The book I have chosen is from James MacGregor Burns (2004), titled Transformational Leadership. As the book described, leadership is a moral undertaking that is of greatest tasks and that responds to the wide varieties of people for freedom, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Burns study of transforming leadership is more like a leadership view of what can be called transitional leadership. The main strength I see on Burns book is his focus on how successful leaders should be via the mindful of the pursuit of happiness. The author did not believe the pursuit of happiness comes from followers, but from the leadership styles and aspects, and the views, and approaches, and the understandings and reflections from leaders or managers or the board of directors or CEOs or any other persons in charge to lead. That is why his main category of leadership approach relies heavily on the leadership aspects of leaders, not followers or any others of the same or different kind.
I used to work for a company that re-manufactures and re-produces commercial and personal cartridges with ink installation model. It is important to initially understand the concept of leadership and management in relation to foresight, creativity and innovation and happiness. Burns reminded me how it is as artless as understanding that organizational foresight is the idea of looking forward to create (creativity) changes (innovation) that needs to be implemented (innovation); can be done within an ethical system of leaders and followers. This in turn, becomes a starting point via which happiness can exist. However, Burns begins with the basic human capacities as foods, shelter, and the need for power and reverence. I might have disagreed with Burns when he mentioned the desire for foods and shelter as the beginning of leader’s approach to the pursuit of happiness. I also enjoyed how the author described some leaders as those with selfishness of deal making, money making and other parts of greediness for and against some groups. He insisted that good leaders are good followers who strive for an inclusive approach of collaborative problem-solving. He greatly stressed the important of being happy and the notion that happiness can lead to improved team works and other positive works of improving team environment.
I believed the most important question of all that can derive from the book is the practical question of why organizations hire self-interested managers who are not competence and effective in their assigned professions and who do not derive happiness from what they do or display. So many of these questions can be resolved if and only if indeed efficient management is put in place who are knowledgeable about leadership skills, willing to exercise leadership skills, able to provide effect leadership skills in their field of management, and who acquired people skills to dealing with their employees/followers. I believed any organization without proper status quo is a great challenge that poses barrier to innovations and happiness. Generating creative ideas and innovations are the thing that should be encouraged by managers and leaders toward their followers. That is why it is important to point out the important of becoming an effective leader who makes effective decisions that will improve excellence in organizational values, mission and vision. A word of advice as a colleague who experienced similar situation in different organizations, with the recent one from a particular consulting firm of Kansas City is to transform oneself to acquiring and using skills of transformational and transitional leadership. Organizational management can do the same by making sure new employees are well-trained ahead of complex projects, and innovation is always admired at any level of the ladder. According to the article, ChangingMinds (n.d.), working for a transformational leader can be a brilliant and elevating know-how. They put passion, energy and expertise into all aspects of their leadership. The author was great at analyzing past leaders, changes on the revolutionary leaders, histories behind the important leaders and leadership styles. The author seek to discuss politicians and other social activists and the impact they made throughout their life events.
Reference
Burns, J. M. (2004). Transforming leadership: A new pursuit of happiness. New York: Grove Press
Changing Minds. (n.d.). Transformational Leadership. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/transformational_leadership.htm
