The Leaders Primary Role
Over the last few years, I’ve taken an interest in studying leadership. I’ve participated in a few leadership programs and read several books on the subject. ‘Primal Leadership’ by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee is my favorite book on Leadership, so far. I made the mistake of judging this book by the title alone. Thinking, ‘Primal Leadership, sounds really macho and tough, is this about running shirtless through the woods and yelling loudly? Should I even bother with this one?’ I couldn’t have been more wrong. I quickly noticed that this book is written in part by the author of ‘Emotional Intelligence’ and I knew it would be worthwhile. The title refers to the primal role of leadership, the first and most important act of leadership.
Why study Leadership?
Growing up, I was never much inspired by the leaders that I knew and never took much interest in leadership or influence. It wasn’t until I became a business owner and had a team to lead that I realized the importance of leadership and began to take it seriously. I also recognized the larger role that each of us play in our communities and societies. What I have come to believe is that the reason that our civilization doesn’t work better is that too many of us aren’t getting more involved. It’s often because of a feeling of disconnectedness due to the poor leadership that we’ve been exposed to.
Creating Resonance
There is often a mystery about leadership. We are fascinated by deeply flawed, larger than life leaders who overcome their own personal struggles and difficult odds to achieve great things. But there is a much more mundane aspect to leadership, it’s so pervasive in our lives that we hardly notice it, it’s the everyday influence we all have on each other in our various groups. The authors of ‘Primal Leadership’ argue that the primary role of leadership is emotional. I think that statement alone will send most people into a flurry of thoughts and questions about the veracity and implications of that idea. Business is business, don’t make it personal. Be professional, right? So how can a leader’s primary role be emotional?
They argue that the ‘fundamental task of leaders is to prime good feelings in those they lead’, to create ‘resonance, a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people’. Does that sound like your workplace? Think about your work, your family, your friends. Do you feel safe in those environments to be yourself, to express your ideas, to try things new things that might involve some risk but could be worthwhile in the long run? My guess is that the answer is often ‘No’.
Would you be happier, more productive, creative, committed to the group’s goals if you were in a positive, supportive environment? Think about the greatest leaders you know of. Don’t they create powerful, positive emotions in you? Emotions play a central role in every aspect of our lives. It’s important for leaders to recognize and embrace this, not pretend that we can separate ourselves from our emotions or ignore them. The authors contend that if you aren’t creating a reservoir of positive emotions among those you lead, then nothing else you do really matters.
Why is toxic leadership so prevalent
When I first started studying leadership, I couldn’t help but notice that the basics of good leadership are fairly simple. So why isn’t good leadership more common? Why are toxic environments so prevalent? I think the authors have hit on a very fundamental idea. When you don’t actively work to create a reservoir of positivity in an environment, you miss out on a lot of good ideas and leadership potential. People don’t want to speak up and share ideas in an environment where they don’t feel ‘safe’. Many good ideas never get shared. Many potentially great leaders never step up. The people who do step up, share ideas and thrive, tend to be the ones who lack emotional sensitivity and they tend to foster the ideas and environment that they thrived in. The cycle continues until an Emotionally Intelligent Leader emerges.
