Seven Transformations of Leadership
Seven Transformations of Leadership
Throughout this whole semester, we’ve learned about the tools, mannerisms, and styles of an effective leader, but I never thought that there were seven unique styles of leadership. The Seven Transformations of Leadership tells us about different styles of leading. Though we may learn what an effective leader does, it is ultimately up to the person and his or her personality to really define their leadership style. I found it comforting to see that David Rooke and William R. Torbert found that people could transform from one leadership style to another. The style I found most interesting was the Alchemist leadership style. When I first saw the seven different transformations, the Alchemist stood out to me because it reminded me of the medieval practice of chemistry, specifically turning simple elements into gold. That classification is powerful to me because it says that the Alchemist can take ordinary elements of the organization and turn it into magic. It isn’t surprising to me that the Alchemist classification only applied to about 1% of the CEOs and organizational leaders surveyed. The article said that the least effective leadership style, at least in terms of the long run, is the Opportunist classification. I think that this style can be effective up to a certain degree and it can depend on the situation. I think that start-up companies should have leaders that show the Opportunist style. Start-up companies are in a sink or swim environment and must make the most out of every opportunity to survive, let alone succeed. But above all else, I think the Opportunist needs to err to the side of ethics. We’ve learned that acting unethically might help in short term gains, but it will ultimately be the downfall of the organization in the long run. When a start-up company begins to achieve sustainability, I don’t think an Opportunist can last. I feel that in order for organizations to survive, there must be a continuous improvement
Throughout this whole semester, we’ve learned about the tools, mannerisms, and styles of an effective leader, but I never thought that there were seven unique styles of leadership. The Seven Transformations of Leadership tells us about different styles of leading. Though we may learn what an effective leader does, it is ultimately up to the person and his or her personality to really define their leadership style. I found it comforting to see that David Rooke and William R. Torbert found that people could transform from one leadership style to another. The style I found most interesting was the Alchemist leadership style. When I first saw the seven different transformations, the Alchemist stood out to me because it reminded me of the medieval practice of chemistry, specifically turning simple elements into gold. That classification is powerful to me because it says that the Alchemist can take ordinary elements of the organization and turn it into magic. It isn’t surprising to me that the Alchemist classification only applied to about 1% of the CEOs and organizational leaders surveyed. The article said that the least effective leadership style, at least in terms of the long run, is the Opportunist classification. I think that this style can be effective up to a certain degree and it can depend on the situation. I think that start-up companies should have leaders that show the Opportunist style. Start-up companies are in a sink or swim environment and must make the most out of every opportunity to survive, let alone succeed. But above all else, I think the Opportunist needs to err to the side of ethics. We’ve learned that acting unethically might help in short term gains, but it will ultimately be the downfall of the organization in the long run. When a start-up company begins to achieve sustainability, I don’t think an Opportunist can last. I feel that in order for organizations to survive, there must be a continuous improvement