LEADERSHIP MIND AND HEART Damon Burton University of

LEADERSHIP MIND AND HEART Damon Burton University of Idaho

WARREN BENNIS QUOTE n “There’s no difference between being a really effective leader and becoming a fully integrated person. ”

CAPACITY VERSUS COMPETENCE Competence – is your knowledge, skills and abilities which is limited and quantifiable. n Capacity – is the potential each of us has to be more than we are now and is unlimited. n Being a whole person means operating from mind, heart, spirit and body. n

What are mental models?

MENTAL MODELS n Mental Models – are theories people hold n n about specific systems in the world and their expected behavior. Systems – are a set of elements that interact to form a whole and produce a specified outcome. Systems include an organization, a football team, a pledge class or the claims process for an insurance company.

MENTAL MODELS - 2 n n n Leaders use many mental models that govern how they interpret experiences and how they act in response to people and situations. For example, one mental model about what makes an effective team is that members share a sense of team ownership and feel that they have authority and responsibility for team actions and outcomes. A conflicting model would be that every team needs a strong leader to take control and make the decisions.

GOOGLE LEADERS’ MENTAL MODEL § Stay uncomfortable, n Let failure coexist with triumph, n Use a little less “management” than you need, n Defy convention, n Move fast and figure things out as you go.

ASSUMPTIONS § n n Assumptions play an important role in shaping mental models. Theory X versus Theory Y are based on very different assumptions. Leaders make assumptions about events, situations and people. Assumptions are accepted as the “truth” which can be dangerous if faulty. Pets. com assumed people would start buying most pet food on-line.

YAHOO § Yahoo was started in 1994 by 2 engineers while they were still grad students at Stanford. § When the dot. com bubble burst in the late 90’s, Yahoo changed CEOs, and Terry Semel based his leadership on the assumption that Yahoo was a 21 st century entertainment and media company, not a technology company. n Yahoo was reorganized to entertain and inform people in a new way, emphasizing ease of use. n Yahoo increased profits by $300 million in 18 months and by 2005 had earned 1. 2 billion.

LESSONS LEARNED § Yahoo’s numbers have slipped a bit as competition has increased. § They may need to shift some assumptions to define priorities, bring focus, and keep the company strong in a changing world. § Assumptions work in some situations and are detrimental in others. § Leaders must regard their assumptions as temporary ideas rather than fixed truths. § Leaders must constantly question whether longhelp assumptions fit the current reality.

CHANGING MENTAL MODELS § A Harvard study of the top 100 business leaders of the 20 th century found they shared “contextual intelligence, ” or the ability to sense the social, political, technological and economic context of the times and adopt a mental model that helped their organizations best respond. § We are in volatile times. In 1985, 35% of companies were rated high risk by Standard & Poor while 41% were low risk. In 2006, 73% were high risk and only 13% low risk. § The forecast for companies is “continued chaos with a chance of disaster.

CHANGING MENTAL MODELS - 2 § A Leaders cannot afford to become prisoners to their own assumptions and mindsets. § Lewandowsky (2005) surveyed people in the U. S. , Germany, and Australia about the U. S. invasion of Iraq and found people believed facts that were consistent with their mindsets. § Leaders must constantly question their mindsets and learn from others. § When Swedish furniture maker Ikea opened stores in the U. S. , they found they had to take an American rather than a Swedish mindset to be successful.

CHANGING MINDS § According to psychologist Howard Gardner, after age 10 people tend to retreat to old ideas rather than opening new possibilities. § Changing mindsets requires developing specific skills, including: § Take your time and approach change from many vantage points. § Don’t rely on reason alone – touch people’s emotions (e. g. , stories, events, or imagery). § Don’t underestimate how powerful resistance can be.

What characteristics are needed to create new mental models?

NEW MENTAL MODELS § independent thinking, § open-mindedness, § systems thinking, and § personal mastery.

INDEPENDENT THINKING § Independent thinking – means questioning assumptions and interpreting data and events according to one’s own beliefs, ideas and thinking, not according to pre-established rules, routines and categories defined by others. § Good leadership is not about following the rules of others, but standing up for what you believe is best for the organization. § Mindfulness – is continuously reevaluating previously learned ways of doing things in the context of evolving information and shifting circumstances.

INDEPENDENT THINKING § Leaders must employ critical thinking and explore things from all angles and integrate available information into possible solutions. § They question all assumptions, vigorously seek divergent opinions and give balanced consideration to all alternatives. § According to Bass (1985), leaders must provide “intellectual stimulation” to arouse followers imaginations and stimulate their ability to identify and solve problems creatively.

OPEN-MINDEDNESS § Open-mindedness – is looking at things in a new way. § Leaders must think critically, explore things from all angles and integrate available information into possible solutions. § Learned helplessness – is the belief that we cannot control the course of negative events. Once established it is hard to change. § Being critical, questioning the status quo and thinking for yourself is essential.

SYSTEMS THINKING § Systems Thinking -- is the ability to see the synergy of the whole rather than just the separate elements of the system and learn to reinforce or the whole system patterns. § Solving problems by breaking the system into parts and then changing one part doesn’t guarantee a better working system. § Relationships between parts form a complete system. Leaders must look for patterns over time and focus on the rhythm, flow, direction, shape and networks of relationships that make up the system.

SYSTEMS THINKING - 2 § Systems are complex so leaders must understand the “big picture” using a wide angle rather than telephoto lens. § Peter Senge talks about “circles of causality” rather than linear relationships. Changes in one circle impact other circles. § The system must be “tweaked” based on feedback about how the entire system is functioning. Without understanding the system, changing parts may hurt overall performance.

CIRCLES OF CAUSALITY

What is personal mastery?

PERSONAL MASTERY § Personal Mastery – describes the discipline of personal growth and learning that facilitates leadership and achieving desired results. § Personal Mastery embodies 3 qualities: § personal vision, § facing reality § holding creative tension.

PERSONAL VISION § Personal Vision – knowing and clarifying what is important. § Leaders focus on the end result that motivates them and their organization. § They have a clear vision of a desired future, and their purpose for achieving it. § Leaders continually focus and define what they want as their desired future and vision.

FACING REALITY § Facing Reality – means commitment to the truth. § Leaders committed to the truth will overcome denial in themselves and others. § Their efforts will enhance selfawareness and deal with reality in order to achieve their goals.

HOLDING CREATIVE TENSION § Holding Creative Tension – the gap between vision and current reality can be a source of creative energy. § Resolve tension by letting the vision pull the reality toward it. § Settling for less reduces the tension but engenders mediocrity. § Progress is closing the gap between your vision and reality.

What is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EQ) § Emotional Intelligence – person’s ability to perceive, identify, understand successfully manage emotions in self and others. § EQ is the ability to effectively manage ourselves and our relationships. § Leaders must learn how to understand manage emotions in themselves and others.

WHAT ARE EMOTIONS? § Emotions – are transitory feelings or affective reactions that influence our behavior. § Researchers have defined 8 categories of emotions, including: anger, sadness, fear, enjoyment, love, surprise, disgust and shame. § A recent survey showed that leaders have a great influence on whether employees have positive or negative feelings about work.

FAMILIES OF EMOTIONS

What are the components of EQ?

COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE § self-awareness, § self-management, § social awareness, and § relationship management.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE MODEL

SELF-AWARENESS § Self-Awareness – the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions and how they affect your life and work. § Aware leaders learn to trust their “gut feelings” because those feelings provide useful info when making tough decisions. § When answers are not available from other sources, leaders have to rely on their own feelings. § Self-awareness includes accurately assessing personal strengths and weaknesses along with a healthy sense of confidence.

SELF-MANAGEMENT § Self-Management – the ability to control disruptive, unproductive or harmful emotions. § Research confirms that children who were able to and not able to resist temptation to eat a marshmallow immediately were looked at 20 years later. § Resisters were able to handle stress better and embrace difficult challenges. § They were also more confident, trustworthy, dependable and tenacious at pursuing their goals.

SELF-MANAGEMENT - 2 § Leaders learn to balance their emotions so they don’t get in the way. § Managing emotions means understanding them and using that knowledge to deal with situations productively. § Other characteristics of SM include: § Trustworthiness – consistently displaying honesty and integrity, § Conscientiousness – managing and honoring your responsibilities, § Adaptability – the ability to adjust to changing situations and overcome obstacles.

SOCIAL AWARENESS § Social Awareness – the ability to understand others. § Socially aware leaders have empathy. § “Professional intimacy” – displaying compassion and concern for others without become so wrapped up in their emotions that it clouds judgment. § Organizational Awareness – the ability to navigate organizational life, build networks and effectively use political behavior to accomplish positive results. § Service orientation – ability to recognize and serve the needs of followers.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT § Relationship Management– the ability to connect with others and build positive relationships. § Leaders with high EQ treat others with compassion, sensitivity and kindness. § RM involves developing others, inspiring them with a powerful vision, learning to listen and communicate clearly and convincingly, and using emotional understanding to influence others positively. § Today’s leadership paradigm requires great relationship management skills.

EMOTIONALLY COMPETENT LEADERS n n n EQ is strongly related to higher order leadership styles because they understand control their own emotions and work to have empathy for followers and develop positive relationships with them. Emotional Contagion – means that leaders who are able to maintain balance and keep themselves motivated are positive role models to help motivate and inspire those around them. Teams have greater energy when the coach is optimistic and composed.

EQ AND MONEY

EMOTIONALLY COMPETENT TEAMS n EQ is also a team competency that include: • Creating a strong group identity, • Building trust among members, • Instilling a belief among members that they can be effective and that the team will succeed. n Leaders must explore unhealthy team norms, bring the emotions to the surface, and understand how they impact team performance.

Is it better to lead with love or fear?

LEADING WITH LOVE NOT FEAR n Love for leaders means genuinely caring for others and sharing one’s knowledge, understanding and compassion to enable others to grow and succeed. n Fear is a powerful motivator. n With success dependent on knowledge, mindpower, commitment and enthusiasm, fearbased teams lose their best people to more positive organizations. n Fear promotes avoidance behavior, inhibiting growth, change and innovation.

LEADING WITH LOVE NOT FEAR n Love attracts people to teams, encourages them to take risks, learn, grow and move the organization forward. n Showing respect and trust enables people to perform better, and they feel more emotionally connected work so their lives are richer and more balanced. n Fear may fuel high productivity, but the cost is destroying people’s spirit.

FEAR IN ORGANIZATIONS n n n Fear weakens trust and communication. 70% of workers bit their tongue at work for fear of repercussions. Fear destroys the opportunity for feedback, blinding leaders to reality and denying them the chance to correct the problem.

LEADER RELATIONSHIPS n n Reporting problems are difficult in fearbased organizations. When leaders operate based on fear, they create fear in others. Even tough leaders can also lead thru love. GE CEO told a top subordinate who had a bad year, “I love you and I know you can do better. ” Love as motivation enables people to feel alive, connected, energized and “in love” with life and work.

FOLLOWERS’ REPONSE TO LOVE n n Hear and understand me. Even if you disagree with me, please don’t make me wrong. n n Acknowledge the greatness within me. Remember to look for my loving intentions. n Tell me the truth with compassion.

The End