The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Leaders’ Performance in the Context of Early Education Institutions

Early education leaders need to embrace transformational leadership styles that promote growth and achievement to contribute to the success of the entire community. Research in this area is necessary because, according to conversations with school inspectors, the leaders of early education institutions in Romania need an adequate understanding of leadership styles, as seen by the lack of professional development courses available. Our research aimed to assess the impact of transformational leadership style on early education leaders' success as measured by operational indicators such as effectiveness, satisfaction, and extra effort. In this study, we employed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQX5) and focus group method. To determine the dominating style of the leaders in the study, correlations, regressions, and the Chi-square test were used to analyze the data. The findings indicate a connection between transformative leadership and a growth mindset that characterizes leaders. These aspects lead to high effectiveness and stimulate the individual towards continuous personal and professional development. We can conclude from the investigation that the outcomes of the leader's behavior are closely related to their leadership style and growth mindset.