MSLD 511 - Module 6 - A Leader From the Past - Madeline Campbell


Within the handful of professional jobs I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of since my undergraduate program, I do not believe I have had a transformational leader. However, within my time in academia at Grand Canyon University, I had a professor that greatly shaped my 3 years of studies and who I would consider a transformational leader. Bernard Bass defines a transformational leader as someone who, “… inspires, intellectually stimulates, and is individually considerate of [the followers]. Transformational leadership may be directive or participate. Requiring higher moral development…” (1998, p. 9). My professor exhibited qualities such as these, as she inspired students to do more within their academics, to work harder, to think outside the box and to push themselves. This professor not only inspired me academically but also professionally and even outside of the career field. She was loyal to her students, had the ability to stimulate intellect and inspire participation.

She made me want to push myself in my knowledge of marketing, hone my presentation skills and to continue on in my academic career. I do think that her sex made a difference on many student’s perception of her leadership. It can be very rare to have a female professor, who is not far from your age, continuing on her doctorate. Not only did this help her relate to the college age student, but her success and academic prowess naturally encouraged and motivated the students she was teaching. I graduated with my undergraduate in 2016 and only had three female professors throughout three years, so it was motivating to see a female progressing in her career. Bass also discusses the differences of male versus females as a transformational leader: “Several studies have shown that women tend to be somewhat more transformational than their male counterparts and to some degree this is accompanied by greater satisfaction and rated effectiveness according to both male and female subordinates” (1998, p. 17).

While there are some possible issues with transformational leaders, such as, “… the potential to [abuse]… changing people’s values” (Northouse, 2016, p. 179), this professor did not show any of these negative tendencies. She truly cared about us students, engaging with us both inside and outside of the classroom to better learn our character and aspirations. I think that this was one of the biggest reasons she played such an impactful role on my academic career. People want to be known, and a leader who makes a genuine effort to get to know their subordinates will be held in a higher respect and will have more success when delegating tasks for their team.

Bass, B. M. (1999). Two Decades of Research and Development in Transformational Leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology,8(1), 9-32. doi:10.1080/135943299398410
Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. The Leadership Quarterly,10(2), 181-217. doi:10.1016/s1048-9843(99)00016-8

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. Los Angeles, Calif.: SAGE.

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