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2601, 2017

Power and Transformational Leadership

By |January 26th, 2017|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

C9186-21Reagan-Ashe

Bernard Bass in his Handbook of Leadership defines social power as “the force less power underlying social exchanges in which the dependent person in the exchange relationship has and the person with more power is able to obtain compliance with his or her wishes” (p. 263). This is more of a definition of control than power and is certainly a misrepresentation of mature leadership. Bass emphasizes this popular idea of power by quoting Gardner (1986), “To say a leader is preoccupied with power is like saying that a tennis player is preoccupied with making shots his opponent cannot return” (p. 5). As one of the developers of transformational leadership theory, it is curious that Bass emphasizes this limited perspective. Arthur Ashe, the humanitarian, educator, model for transformational leadership, and actual tennis professional articulates leadership a little differently: “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost” (Stein, 2005). True power to implement sustainable change emerges from internal clarity and a congruent external vision of transformation. Paradoxically, this involves letting go of control. This case study and analysis of leadership power will explore that perspective.

In a case study by Gary Yukl (2006), a newly transferred manager recognizes that customer service needs improvement. His transactional (or coercive) tools include performance reviews and some influence (but not complete control) over hiring and firing. Positional power is related to a leader’s rank and systemic ability to impose punishment and reward. In this scenario, the manager could threaten his employees and force them to do customer service tasks in a way that he demands. This is a bit like a parent spanking a child for speaking in an angry tone. They will learn to suppress anger (and other emotion) to avoid physical abuse, and will probably not learn anything about speaking their truth appropriately. This manager may wield his authority but the result will not be an increase in actual “customer service” but, at best, a temporary and transactional change in behavior that reacts to customer problems. This may, in fact, be good enough for a manager. A leader, however, must handle it differently. Addis (2008) writes, “Managing is about control, stewardship, planning, organizing, resource allocation and problem solving. Leading is the process of influencing others to achieve mutually agreed upon goals for the good of the organization” (p. 230). Personal power, at its best, resembles this definition of leadership as it includes the development of credibility through an emotional connection. The manager/leader in this case study may be able to influence healthy and sustainable change by taking the time to be clear about his actual motivations, acknowledging the limits of his knowledge, and making a genuine connection with the employees. Goffee and Jones (2000) contend that “when leaders reveal their weaknesses, they show us who they are…such admissions work because people need to see leaders own up to some flaw before they participate willingly in an endeavor” (p. 8). A leader who is new on the scene might consider creating connection before wielding reward and punishment.

Perhaps the most difficult change management initiative is in transforming addictive behavior to healthy behavior. Anyone who has attempted to help an alcoholic transcend rigid thinking understands this hopeless task. This dynamic exists in organizational leadership as well. Anne Shaef (1988) in The Addictive Organization writes, “Whole areas of knowledge and information have been defined into nonexistence because the system cannot know, understand, control, or measure them.” Addiction can be seen as repeated dysfunctional behavior that includes repeated attempts to gain “power” over the negative consequences. In the addiction treatment world, it is understood that the addict does not, and cannot have “power” over the addiction. It is in accepting the lack of power that transformation can begin: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976, p. 59). The recovery process involves considerable personal reflection, an acceptance of being led by the will of a “power greater than ourselves”, and subsequently to develop the “power to carry that out” (p. 59). This sort of spiritual transformation can only occur after an emotional bottom, or extreme discomfort. The idea that a high-powered executive would admit to “powerlessness” seems impossible until we review the current corporate landscape and the limited but increasing research on authentic leadership.

Researchers such as Goleman (1995) and Goffee and Jones (2000) have identified that top performers who have the basic emotional competencies rise to the tops of organizations. Current leadership training is in need of complete revision to build the type of leader that understands the kind of power that comes from authenticity. Reynolds (2009) writes, “Trying to develop leaders through some kind of competency model that ignores the people, the context and the purpose, is like trying to produce a wonderful meal with no one to cook it, no kitchen and no one to eat it. Developing authentic leaders is more about enabling people to play to their strengths in a particular context than it is about remedying their deficiencies as defined by some competency model” (p. 55). Reynolds posits that authentic leadership is the next “big thing” in leadership citing a generation of workers with very different values, the recent collapse of large corporations, the challenges of continuing globalization, and addressing climate change (p. 55).

Corruption is the norm for most leaders because some degree of emotional competence is required to transform unconscious material. Even current literature on transformational leadership, possibly the most progressive accepted leadership model, emphasizes morality which always begets corruption. Whenever behavior is changed to match up with some outer moralistic ideal, a more authentic expression goes into what Carl Jung (1951) referred to as shadow: “The shadow…is composed of the dark elements of the personality, having an emotional and primitive nature which resists moral control” (p. 112). Great leaders do not identify an outer ideal and conform to it, instead they follow an inner drive (developed by deep personal reflection) that leads to outer transformation. When that inner drive is oppressed, its expression will be negative and hurtful – or corrupt. The solution lies in leadership trainings that initiate leaders into their own depth so they don’t drive themselves, their followers, and families off emotional and financial cliffs. Even the most intellectually hardened executive usually finds out (often very late in life) that “happiness and fulfillment isn’t to be found solely in work and achievement” (Reynolds, 2009, p. 54).

The beginnings of a trend of change may be imminent due to the worldwide financial bottom. But even if the world begins drinking the unconsciousness waters again, it may be in the hands of psychology professionals to provide opportunities for intensive treatment at the highest levels of potential influence – organizational leadership.

References

Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, (1976). Alcoholics Anonymous (3rd ed.). New York: AA World Services.

Bass, B. M. (2008). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.

Reynolds, L.. (2009, August). Authentic leadership. Training Journal,52-55.

Personal power is typically derived from one’s own expertise and leadership related traits, while positional power has to do with one’s status conferred by a position (Bass, 2008).

Goffee, R., & Jones, G., (2000). Why should anyone be led by you. Harvard Business Review.

Addis, S. (2008). Leading vs. managing. Rough Notes, 151(9), 230-233.

Goffee, R., & Jones, G., (2000). Why should anyone be led by you. Harvard Business Review.

Jung, C. G. (1951). The shadow. In Aion, Collected works 9, II. New York: Pantheon

Schaef, A., & Fassel, D. 1988. The addictive organization. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Stein, R. (2005). Arthur Ashe: a biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.

901, 2017

Conflict and Leadership Training

By |January 9th, 2017|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

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Conflict is rooted in unconscious projections of leaders, peers, or followers, and conflict resolution is a result of personal ownership (or the retraction) of previously unconscious projections. Bernard Bass (2008), in his Handbook of Leadership, writes, “conflict has a tendency to escalate and to be exacerbated by mirror imaging-attributing opposite qualities to the opposition in a conflict. Thus, “we” are honest, just, rational, and benevolent; ‘they” are dishonest, unjust, emotional, and malevolent” (Bass, 2008, p. 334). This phenomenon is due to repressed feelings that manifest in projected and often rigid judgments of others.

Leadership is an opportunity to become more self-aware (as a leader) and to invite increased self-awareness (an important component of emotional intelligence) in others. The effective leader understands that this may involve both strong positive and negative projections. “No leaders are successful if they are not prepared to be rejected” (Jacobs, 1979, as cited by Bass, 2008). The transformational leader may even invite conflict, knowing that an opportunity for personal and collective growth can proceed from the disturbance. “In contrast with transactional leaders, transformational leaders seem to have more ability to deal with conflict. There are less readily disturbed by it, possibly because they are more at peace with themselves” (Bass, 2008, p. 332).

Effective leadership training must include opportunities for trainees to “sit” in the discomfort. Burns (1978, p. 39) wrote that “Leaders, whatever their professions of harmony, do not shun conflict: they confront it, exploit it, ultimately embody it” (as quoted by Bass, 2008). The emotions that underlie conflict cannot come forward to be transformed if they are not given time and space to emerge. Unfortunately, dealing with emotion is the very last item on most executive’s to-do lists. Bass is an apparent proponent of intellectual and emotionally avoidant leadership writing, “If the conflict is mostly emotional, the outcome will be less well understood and will result in a less emotionally acceptable decision. The resulting decision will be poorer” (Bass, 2008, p. 320). This is an erroneous, superficial, and popular philosophy. It is, in fact, the avoidance of uncomfortable emotion that keeps conflict, lack of understanding, poor decision making, and organizational psychopathology in place. “Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering” (C. G. Jung 1966, p. 75).

Leaders must first become willing to know and process their unconscious material. Leadership training can set up situations that provoke emotion and teach feelings awareness, and communication techniques are useful. Psychodramatic, gestalt, and bioenergetic techniques can allow access to deeper levels of emotional content.

The groundbreaking work of Harville Hendrix with couples is transferable to leadership training and conflict resolution. His work is partly rooted in the Jungian concept of the shadow (repressed and emotionally charged psychological material). Hendrix developed a process called the Imago Dialogue that includes the following four principles:

  1. Most of your partner’s criticisms of you have some basis in reality.
  2. Many of your repetitious, emotional criticisms of your partner are disguised statements of your own unmet needs.
  3. Some of your repetitious, emotional criticisms of your partner may be an accurate picture of a disowned part of yourself’.
  4. Some of your criticisms of your partner may help you to identify your own lost self (Hendrix, 1988, p. 116).

The process involves feelings expression, articulation of data, listening, mirroring (repeating back what was said), validation, and empathy. Although all of these steps are not necessary in a business setting, a condensed version has been useful to this writer as a self-awareness and conflict resolution tool in organizational settings.

Certainly it is not possible to introduce these tools into all organizational situations. Many corporate settings are deeply encrusted with bureaucratic blocks to anything that smells like emotion. However, the rapidly accelerating technological world is demanding flexible leadership and the rigid, purely intellectual approach cannot remain viable. Caruso and Salovey (2004) write, “Because emotions contain information and influence thinking, we need to incorporate emotions intelligently into our reasoning, problem solving, judging, and behaving. This requires us to stay open to emotions, whether they are welcome or not, and to choose strategies that include the wisdom of our feelings” (p. 10). Trainings that allow leaders some freedom from this epidemic of exaggerated fear of emotion must certainly have an increasingly important place in leadership development.

References

Bass, B. M. (2008). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.

Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2004).The emotionally intelligent manager: How to develop and use the four key emotional skills of leadership, San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass.

Hendrix, H. (1988). Getting the love you want. Melbourne, Victoria: Schwartz & Wilkinson.

Jung, C.G. (1966), Psychology and Religion: West and East. The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, 11. Routledge & Kegan Paul: London.

Burns, J. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper.

3012, 2016

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Authentic Leadership

By |December 30th, 2016|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Traits are based on individual differences between people. Considerable research exists related to leadership traits. This blog post will focus on traits that correlate to successful authentic leadership in the areas of emotional intelligence (EI), creativity, and confidence.

In a study of executive leaders of major organizational change initiatives, Petran (2008) discovered that emotional intelligence was among the most common traits. Bass (2008) identifies the work of several researchers who agree that “self-awareness, handling one’s own feelings and impulses, the motivation of others, showing empathy, and remaining connected with others through optimism, enthusiasm, and energy” (p. 124) are essential to emotional intelligence and may be important leadership traits.

Tom Peters, a top management consultant and author of the seminal In Search of Excellence, first published in the early 80’s, is adamant about current trends demanding creative leadership traits. In a more recent book, Peters (2003) writes that the successful leader must “fearlessly allow themselves to screw up, think weird, and throw out the old business playbooks.” This sounds curiously like the creative process of an artist who must constantly let go of perfectionism to allow the flow of new ideas to keep the productive channel open. Even Bass (2008) concedes that creativity, imagination, and intuition are important, stating, “The only trait that correlates higher than originality in leaders is popularity” (p. 86) and, “

[c]reative intelligence (ability to engage with abstract or unusual ideas) is predictive of success at high levels of management” (p. 112).

Imagination and vision are essential traits of leaders who bring sustainable change as well. Imaginative ability was more highly valued than mere intelligence by both Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson, citing the ability to predict future events (Bass, 2008, p. 115). A related and equally important factor is intuition. Clemens and Mayer (1987) found that intuition may be the critical factor that separates the successful from the unsuccessful leader (as quoted by Bass, 2008, p. 115).

Though leaders are human and must deal with existential issues such as self-worth, the ability to transcend excessive shame issues is correlative to authentic leadership success. A degree of “healthy grandiosity” appears to be necessary. In a moment of humor, Bass (2008) writes, “the findings here suggest that leaders are not handicapped by excessive modesty” (p. 90).

An example of a leader that models emotional intelligence, creativity, and confidence is Walter Stewart, a friend, mentor, artist, and workshop leader. Walter left his corporate executive position in the 80’s to pursue an artist and healer’s life. As a workshop leader he models access to emotion by periodically identifying an inner feeling state which gives permission to staff and participants to do the same. Walter finds ways to make personal and spiritual (not religious) references that allow similar exploration in followers. This choice tends to elevate the entire process to a higher level of growth. As an artist, he knows the value of creativity and takes creative risks constantly, giving others permission to others to move beyond intellectual and emotional blocks to creative expression. This writer has been a grateful recipient of this phenomenon many times. Also, Walter openly processes occasional lapses in confidence, and is equally willing to proclaim and enact a sense of self-love – again engendering the same in his followers. In general, Walter has consistently modeled the Tom Peters (2003) directive to “re-imagine” as a leader and to forget about “getting outside the box – because there is no box.”

The “soft skills” and creative traits of authentic leadership are increasingly being seen as essential in our rapidly accelerating culture. Continued scholarly contributions and subsequent development of effective opportunities for leadership development in these areas seem important to this writer.

References

Bass, B. M. (2008). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (4th ed.). New York: Free Press.

Petran, M.. An exploratory study of executive transformational leadership, wisdom, and emotional intelligence in management process turnaround situations. Ed.D. dissertation, Pepperdine University, United States — California.

Salovey, P., & Pizarro, D. A. (2003). The value of emotional intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg, J. Lautrey & T. I. Lubart (Eds.), Models of intelligence: International perspective (pp. 263-278). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Peters, T. (2003). Re-imagine! Business excellence in a disruptive age. London: Dorling Kindersley.