Which leadership style focuses on creating long-term change by inspiring and empowering followers?

• A. Transactional leadership
• B. Transformational leadership
• C. Laissez-faire leadership
• D. Authoritarian leadership

Answer: (B)

Transformational leadership focuses on long-term change by inspiring and empowering followers. A transformational leader models the behavior they want to see (idealized influence), communicates a compelling vision that motivates others (inspirational motivation), challenges people to think differently and innovatively (intellectual stimulation), and attends to each person’s development and needs (individualized consideration). This combination helps people buy into a shared goal, increases their commitment, and elevates performance over time, which is essential for sustained change. By contrast, transactional leadership relies on rewards or punishments for short-term tasks, laissez-faire is a hands-off approach with little direction, and authoritarian leadership emphasizes control and obedience.