Sue Gaard and Joe Goss are interested in Transformational leadership, which they believe serves as an umbrella style for Servant-Leadership, among other styles. In contrast, have you worked under a manager who practices a Transactional leadership style (e.g., “command and control,” “management by exception,” or “top down”)? In your experience, in what ways were these two styles effective or ineffective?
In our upcoming meeting, we’ll explore these two contrasting styles. We’d love to hear about your experiences. Please join us for a lively discussion!
Prior to the meeting, please read Summary of Transformational and Transactional Leadership. With this short reading as a foundation and the group’s collaborative discussion, we believe this session will help you identify strategies to advance your leadership expertise. I also included a short excerpt from The Servant Leader: “Sickness and Disability by James Autry.pdf.” This reading is the foundation for question #5 below.
Transformational leadership and Servant-Leadership share many attributes. In contrast, Transactional leadership utilizes “contingent rewards and management-by-exception.” Note: These links (above) to Wikipedia are optional reading.
We’ll discuss the following…
- What conditions could force or encourage a leader to adopt a transactional leadership style?
- Suppose your manager is a transactional leader. How would you work successfully with this person? What if the themes of transformational leadership you practice are discounted or not valued? How would you lead while sustaining your transformational style?
- Given a leader’s transformational style, is it appropriate sometimes to “lean into” practices of transactional leadership? If so, how does a leader create a balance of these styles?
- What conditions in a work environment encourage and sustain a transformational style of leadership?
- In “Sickness and Disability by James Autry.pdf,” what themes from transformational leadership (Idealized Influence, Intellectual Stimulation, Inspirational Motivation, and Individualized Consideration) did you notice?
- How might the ten characteristics of a servant leader map into these four themes of transformational leadership?
Join us September 19, 2025
8:30-10:00 am CST