Transformational Leadership: 21Mar2022
Carmel Academy, Mandamarri, Telangana
Francis P Xavier SJ, Loyola Campus, Chennai
Today’s students:
Question in the Class: What do you want to be in life?
One said: I want to be happy!
Want to be independent
Not to be led by others
Peer pressure – Son of Sahayam IAS
Like to go by passion – by feeling than by thinking
Passion: cricket, film-world
But are they lasting?
Find out what you want to achieve and
Contribute to the world –
Follow that impulse
Goal – process – possible paradigm shift – achievement
Know yourself:
Socrates: know yourself – strength and weakness
SWOC: strength, weakness, opportunities, challenges
Be alert: Napoleon in Helena island and chess board
What is transformational leadership:
Motivation, positive attitude
Moral standards and ethical values: good for all
Priorities and clear goal – Process to reach the goal
Collaboration and team-building
Self-interest to other-centeredness (altruistic attitude)
Work and relationship: authenticity, credibility, open communication
Coaching and mentoring but freedom for each one to decide
Allow freedom with responsibility
Leadership building:
Team: 4 eyes see better than 2
- Lowney: Heroic leadership
Self awareness: understanding their strengths, weaknesses, values, and worldview
Ingenuity: confidently innovating and adapting to embrace a changing world
Love/passion: engaging others with a positive, loving attitude
Heroism: energizing themselves and others through heroic ambitions
- Jesus way:
- Self-awareness;
- One-on-one influence;
- Team-building; and
- Organizational upbuilding
- Four agreement:
- Be Impeccable/honest With Your Word – say what you mean
- Don’t Take Anything Personally – Not events but your understanding and reaction
- Don’t Make Assumptions – prejudice but have openmindedness
- Always Do Your Best – magis: ever more and ever better
Education as Formation for Transformation:
Education – holistic formation – social transformation
Head: critical thinking – not believing all (eg WhatsApp) – Abraham Lincoln to the teacher
of his son: Listen to all – But filter through mind – and do what is good
Heart: compassion – put yourself in his/her place (Blind man begging – Restaurant beggar)
Hand: helping the needy – two copper coin > tons of money
Not information but values
Education – Enlightenment – Empowerment
World: 80:20
Possession – Position – Power vs
Landless – Discrimination – Powerless
What can I do for equality and equity?
Models of Transformational leaders:
Charles (Congo – Dzaleka) – refugees: education is your father and mother
Hattie (Philadelphia) – 57 cent Church/University (Temple University)
Tess (Chicago) – 1.1 USD Miracle
Howard Kelly – ‘Paid in full with a glass of milk ’
Characters of Transformational Leadership:
Inspiration and motivation – self-efficacy
Charism: uniqueness in being a model
Vision and strategy – Alexander and coin tossing
Treating individuals as special – considering each one’s needs
Intellectual stimulation: think positive
Role models: walk the talk (centipede and leg pain vs owl)
Performance based: output > input
Individual vs team leadership
Transformational leadership in Classroom:
Leadership = relationship building
Discussion on daily news – Develop to read newspapers
Eg Ukraine-Russia war
Students parliament – debate on sociopolitical issues
Peer-learning program: group study
Guardian angel program
Neighbourhood ministry – Charity begins at home – elderly
Service learning program – Outreach program
Inter-school program: academic and sports
Enviro club: planting trees, plastic free campus
NCC, LASAC, etc
Transformation Leadership in Society:
Cf Otthadaipathai (R. Manikandan 2010): individual coming up and enriching the society
First generation learners and people too poor to pursue education but today entrepreneurs
Characteristics:
- Feeling of self-worth: I am somebody and I am worth something – discovering talent and inner courage and confidence
- Investment: Initial – interest; Permanent – experience gained
- Launching with hard work and honesty as capital investment
- Propelling dynamism: a. ever more and ever better (spreading the wings); and b. perseverance amidst obstacles and failures
- People oriented: Philosophy – reduce the margin and increase the people’s comfort
- Personal philosophy: less is more – if you reduce your needs, the comforts would be plenty
- Build an efficient system of administration and build an effective system of team: for individual hard work and for the team staying focused on the set goal
Goal: to be meaningful and useful to others
Eg KPN Travels – listen to the customers
Ramraj -Banians
Dream – clear goal – hard work as process – perseverance – ready to adopt goals
What Students could do:
Environment: Greta Thunberg (Sweden) – Youngest Ecologist
Women education: Malala Yousafzai – Youngest Nobel Laureate
Rights of Migrants: Sophie Cruz (5) – letter to Pope Francis to help Migrants
Care of the elderly: Abigail Lupi (10) – care for the elderly in nursing homes
LASAC: School children demo for bus stop
Children inventors:
Louis Braille (15): Braille for the visually challenged
Air Pollution: Param Jaggi (16) – CO2 from vehicle to O2
Practical Suggestions:
Eco club – Tree planting, Butterfly garden, Herbal garden
Sports and Games – inter-school, encouraging physically challenged
Book club – Read one book (socially relevant novel or biography) a month and hold
Eg Nelson Mandela – Long walk to freedom
Barack Obama – The Audacity of Hope
Vicktor Frankl – Man’s search for Meaning
Harry Bernstein – The invisible Wall
Discussion on local, national, global issues
Service learning – adopting neighbourhood
Outreach program – help during crisis
What is needed:
Technology integration
Flexible learning environment
Teacher as a facilitator
Collaborative learning
Freedom and responsibility
Vision/Dream – Hard work – Building team – Relationship building
Thank You