Resonant leadership touches the heart first

“Primal Leadership”
Daniel Golman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
Harvard Business School Press, 2002



When popularity ratings of leaders (including Presidents) fall, analysts focus on issues they failed to address – the economy, unemployment, peace and order and wrangling political factions.

Inspite of so much analysis, these political observers don’t go to the heart of the problem — which (pardon the pun) is the collective heart of the Filipino. This should be more than an emotional appeal on television, for example, that only succeeds in stimulating our lachrymal glands.

According to this book, this certainly is not a leader who is “clueless” — “who try to resonate in a positive tone, but who is actually out of touch and out of tune.” The book, “Primal Leadership,” makes important and eye-opening distinctions: There are resonant and dissonant leaders.

Emotions can, of course, be manipulated. The book describes leadership situations that are uncannily familiar to us.

In a boxed item on “demagogues,” the book’s description is close to home:

“Demagogues elicit negative emotions, particularly a mix of fear and anger: the threat to ‘us’ from ‘them,’ and the dread that ‘they’ will take what ‘we’ have.”

The book continues: “Their message polarizes people rather than unites them in a common cause. They “fan the flames” of ethnic hatred or a class war.

So, what is resonant leadership? This is one which is “attuned to people’s feelings and move them in a positive emotional direction,” the book points out.

Thus, a resonant leader is he who, “speaking authentically from his own values and resonating with the emotions of those around him, hits just the right chords with his message.” When a leader triggers resonance, you can read it in people’s eyes: They are engaged and they light up.”

You ask: Did a President’s “Ina ng Bayan” series trigger resonance? Did it so touch people’s hearts that they now say: Let’s follow our leader!

But, there must be some dissonance somewhere. Is there a gap between what is said and what is preached? These questions are actually meant to bring the President’s handlers closer to evaluating the campaign accurately so that a program of projecting the President truly delivers the authentic person in her. And thus “connect” with the people.

The book, based on leadership and organizational studies, suggests a way in evaluating one’s leadership style — and then go for the needed change. The authors prescribe the “five discoveries.”

The book could just have titled the process simply, but it has chosen to use “discovery” — for a reason. The introspecting leader goes through the process of “discovering or re-discovering” himself. Such “discoveries” cover the leader’s “ideal self,” then his “real self,” followed by his “learning agenda” and subsequent “experimentations on new behaviors and thoughts” – and finally, developing supporting and trusting relationships.

These may sound simple enough, but the authors have scientific discoveries, case studies and a successful track record with CEOs to make you believe them. There was this CEO, a hotshot in R & D as scientist, who was promoted to his “level of incompetence (according to time-tested Peter Principle) as R & D division head. His new job required from him leadership qualities, not technical expertise, that he was not prepared for. He failed initially. Until he went through the journey of five discoveries.

Many books have discussed this many times enough, but did not identify what these leaders lack except to generalize that they are not meant to be managers or leaders. It turns out — that all they need is to develop “resonant leadership” – one that touches the heart of people, and then the mind. Understandably, the authors believe that “leaders are made, not born.” That “nurture” can alter “nature.”

This is not your usual motivational book on leadership. It has scientific moorings, including a “neuroanatomy of leadership.” The authors go somehow technical when they discuss parts of the brain that respond to resonant leaders. This is a slow analytical read when you reach this part.

Leadership styles go by various names and titles depending on theories being advanced. Early on, we were taught about Theory X and Theory Y, the latter being the more enlightened approach. Parallel to this is the debate between what style is effective – one of a task master or a “process person.” These have been sufficient to persuade us to go for Theory Y or for the process.

Until this book came. This well-thought out study, coming from a school that has been producing hot shot MBAs that run “Corporate America,” brings you inside the brain – and there discover that the key to inspiring people in organizations, in armies or an entire country is lodged in the human heart.