| Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 16 Dec 2016 | Asia Samachar |

By Anandpreet Kaur
Dr Amerjit Singh, a communications head at a Malaysian ministry, has bagged an award for best writing in Malay in conjunction with the Innovation Day 2016 of the Department of Information.
The Head of Corporate Communications Unit at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture won the ‘Anugerah Penulisan Terbaik’ (Best Writing Award) for his article entitled “Transformational Leadership in Public Relations” published at Utusan Online in February.
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“This article emphasised on the need for dynamic personality and excellent leadership qualities that should be possessed by a public relations practitioner,” he tells Asia Samachar.
He received the award from Information Department Malaysia Director-General Ibrahim Abdul Rahman at a ceremony in Putrajaya on 15 Dec 2016.
A synopsis from the article:
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC RELATIONS: SOME THOUGHTS
– By Dr Amerjit Singh Bhag Singh
Leadership has been an important dimension and central part of literature in public relations. There is a need for excellent leadership from the perspective of senior PR practitioners. Transformational leadership in PR instills pride, faith, respect and long-term relationship. Attempts to explain and predict transformational leadership effectiveness and organization performance has gained increased importance, of late.
Idealized influence is a form of personality dimension that is closely associated with charismatic leadership. It refers to a relationship of influence between one another. This refers to the degree to which the PR leader behaves in admirable ways that cause subordinates to identify with him or her – hence, establishing a mutual relationship between leaders and their subordinates. Thus, a PR leader with such a dimension displays conviction, take stands and appeal to followers on an emotional level.
Another essential personality dimension is Intellectual stimulation. It is based on the premise to encourage followers to question and examine different perspectives through different lenses. This pertinent dimension reflects the degree to which the leader challenges assumptions, takes risks and solicit ideas and feedback from clients. PR leaders with this trait stimulate and encourage creativity and innovation in generating change.
Transformational leadership, in my analysis, implies a process. Thus, as a process, such leadership obviously involves interaction, communication and continuous motivation affecting the behavior of both the leader and the followers in PR. One effective way of developing these skills is via education and training. Training essentially allows leaders and followers to think strategically, and build networks and skills on key priority areas. It takes a lot of time and effort to build, train, develop and enhance communication skills, more so in moments of crisis.
In conclusion, transformational leadership, particularly in PR has arguably attracted the greatest volume of attention in recent years. Undeniably, government Ministries and Departments, GLCs, corporate bodies, NGOs, Nonprofit organizations, etc. need more transformational PR leaders in the 21st century. Transformational leadership is currently the most widely accepted hallmark leadership paradigm. Public relations scholars have recognized the importance of applying transformational leadership skills to develop successful communication professionals. The importance of applying appropriate leadership styles in PR practice, and ultimately the importance of leadership effectiveness in assisting PR professionals has a great influence on organizational decisions, and in gaining stature and respect, both inside and outside the organization. There is no shadow of doubt that effective transformational leadership is essential for effective PR and shall continue to chart the growth of PR in future.
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