of Matthew 13:54-55 tells us, “Where did this man get his wisdom and these miraculous powers? They asked. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” (The Student Bible, 1992). What is a traditional leader, or what is a transformational communicating leader?
The term leadership has many definitions. The encyclopedia version from Britannica is, “1: the office or position of a leader; 2: capacity to lead; 3: the act or an instance of leading” (Britannica). In the text book, Management a Competency-Based Approach definition for leadership is, “Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who strive for real change and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes” (Hellriegel, Jackson, and Slocum, 2005). Another definition offered in Leadership a Communication Perspective, “Leadership is human (symbolic) communication, which modifies the attitudes and behaviors of others in order to meet shared group goals and needs” (Hackman, Johnson, 2004). The focal point on the ways leaders communicate their expectations to cohorts, c ...