Leadership is essentially a process of social influence, where one can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. In addition, it entails an association that sees to the mobilization and guidance of other people; for the attainment of particular objectives through influence. Leadership encompasses the aspects of influence, people, and desire to effect change that is manifested in the shared goals of the followers, and leaders alike. In addition, the element of reciprocity forms part of leadership, as followers sometimes influence the leaders as well. Leadership is viewed by the followers as a driver for change – so that the results at the end are beneficial to both the leader and the follower.

In the business setting, leadership entails dealing with change; change that brings about competition. It is set apart from management in the fact that it develops a vision, and strategies for achieving it, in addition to creating an organizational culture. Leadership also inspires and motivates subordinates through communication with the effect of change as a result. Moreover, management is guided by policies and rules, while leadership considers the informal factors in the organization such as motivation, open mindedness, and emotions. The various styles of leadership include autocratic, bureaucratic, and democratic leadership. The objective of this paper is to explore the concept of transformational leadership both in theory, and in practice, by interviewing two motivational leaders.

The transformational leadership theory has been advanced by various researchers including Burns. The theory is based on the assumption that people are motivated to work in cases whereby the importance of the assignment is known. It also assumes that concentration on the organization results in better performance. Additionally, the idea comes under the Bass theory of leadership, which defines transformational leadership as a perspective that gives the option of getting into leadership (to potential candidates). The individuals thus invest to gain leadership skills, as is the case in contemporary society, and the organization. » Read more: An Introduction to Transformational Business Leadership