View "What is Great Leadership" by Dr. Richard Boyatzis. Dr. Boyatzis explains the impact most effective leaders can have on you. Stop the video when he asks you to complete his exercise. Complete the exercise and then watch the rest of the video. Finally, write up your results as a reflection blog
So what is great leadership? I pondered that question before beginning this exercise. I thought about all the great leaders I have personally interacted with and those who I have read about. I concluded that all of these leaders were different in some way. That is inevitable considering no two people are the same. However, the biggest commonality I recognized was the positivity these great leaders exuded. This exercise asked me to think of a leader who brought out the best in me and a leader who did not bring out the best in me. Additionally, I was asked to think about the things they said or did and how they made me or others around me feel.
The person who immediately came to mind when thinking about bringing out the best in me or following anywhere was Jaimy. My first interaction with her was during a job interview. I remember feeling a bit intimidated because her intelligence and common sense were both evident. She is one of those rare people who is incredibly intelligent, yet knows how to apply common sense and can comfortably adapt to any situation. I did well in my interview, was hired, and she became my boss. I had heard from outside the department about how Jaimy was very rigid, difficult to work with, and in a sense just plain mean. I found quite the opposite to be true. I also discovered people from outside her department perceived her this way because she was just very straightforward. She didn’t sugarcoat anything and told it like it was. Most people weren’t used to this style and interpreted it as a negative. Which is confusing since she acts in such a positive way. I think people are just used to the charades people play in a work environment by trying to make everyone happy and not hurt any feelings. Jaimy is transparent and authentic and there is never an ulterior motive with what she says or does. She truly built such a strong team through her positive attitude and actions. For example, she routinely organized “get togethers” at her house and team lunches. I learned these experiences built a strong team bond and we eventually connected with each other as a family, not just a team at work. She also would take care of her employees by providing protection when any threats occurred. She would rather handle any issues internally than allow things to be broadcasted outside our department.
Jaimy was also very enthusiastic, motivated, and passionate about everything, which naturally pushed others to act the same way. This helped us individually and as a team because “when our leaders exude enthusiasm, realistic optimism, and genuine concern we have more energy for our work and can face challenges more creatively” (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005, p. 24). She is a true resonant leader since she knows “that emotions are contagious, and that their own emotions are powerful drivers of people’s moods, and ultimately, performance” (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005, p. 4). She was extremely supportive of me and made me feel valued. Finally, her modesty and humility are like none I have ever witnessed. I recently found out she graduated from West Point and has three Master’s degrees. Most people would constantly publicize such accomplishments. But not Jaimy.
On the other end of the spectrum of who brought out the best in me and wanting to follow is Ed. He taught me the valuable lesson of how a great or even average leader should not act. Ed was one of my supervisors around the midpoint of my Air Force career. I mentioned before how all great leaders possess positive characteristics. Ed was negative about everything and that energy spilled over to everyone around him. I hated going to work every day. Not because of the work, but because I knew I had to interact with him and his behavior made me nauseous. As an NCO and supervisor, he was supposed to set the example for his subordinates. Yet, he spent more time and energy engaging in negative behavior like gossiping, lying, and degradation. His subordinates consisted of a team of five, in which I was part of. We were a very tight-knit and cohesive group. We were also close friends outside of work and spent a lot of time together. It was like Ed cared more about trying to be part of our group than being a leader, mentor, or coach. He could care less about growing us or looking out for our best interests. He was a very self-centered person and only looked out for himself. For whatever reason, he did not like me. He was always very short with me whenever there were discussions, both socially and professionally. At first, I thought it was just me being paranoid. However, my friends validated my suspicions when they all asked me why Ed did not like me so much. So, they also noticed how he treated me. It was a very difficult and awkward time for me because I never experienced anything like that before. One of my strengths was my ability to always get along with everyone and work great together. To this day, his dislike towards me baffles me and will go as one of those unanswered questions as to why. Maybe his stress caused him to be dissonant and use me as his whipping post. Either way, considering the contagious nature of emotions, his dissonance had a significant impact on me. I experienced feelings of isolation, distrust, and not valued. Boyatzis & McKee (2005) state “when the leader is inauthentic or overtly expressing destructive emotions, dissonance in the team and even in the organization is almost inevitable” (p. 27). We were a very good team, however, we could have been great if our leader valued us and exhibited resonance.
Reference:
Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
