Leadership Styles: Charismatic, Transactional, and Transformative

Week 5 Individual: Leadership Styles Paper
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Charismatic Leadership
           Charismatic leadership is defined by a leader's ability to inspire and persuade others to follow their lead. They are masters of communication and persuasion with a sense of charm. They have a special kind of attraction, appeal, and magnetism that helps them win people to follow them (Banks et al., 2017). They also motivate, excite and spur enthusiasm among the followers. Leaders with these abilities are driven by their convictions and commitment to their cause. They tend to have a clear vision and the ability to address a multitude to persuade them with a convincing speech. 
           A key characteristic of a charismatic leadership style is assertive communication. Charismatic leaders have extraordinary communication skills that help them inspire and persuade followers. They are equally comfortable communicating physically in a group setting (Nikoloski, 2015). Another characteristic is confidence. These leaders are always confident in their approach and rarely have doubts about their decisions (Banks et al., 2017). They are original and comfortable being themselves. They also possess a very influential personality. Another characteristic is maturity. Charismatic leaders do not believe in making blanket statements but draw on their knowledge and wisdom. They behave maturely and responsibly in every business aspect. 
           The potential pitfalls of charismatic leadership include the following. First, self-confidence could result in overconfidence and narcissism. Second, persuasiveness could lead to manipulative behavior (Banks et al., 2017). Third, being passionate and charming could encourage attention-seeking behavior. These behaviors can negatively impact an organization. However, this style has a significant impact on vision and communication. Through this style, leaders can clearly articulate their vision, create genuine connections with others and understand the needs of their followers. 
Transformational Leadership
           Transformational leadership is a leadership approach that causes a change in followers by influencing their attitudes and assumptions. In a business setting, transformational leaders encourage and inspire team members to innovate and create change for the organization's growth and success (Ghasabeh et al., 2015). They trust talented workers to take responsibility for their assigned tasks. Transformational leadership enhances followers' motivation, morale, and performance by connecting the employees' sense of identity and self to the organization's mission (Ghasabeh et al., 2015). This management style gives individuals more room for innovation because it focuses on change.
           Several characteristics define transformational leadership. The first characteristic is vision. Transformational leaders have a clear vision to articulate to followers. They use their keen observation to identify the challenges hindering future growth and instinctively sense the organization's right direction to move to stay competitive (Ghasabeh et al., 2015). The second feature is self-management. Transformational leaders do not need anyone to give them direction. They understand how to apply their internal motivation to inspire followers. The third attribute is the ability to entertain new ideas. Leaders rarely achieve change without being open to new ideas. Transformational leaders understand that success relies on the synchronistic efforts of the team members and that growth occurs with openness to new ideas. 
           Transformational leadership is potentially accompanied by employee burnout, misuse of power, and fewer checks and balances. Transformational leaders constantly pressure followers to achieve the grand vision. This can result in demotivation and burnout in some employees. Fewer checks and balances occur because leaders encourage employees to be independent and make their own decisions while promoting change (Ghasabeh et al., 2015). Also, influencing others makes it easy for transformational leaders to misuse power. Despite the challenges, transformational leadership is significant to vision and communication in that it enables the leaders to create a vision for their followers and communicate with them with clarity. ...