Four Qualities in Transformational Leaders

“Excuse me but your earrings are striking. Is there a face on them?”
A small, vibrant woman with silver streaks in her short, tawny hair engages me as we stand at the elevator in my professional office suite building next to Philadelphia’s iconic Academy of Music.
I smile and invite her to look to see the photo more closely. She breaks into a grin as she steps closer. “It is Hillary. I thought so! May I ask you where you got these earrings?”
“Yes, many people stop me about them. They were made by Eleanor Poplar from beer bottle tops. She has a network that gifts them to women who pledge to encourage others to register to vote, donate to the campaign, or do something to support the first woman president.”
During studies for my 1975 Ph.D. in Human Development from Bryn Mawr College, I learned of Herstory, which is history defined from the point of view of women.
Seeking to understand, I explored early work by Daniel Levinson on men and women’s leadership styles. Crucial to Levinson’s research on the leadership of others was “to support and facilitate the realization of the Dream,” a combination of career aspirations and successful relationships with friends and family. 
In 1993, I coauthored a clinical research study of distinguished women family therapists which resulted in a book, Powerful Wisdom, coauthored with Lourene Nevels, Ph.D.  We conclude that women therapists possess a powerful wisdom which enables them to use female strengths in academic teaching, clinical expertise, and family leadership. 
As mentors for younger colleagues, these outstanding clinicians possessed a cluster of skills typical of women in leadership.
“Personal qualities of a good mentor include a genuine interest in the other, warmth, personableness, ability to listen, willingness to set aside one’s own agenda and biases. In choosing mentors we believe women should look for relationships in which they can thrive. If we generalize to the mentorship an American president offers to all she leads, selecting a leader who creates an atmosphere of national thriving seems optimal.” 
Research supports a gender-neutral style of transformational leadership in government and industry. This encompasses several interrelated types of behaviors (Avolio, 2010; Bass, 1998).
Transformational leaders:
•    Act as inspirational role models
•    Foster good human relationships
•    Develop the skills of followers
•    Motivate others to go beyond the confines of their job descriptions.
The woman on the earrings offers a current example of someone who lives the qualities of transformational leadership highlighted by Bass and Riggio:
•    Be a positive role model; Hillary Clinton waves to her daughter in the audience, delivers a pointed analysis of current global needs, then leaves the stage and finds her husband to exit. She is a living role model in gender equality, juggling family with career, global volunteer interests, and personal pursuits.
•    Inspirational motivation; Clinton demonstrates genuine interest and concern in the future of our children and the success of our citizens. Her stated concern for others inspires others.
•    Intellectual stimulation; Clinton challenges our citizens to every greater success in combatting global violence and caring for the next global generation.
•    Individualized consideration; Rather than merely doing a grand sweep of political influence, Clinton also devotes genuinely individualized attention to those she meets politically.
To Consider: As you vote soon in the historic election nearly upon us, which candidate do you think represents the transformational leadership suggested by social scientists? Will that person have your vote? Why? Why not?
To Explore:
•    L. Nevels and J. Coche. Powerful wisdom: voices of distinguished women psychotherapists. 1993. Jossey Bass. San Fran
•    http://www.apa.org/research/action/boss.aspx. American Psychological Association, 2006. When the Boss is a Woman.
•    Through the Labyrinth: How Women Become Leaders. Alicy Eagly and Linda Carli. Harvard Business Press. 2009
•    Bass and Riggio. Ealrbaum, 2006. Transformational Leadership, 2nd edition.
Dr. Judith Coche has worked with women in all walks of life since 1978, helping them to reach career goals and live optimal lives. With offices in Stone Harbor and Rittenhouse Square, she can be reached at www.cochecenter.com.