Leadership and Psychology

Leadership & Psychology

Leadership and Psychology

Chapter1-MindofaLeader

Mostpeoplethinkthatonemustbebornaleader:theybelievethatthesamegenesthat makeupourbiologicalfeaturescontributedirectlytothepsychologicalfactorsthatcreatea leader;however,thisunderstandingofleadershipinevitablyleadsonetobelievethattheyare incapableofbeingaleadersolelyduetotheirgeneticmakeup.Ingenetics,traitsdepend exclusivelyonthegenotypeanditsenvironment.ThetraittheoryproposedbyStogdillsupports thisideologyandsuggeststhatinnatecharacteristicsleadindividualstobebornasleaders:he arguedthatspecificcharacteristics,includingintelligence,charisma,self-confidence,andsocial skills,wereessentialinbecomingaleader Whilethesetraitsthatonemaybebornwithhelp developandmaintainleadership,theyignorethesignificanceoftheenvironmentinshapingan individualandtheirleadershipskills.

Inthecontextofleadership,traitsareacquiredthroughskillacquisitionand understandingofinherentqualities.InapaperwrittenbyHouseto Leadership Quarterly,House arguesthatthesituationalvariablesoneundergohelponebecomeabetterleaderbyacquiring skillsratherthansolelyrelyingonintrinsicqualities.Toputitintoperspective,thinkofhowtwo twinsarepossiblydifferent:eventhoughbothtwinsare99.9%ofthesamegeneticmakeup,one couldbemorbidlyobeseduetoexcessiveeating,whiletheothercouldbeatitanofstrengthdue totheirexcessivetraining.Similarly,twoindividualswithsimilartraitscanbeverystarkly differentleadersbasedontheenvironmentinwhichtheyareputandtheskillstheyacquire throughenduringthatenvironment.Thisenvironmentconsistsnotonlyoftheexternal environmentthatweareaccustomedtobutalsoincludesourinternalenvironment.

Understandingboththeexternaland,mostimportantly,theinternal,psychologicalenvironment helpsformulateawell-roundedleaderandassistsinmaintainingthatleadershipskill.

Let’sshiftourdiscussiontothemindofaleader Viewingleadershipfromaleader’s perspectiveissignificantlymorerelevanttoitsapplicationthanseeingitthroughthelensofa follower.Thepsychologicalprocessesofdecision-makinginleadershiparetypicallycentered aroundevaluatingarisk,makingdecisions,andprojectingpotentialconsequences;tounderstand thosepsychologicalprocesses,itisbesttoinvestigatethecognitiveandemotionalregulations thatgothroughthemindofaleader.

Cognitiveregulationsareusuallystylesthatanindividualpreferstoprocessinformation andsolveaspecificproblem;forexample,astheVicePresidentofthelargestMuslimclubin LasVegasandAttorneyGeneralofstudentgovernment,I’moftenconfrontedwithseveral intricateproblemsthatrequiredeepanalysis.Thecognitivemodelthathelpsmetacklethese problemsistobreakthemdownintotheirmostbasiccomponentsandtackleeachelement.One recentgoalinmycommunitythatIaimedtoachievewastounitenon-MuslimsandMuslimsfor aRamadandinner:toaccomplishthis,Ifirstneededtoadvertisetoboththenon-Muslimand Muslimcommunitiesthroughseparatemeans,organizefoodthatfollowedHalal,Kosher, vegetarianandotherstrictguidelines,aligndiversityprogramswithourevent,andassignmy boardtasksthatassistedeachcomponent.Bybreakingdownmygoal,Icouldfulfillitinthe mosteffectivemannerpossible;similarly,anyindividualwhoseekstobealeaderinany situationcanaccomplishtheirgoalsthroughothereffectiveprocesses.Mycognitivemodelisnot necessarilythesameasanyotherindividual's.AsI’vementionedbefore,similartraitsdonot alwaysnecessarilydictatesimilarleadership,andbydevelopingyourcognitivemodel,you’ll findamodelthatbestaccomplishesyourgoalsinthemostmeaningfulwaytoyou.

Cognitivemodelstypicallyaimtosolvetheobjectivecomponentsofagoal;however, goalsincludeanemotionalcomponent.Theemotionalcomponents,usuallystressandpressure, canaffectthecognitiveaspectsofachievingagoal.Similarlytohowwetackletheobjective componentsofagoal,weuseemotionalmodelstotacklethepsychologicalcomponents. Understandingone’semotionsandabilitytomaintaincomposureunderstressandpressure assistsinthepersistenceofgoalkeeping.Stressandpressureareinevitablewhenaccomplishinga goal,butbysuccumbingtothosecomponents,werisktheprogressofourgoal.Similarlyto cognitivemodels,emotionalmodelsvaryforeachindividual.Forexample,whenIwasputunder stressbymyorganization,IoverlookedthecognitivemodelIhadmaintainedtoachievethe goalswithinmyorganization.Morespecifically,Iwasplacedinasituationwheretwo organizationsforwhichIwasaleaderhadgivenmeanultimatum,anditseemedatthetimethat theeffortsIhadmadeinbothorganizationswerejeopardized.Throughemotionalmodels,I tackledthesituationappropriatelyanddissolvedtheultimatumthatreflectedthebestinterestsof thoseIwishedtoassistthroughmyleadership.Thoughthestressandpressureimmensely affectedmycognitivemodelofbreakingdowneachsituationintobasiccomponents,my emotionalmodelofreassuranceandself-confidencegavemeapaththatultimatelypreservedmy goals.Similarlytocognitivemodels,Idonotassumethatmyemotionalmodelswillbeas effectiveforsomeonedifferentfromme:Ibelieveeachindividualhastodiscovertheirunique emotionalmodel.Aclearemotionalmodelthatiseffectiveformaintainingagoalensuresthat thecognitivemodelwillremaineffectivethroughoutstrenuousconditionsthatmayimpactthe progressofaspecificgoal.Discoveringthisemotionalmodelisoftenanuncomfortablepath,but havingonepreparesyoufortheinevitablestrenuousconditionsyouwillface.Puttingyourselfin

uncomfortablebutreasonablesituationswherestrenuousconditionscannegativelyaffectyour goalwillensurethatyoudevelopthemosteffectiveemotionalmodelforyourself.

We’venowlookedatmodelsthatfocusonhowaleader’smindprocesses decision-making,butleadershipqualitiesmustalsobeconsidered.Thesequalitiesarenot biologicallyprovided;theyareobtainedthroughenvironmentalconditionsandpsychological processesthatshapeandcharacterizealeader.Themostimportantleadershipqualityis self-confidence.Self-confidencecanbebrokendownintoself-efficacyandself-esteem: self-efficacyistheconfidenceonehastosucceedandperforminvarioussituations,and self-esteemisthesenseofself-worthonehasforoneself.Self-efficacycanbehighinspecific areasandlowerinothers.Forexample,onecanbelievetheycanpaintmultiplecanvasesinone night,buttheycannotbelieveintheirabilitiestoperformmathematicaltheoriesinweeks.The sameindividualcanbeincrediblygiftedinartandmathematics.Still,iftheycannotbelievein theirabilitiesinoneortheother,theirmotivationandskillswillbenegativelyaffected.

Self-esteemissimilarbutmuchdifferent;itistheworththatonehasforoneself.Forexample,if youbelievedthatyouhadminimalvalue,nomatteryoursituation,youwouldnottakethe initiativeandavoidasituationwhereyoucouldexcel.However,ifyouhadhighself-esteem,you wouldbewillingtotakeonchallengesandacceptyourselfforwhatyoucando.Thedifference betweenthesetwoimmenselyaffectsleadershipabilities.Ifaleaderdoesnotbelieveintheir abilitiesorbelieveinthemselves,theirgoalsandtaskswillbemeaninglesstotheirteam.No matterthegoal,havinghighself-confidenceiskeytopreservingthegoal’sprogressandensuring thattheteamyouareleadingiswillingtoaccepttheconsequencesforachievingyourgoal.

Anotherkeyleadershipqualityismentaltoughness.Thisqualityisreinforcedsimilarlytohow materialslikesteelorwoodarereinforced:theyareputthroughintentionallystrenuous

conditionsthatprovidethemwiththemolecularorganizationtowithstandimmensepressure fromtheirenvironment.Althoughwearenotcomposedofwoodorsteel,ourmindsarenot fragile.Theycanbereinforced,andhavingthatreinforcement,asmentionedbefore,can preserveyourgoal.Acommonthemeamongstleadershipisbeingputthroughstrenuous conditionsthatfortifyyourresilience.Similarly,itisbesttolearnfromstrenuousconditionsand applythelessonstoyourunderstandinganddevelopmentofmentaltoughnesstomaintain mentaltoughness.Thosestrenuousconditionsdon’tnecessarilyhavetoapplytoyourgoal;they mustaffectyourabilitytoaccomplishyourgoals.Thoughweoftendon’tseetheseaffectingour goalsdirectly,theysurroundusconstantly.Forexample,evenwhilewritingthisebook,Iam pressuredbytherigorofmydegree,thepassionsIhavemaintainedoncampus,andtheother personalresponsibilities.Withmentaltoughness,wecanwithstandthenegativeaspectsofour environmentandourabilitytopersevereinourgoals.Thisconceptismorecomplexthansimple environmentalreinforcementandwillbediscussedinmoredetailinupcomingchapters.

Thelastmostrelevantqualityinleadershipisone’sperspectiveofpointofcontrol.Points ofcontrolcanbebrokendownintointernalandexternalpoints.Theinternalpointofcontrolisa leader’sperspectivethattheycaninfluencespecificoutcomes.Incontrast,externalinfluence believesaleadercan’tinfluencetheexternalforcesthatcontrolanoutcome.Althoughthese seemsimilar,theyaffecthowleadersdecideregardingtheirgoals.Aleaderthathasaninternal pointofcontrolperspectiveismorewillingtotakeonchallengesandcreatetasksthatthey believewilldirectlyaffecttheoutcomeoftheirgoals;aleaderthathasanexternalpointof controlperspectiveismorelikelytoassumethatexternalfactorssuchasluckismoreableto determinetheoutcomeoftheirgoal.Clearly,oneperspectiveismoreresponsiblethantheother. Theinternalperspectiveensuresthattheteamtheyareworkingwithunderstandsthatthegoal

theyhaveisachievablethroughmeansthattheyindividuallycontribute;theexternalperspective providestheteamwithagoalthattheyfeeltheyhavenoinfluenceover,andthereforelowers theirmoraleandconfidenceintheleader’sability Internalpointsofcontrolseemmorepopular; however,analysisofmodern-dayofficeenvironmentscanoftenpointtothegrowingperspective ofexternalpointsofinfluence.Inbeingthebestleaderpossible,itisbesttounderstandthat whilenotallaspectsofagoalarewithinyourhands,someperspectivesaremanipulableand shouldbeactedupontoachieveyourgoals.

Understandingaleader’smindmeansunderstandingthattheirgeneticcompositiondoes notexclusivelydeterminetheirleadershipabilities:understandingaleadermeansunderstanding themodelsinwhichtheyoperateandtheperspectivesandcharacteristicsthatcontributetotheir overallabilitiestoachievetheirgoal.Eachleaderisdifferentfromtheother,andnomatterthe similaritiesintheirtraitsorqualities,theirmodelsandleadershipabilitieshavebeenshapedby differentenvironments,providingthemwithvaryingleadershipstyles.Mimickinganotherleader isnotsufficientforbeingthemosteffectiveleaderasanindividual:leadershipisnotatemplate, andattemptingtoutilizeitasonemakesyouafierceleaderinsomeoneelse’senvironment.

Shapingyourselfasaleaderthroughyourenvironmentandrecognizingtheadversitiesthatyou inevitablywillfacethroughachievingyourgoalwillshapeyouintothebestleaderforyour goals.

Inthischapter,we’veunveiledcommonmisconceptionsregardingtheintrinsic characteristicsofaleader;additionally,weexaminedcognitiveregulations,cognitivemodels, andleadershipqualitiesthatcreateaneffectiveleader.Thesecomponentsprovideduswithan insightintothemindofaleader,butthereismoretounderstandaboutintrapersonaland interpersonalpsychologywhendiscussingleadership.Understanding,emotionalawareness,and

interpersonaldynamicsdemonstrateaformofintelligencethatremainsrelevantinaleader's abilities.Aswe’llseeinthenextchapter,emotionalintelligenceplaysalargerrole,and understandinghowitaffectsaleaderbothinternallyandexternallyremainsconsistentlyrelevant andapplicable.

Chapter2-EmotionalIntelligence

Emotionalintelligenceisoftenoverlookedwhenanalyzingleadership.Whenindividuals lookatprominenthistoricalfiguresfortheirleadershipabilities,theyfrequentlyfailtorecognize thattheiremotionalintelligencewasoneofthekeycomponentsforensuringthatthey maintainedtheirleadershipandthattheteamandindividualstheyattemptedtomanipulate understoodtheirinfluence.Gardner’smultipleintelligencetheoryfirstsuggestedtheprevalence ofemotionalintelligence.Throughavastarrayofexperimentsconducted,severalpsychologists agreewithGardener’sTheory:Gardner’smultipleintelligencetheorystatesthatintelligenceis notonlyrestrictedtoonecomponent,butitisalsothediversearrayofotherformsofintelligence suchasemotional,interpersonal,intrapersonal,logical,andotherformsofintelligence.While Gardner’sTheoryisafoundationforemotionalintelligence,IwillfocusonGoldman’s hypothesisduetothegreaterapplicationofemotionalintelligenceinleadership. Theawarenessofone’sfeelingsdefinesemotionalintelligence,howtheyaffectothers,the methodsbywhichoneregulatesoneself,andtheirapplication.Thisformofintelligenceis immenselyrelevanttoleadership.Leaderswhomanagetheirstresscanformpositivecognitive andemotionalmodelsfordecision-makingandmotivation,furtherstrengtheningtheleader’s relationshipwiththeirteam.Leaderswithhighemotionalintelligencecaninspireandmotivate theirteamandaremoreabletohavestablegroupharmonyforsolvingproblems.

Emotionalintelligencehasafewsignificantcharacteristics.Thefirstandmostcrucial characteristicisself-awareness.Asmentioned,emotionalintelligenceisdefinedbythe awarenessofone’sfeelingsandhowtheyaffectothers.Havingtheawarenesstounderstandhow theirfeelingsaffectthemselves,andothersleadsthemtomakedecisionsthataremoreeffective forachievingtheirgoals.Strenuousenvironmentsandotheremotionaltriggerscannegatively

affectacognitivemodelandtheobjectiveperspectiveofaccomplishingagoal.Itcanshiftthe pointofinfluenceinaleaderfrominternaltoexternalanddamagetheself-confidencethata leaderhas.Recognizingtheimpactofemotionsondecision-makingcanleadaleadertodevelop adefenseagainsttheharmfulelementsofemotion.

Furthermore,recognizingtheinfluenceonotherscanleadaleadertoutilizeemotionsto influenceothers.Thisformofinfluencecanchangealeaderfromarroganttounderstandingand reinforcetheirteam’srespectforthatleader.Forexample,Iamknownforbeingquickand temperamental:IcaneasilybecomeagitatedinsituationswhereinIamputunderimmense pressure.Ihavefoundthatwhileothersthriveundertremendouspressure,Isinkintothe emotionsandallowmyselftoformanexternalpointofinfluenceperspective.Aspecific scenarioinwhichthishappenedwaswhenaboardmemberfailedtocompletetheirdelegated tasks,leadingtoanimportanteventbeingnearlycanceled.IwasfuriousbutrealizedIwould haveriskedmyrelationshipwithothermembersifIhadmaintainedanegativeandpublicized attitudetowardthatboardmember.Toensurethatsuchaneventdidnotoccur,Iwaitedafew hourstocalmmyselfdownandthenapproachedtheboardmemberandinformedthemoftheir mistakesandplantoassisttheminpreventingsucheventsinthefuture.

Onceleadersknowtheiremotionsandtheireffectondecision-making,theycandevelop anemotionalmodeltomanagethempositivelyandconstructively.Thisprocessofpositivelyand constructivelycreatingandusinganemotionalmodelisknownasself-regulation.Althoughthis methodseemsblatantlyobvious,thisissomethingthat,inastressfulandpanic-filledsituation,is oftendisregarded.Whenleaderscanconstructivelyregulatetheirownemotions,theynotonly avoidcreatingasituationthattheywillinevitablyregret,buttheycanalsodemonstratetotheir teamthattheycanbecapableandresourcefulleadersinadversecircumstances.Leaderswith

effectiveself-regulationmethodscanadjusttheirfeelingsandplanforascenarioatanygiven moment,providingthemwithasenseofadaptabilitythatiskeyforboththemselvesandtheir team.Thislevelofself-managementthroughself-regulationwillcontinuallydemonstratetoa teamhowtheirleadercanremainconfidentinstrenuousconditionsandprovidethemwitha senseofconfidenceandreassurance.Fromapreviousexample,Iconstructivelyutilizedmy frustrationbydevelopingamomenttoreflectonmyemotionsandunderstandthenegative consequencesthatcouldcomefromthem.Insteadoflashingoutimmediately,Itookamoment andfoundthebestpossiblemediationmethods.Ihadtoallowmyboardmembertoanalyzetheir errorsanddevelopapathtoavoidsimilarfuturecircumstances.Myteammaynothavedirectly analyzedmyactionsandfoundmyabilitytoremaincomposedinastrenuouscondition impressive;however,ifIhadlashedoutopenly,myteamwouldhavequicklyrecognizedmeas anineffectiveleaderunabletodelegatetasksproperly.

Anothercomponentofemotionalintelligenceisempathy.Recognizingyouremotions anddevelopingamodeltowithstandstrenuousconditionsareimportant,butempathizingwith yoursubordinatesorteamonanemotionalleveliskeytopreservingyourrelationshipwiththem. Teambondingandtrustarenotsimplymaintainedthroughcommunication;theyaredeveloped throughasenseofempathythatanempatheticleaderinstills.Empathyhasmentalandemotional componentssimilartothedevelopmentofcognitiveandemotionalmodels.Cognitiveempathyis theabilityofaleadertounderstandanotherperson’sthoughtsandsentiments;emotional empathyisunderstandingandsharingsomeoneelse’semotions.Effectiveandempatheticleaders cansimultaneouslyculminateandunderstandtheiremotionswhilealsodisplayingasenseof empathybysharingthesameemotions.Oneexamplecomesfrommyleadershipexperienceasa committeechairinstudentgovernment.Inmyposition,Iwasconstitutionallyrequiredto

allocateworkamongmyboardmembers.Oneofmymembershadquicklydevelopedahealth conditionthatpreventedthemfrombeingabletoaccomplishtheirwork.Asanempatheticleader woulddo,Iquicklyrecognizedhowtheyhadfeltaboutcommunicatingtheirinabilitytoperform theirallocatedwork.Ifoundanopportunityforthemtomakeupthatworkatadifferenttimeand shareitwithothermembers.Throughempathy,thatboardmembercouldcompletetheirworkat adifferenttimeandremainanintegralteamcomponentafterfullyrecovering.

Thelastcomponentofemotionalintelligencethatisrelevanttoleadershipismotivation.

Leaderswillingtoincentivizeandmotivatetheirsubordinatesoremployeescanimprovemorale andmotivatetheirteamtoaccomplishasharedgoal.Motivationcannotbeeasilyboughtthrough asimplepayincreaseorameaslypizzaparty;ithastobepsychologicallyinstilledintoan individualyouareattemptingtomanipulate.Thislevelofmanipulationcanbeaccomplishedby settingagoalthatalignswiththeteamorindividual.Forexample,ifyourgoalistoprovide mentalhealthresources,itisbesttobeginbymotivatingtheteamthroughdemonstrationsof howtheycanimprovethewell-beingofthosearoundthem.Tofurtherexplainthisconcept,think oftheincentivizationthatcommissionbringstosalespeople.Salespeoplewhoareoffered commissionforeachsalearemorelikelytosellcomparedtosalespeoplewhohaveno commission.Thepsychologicalreasonbehindthiscontrastisduetodifferentstylesof motivation.Salespeoplewiththemindsetofbecomingfiscallysuccessfulwillseektoincrease theirpaycheckbyactivelysellingproduct:thisalsoprogressestheleader'sgoalofselling product;asaresult,boththeleaderandthesalespeoplehavethesamegoalinmindforthesame purposes.Asalespersonwithoutcommissionhasthesamemotivationastheircounterpart,but theyhavenomeansofattainingitthroughefforts;asaresult,theywillnotcontributetothe leader’sgoalofsellingproduct.Byvisualizingthepositiveaspectsofthegoal,theteamismore

willingtocontributetothegoal.Providingasenseofoptimismisalsokeyasaleader.Beinga leadermeansrecognizingtheinevitabilityofunfortunateanduncontrollablecircumstancesthat alignwithMurphy’sLaw,butbeingasubordinatedoesnotalwaysmeanthesame.Team membersmustbeshownthatthereisasenseofoptimismeveninstressfulcircumstances.

Supposeateamlosesitsself-confidenceandfindsthatexternalpointsofinfluencearemore effectivethaninternalpointsofinfluence.Inthatcase,theperspectiveandabilitiesofaleader areuselessforthatteam.Optimismdemonstratesthatthesituationsateamisputunderare temporaryandthatthereisacommunalabilitytowithstandandthriveindeprivedconditions.

Sofar,we’veseentheimpactofemotionalintelligencebybreakingitdownintoitsmajor componentsandexaminingtheapplicabilityofeachofthosecomponentstoleadership.We’ve seenhowemotionalintelligenceoftenimpactsaleader’sinternalperspectives,decision-making skills,andresolution.We’vealsobeenabletoanalyzeboththeinterpersonalandintrapersonal benefitsofregulatingandbecomingawareofone’sownemotionsintheperspectiveand applicationofleadership;additionally,wehavealsoseentheinterpersonalskillsthatareatplay throughempathyandmotivation,andwehaveseenhowthataffectstheteamsself-confidence.

Emotionsinstressfulconditionscanoftenbehigh,buthavinghighemotionalintelligenceallows leaderstoremainconsistentlyresourcefulandempathetic.Effectiveleaderswithhighemotional intelligencecreateateamthatisoptimisticandabletorecognizetheproductoftheirefforts. Throughemotionalintelligence,aleadercandevelopasenseofresilienceandconstructively managestressthatbenefitstheteam.

Inthischapter,weanalyzedGoldman‘shypothesisonemotionalintelligence:we examinedthefourmajorcomponentsindetail,andwesawtheapplicationofpersonalanecdotes foreachconcept.Knowingone'sinternalcapacitytoregulateemotionsissignificantin

leadership,anditappliesdirectlytoremainingresilientagainstenvironmentalfactorsthatmay impactone'sleadershipcapabilities.Resilienceisnotexclusivelyfocusedonmentaltoughness;it isfocusedonmaintainingcommitmentanddedicationtospecificgoalsdespiteanyadversityor otherexternalpressures.Inthenextchapter,we’llfocusonhowoptimismandcriticismimpact resilienceandremainrelevantforthedevelopmentofleadership.

Chapter3-Resilience

Resilienceinleadershiphaspreviouslybeenmentionedtobeacorecomponentof maintainingcomposureunderpressureandadaptingtochallengesandsetbacksasaleader The inevitabilityofpressureandstressfulenvironmentsthroughoutaccomplishingagoalcanoftenbe overwhelmingforaleader,whichcanaffectateamnegativelyandthequalityandprogressof thegoal.Psychologicalmodelshavefounduniquestrategiesandcharacteristicsofresiliencein leadershipthatcanreinforcealeader’sself-confidenceandpromotegoalachievement.As mentionedbefore,leadershipisnotgeneticallydeveloped,andresilienceinleadershipisa characteristicdevelopedthroughenduringstrenuousenvironments;additionally,itcanbe cultivatedthroughcognitiveandbehavioralstrategies. Beforetacklingtheskillsnecessarytobecomearesilientleader,itisbesttounderstandwhat resiliencemeansfromtheleadershipperspective.Aresilientleaderhasthreemajor characteristics:commitment,optimism,andhandlingcriticismandfailure.Asyouwillsee throughoutthischapter,youwillfindthatresilienceoftenmeansstayingincontrolofyourgoals. Withoutcontroloveryourgoals,youcanfindyourselfandyourteamdevelopingapoorhabitof pessimismandanexternalpointofinfluenceperspective,inevitablyleadingtopoorqualityof goals.

Beingaresilientleadermeanshavingcommitmentanddedicationtoyourgoalsdespite adversityorpressurefromyourenvironment.Asmentionedbefore,differentpointsofinfluence canaffecthowaleaderperceivesachievingtheirgoal.Iftheperspectiveshiftstoapessimistic one,aleaderlosestheircommitmentandcontroloftheirgoal.Thatpessimisticmindsetis typicallyinadvertentlyplacedonsubordinatesorteammembers,leadingtotheirlackof commitmentandcontroloverthesharedgoal.Remainingincontroliskeytoremainingresilient

andaccomplishingyourgoals.Amethodofaccomplishingthisistoshiftyourperspectivefrom apessimisticonetoanoptimisticone,andusingyouremotionalintelligencetodevelopan emotionalmodeltowithstandexternalpressurescanassistinshiftingyourperspective.For example,whenIrecognizethatIcannotremaincalminpressurefieldscenarios,insteadof relinquishingmycontrolandallowingmyemotionstotakeover,Ilooktowardsthelong-term effortsandtheoverallgoalthatIseektoaccomplishthroughmyefforts.Idevelopedamodel thatallowsmetoreflectonmyultimatepurposeinmyleadershippositionanddevelopa constructivemethodandstrategyIcanemploywithmyteamtoaccomplishmydesiredgoals.

Optimismisalsoessentialforremainingresilient.AsImentioned,ateamwilllose self-confidenceandcontroloveritsgoalsifoptimismisn’tinstilledwithinaleader Alackof optimismisdangerous,asitchallengesaleader’sandteam’sopportunitiesforachievinggoals. Toavoidpessimism,itisimportanttohavestrategiesofrelaxationandmindfulnessthatkeep teammembersunderpressureandkeepleadersemotionallyincontrol.WhileI’mnotanexpert inmeditationandrelaxation,Ihavefoundthatonlineopportunitiesareoftenbestemployedasa teaminexercisesthatcanbeshared.Ifthesearedoneindividually,theseexercisesandtheir benefitscanbesharedamongsttheteamtoreinforcetheiroverallbenefit.Optimismcanalsobe seenasawayforaleadertoutilizechallengesasanopportunityratherthanathreat.Thisunique perspectiveallowsaresilientleadertotakechargeoftheirgoalandallowtheirteamtoexcelina conditionthattheleaderunderstandscanbestrenuousfortheirmembers.Forexample,inmy leadershippositionasaresearcherinaclinicalsetting,Ioftenhavetowritelonginternalreview boardpapersforthehospital’sconsentinresearch;asaresult,thestrenuousconditionscanmake itquitedifficultformeandmysubordinateresearcherstoaccomplishourgoals.Insteadofusing thethreatofresearchremovalduetothereviewboard’sconsent,Iutilizedthechallengeof

writingtothereviewboardtoincentivizeresearcherstocriticallyanalyzeresearchdocuments andapplytheminaclinicalapplicationforauthorshipinsubmittedpaperstojournals.

Finally,themostcriticalelementofaresilientleaderishandlingcriticismandfailure.As mentioned,beingaleaderreliesonawarenessofpessimisticandoptimisticperspectivesin strenuousenvironments.Asmuchasaleadermayattempttoavoidfailure,itcansometimes becomeinevitable.Failureisn’tjustanegative,butunfortunately,manypeopletakeitthatway, consideringthatitisseenasaninabilitytoaccomplishagoalsufficiently.Failurecanbebest understoodasalearningdevice:itcanbeutilizedtofullyunderstandhowtoachieveagoalfor futurereferencebetter,andunderstandingthecriticismthatcomeswithitcanhelpaleader developresilienceinfuturescenarios.Takingcriticismisalsoimportant.Criticismisoftentaken negatively,butitshouldbeclearlyunderstoodthatcriticismisnotanattackonpersonal characteristics.Whencriticismistakenpersonally,itformsanegativeimpressionnotonlyofthe personprovidingthatcriticismbutalsooftheconstructivehandlingofthatcriticism.It reinforcesthethoughtthatthecriticismisbiasedandinapplicabletotheleader;however,that criticismcouldbefoundationalforfuturegrowth.Anexampleofmypersonalexperiencein leadershipwithhandlingcriticismiswhenIfirststeppeduptothepositionofVicePresidentof myMuslimorganizationonthemostdiversecampusintheUnitedStates.Ihadneverbeenina leadershippositionlikethatbefore,butIquicklylearnedthattheexecutivepositionshouldnot betakenlightly.Mystrenuousclassesdemandedalotfrommytime,andmylackofadaptability, unfortunately,createdacircumstancewhereinIavoidedmydutiesandmadeexcusesfornot conductingthem.IhadreceivedcriticismfromthepreviousadministrationthatIwasnot effectivelycompletingmyroles,causingtheorganizationtosufferduetomyactions.Insteadof lookingatitwiththepessimisticlensofapersonalattack,Ilookedatitasanopportunityto

recognizemyinabilitytoaccomplishmyowngoalsandacknowledgethatIneededtoeither investmoreofmytimeandrelinquishmypessimismorIneededtoresignandallowsomeone elsetoleadthisorganization.Luckily,throughmyemotionalandcognitivemodels,Icould remaininthepositionandhaveconsistentlyrepresentedtheMuslimCommunityinvarious complexanddiversescenarios.

Nowthatwe’veseenthecharacteristicsofresilienceandleadershiplet’slookattheskills requiredforresilience.AsI’vementionedcountlesstimesthroughoutthisebook,maintaining anddevelopingskillsisnotimpactedthroughgeneticcomposition;instead,itisinducedbyan environmentthatteachesandappliesnewskillswhilereinforcingandamendingoldones.Three crucialskillsforresilienceincludecognitiveappraisal,emotionalregulation,and decision-makingunderpressure.Theseskillsrelyonpreviouscomponentsthatwehavealready discussedinthisebook.Still,insteadofexpandingontheirdefinitions,I’llfocusmoreontheir directandpracticalapplicationstoateamandtheself.

Cognitivereappraisalisbestunderstoodasshiftingastressor’sperspectivetominimize negativeemotionalimpact.Thislookssimilartopreviouspoints,whereinitisencouragedto relinquishpessimisticperspectivestodevelopoptimisticones,wherechallengescanbe convertedintoopportunities.Insteadofchangingthisdefinitiontomatchresilience,Iwantto demonstrateitspracticalapplicationinleadership.Let’ssayyouplanamajoreventfora communitywithyourteam.Theplanninggoessmoothly,andalotofmajorprogressismade; finally,astheeventdategetscloser,younoticethatthelocationisnolongeravailableforyour event.Formostofus,thisisputintoanexternalpointofinfluencethatcausesustoseethis unforeseencircumstanceasabyproductofMurphy’sLaw:pessimisticthinkinginthese circumstancesisnatural,butremainingpessimisticwithnostrategicorconstructiveplansto

mediatethesituationwillresultinacompletelossofcontrolofthegoal.Ifweshiftthe perspectivefromanexternalpointofinfluenceandreconstructitintoonethatisoptimistic,we canfindamorepublicspacetohosttheeventandquicklyadvertiseit;additionally,wecan reformattheeventintoamorecreativesolutionsuchthatwecanstillhaveasuccessfuland meaningfulevent.

Emotionalregulationissimilartocognitivereappraisalinthatthestressorscausedbya specificsituationcannegativelyimpacttheaccomplishmentofagoalthroughnegative emotions;however,emotionalregulationisbestunderstoodinthecontextofresiliencein leadershipastheabilitytomanageemotionseffectivelytorespondtoadversitywithcomposure. Asmentionedinthepreviouschapter,emotionalintelligenceheavilyreliesonawarenessand regulationofemotions.Thisremainsrelevantinthecontextofresiliencetotheideathathaving emotionsoverwhelmthecognitivemodelsthatreinforceourstrategiescancauseimpulsive decision-makingandalackofclarityandcomposure.Forexample,takingemotionsintothe strategyequationcanleadtomisinformedandmisguideddecisionsthatcanbeseenasimpulsive andunclear.Thesemakeitmoredifficultforateamtorecognizetheirultimategoalandaffect theirperspectives.

Finally,thelastimportantskillforresilienceinleadershipisdecision-makingunder pressure.Strenuousconditionscanoftenmakeitdifficultforleaderstostrategizeandset achievablegoalsfortheirteam.Pressureaffectsboththebiologicalandpsychological componentsofthebody.Fromabiologicalsense,itreleaseshormones,inducingthesympathetic nervoussystem;fromapsychologicalsense,pressurecanleadtocloudedjudgmentandrash decision-making.Frombothperspectives,pressurenegativelyaffectsthecultivationoflong-term goalsbyprioritizingemotionalreactions.Toensurethatresilienceismaintainedthrough

pressureconditions,littlecanbedonetoensurethattheyrecognizeandreadjusttotheirstressful environmentandavoidconsideringemotionswhenmakingsignificantdecisions.Forexample, militaryleadersplacedunderconsistentstressfulconditionswithheavyconsequencesaretrained torelinquishfeelingsofstressandfearwhenmakingdecisions:thismakesthemmoreconfident andstrategicintheirdecision-makingskills,therebycreatingateamcapableofwithstanding dangeroustrials.

Aresilientleaderhasadirecteffectonteammembers.Attheteamlevel,resilienceis vitalforremainingpersistentandadaptabletocircumstancesthatimpedegoalprogress.For example,whenanewprojectislaunched,minimalprogresshasbeenestablished,andcontrol overthatprogressisminimalamongstallteammembers.Thoughtheremaybeaninitiativeto boostprogress,theremaybeaminimaldrivingforceformaintainingthegoal.Aneffective leaderwouldrecognizethecircumstancesandutilizeopportunitiestoinstillresilienceintheir teambycelebratingminorvictoriesandprovidinglong-termvisionswithlong-termgoalsfor theirteam.Ultimately,leadershipreliesonoverseeingateamtocompleteagoal.Iftheleaderor theteamlosescontrol,theleadershipitselfisjeopardized,andsoisthegoal.

Resilienceisaskillcultivatedthroughengagementandstrenuousconditions.Several characteristicsdefineresiliencefromtheleadershipperspective,andeachcharacteristicis importantinunderstandinghowresilienceisrelevanttoleadership’sapplicability.Psychological skillsprovidedbyseveralpsychologistshavefoundthatresiliencethroughcognitiveappraisal, emotionalregulation,anddecision-makingunderpressurecanboostteammoralethrough confidenceintheleader.

Inthischapter,wefocusedonthecharacteristicsofresilience:welookedatthe significanceofoptimism,handlingcriticism,andcommitment,andwelookedatpersonal

anecdotesthatdemonstratedeachcomponent.Componentssuchasemotionalregulationand decision-makingunderpressureprovideinsightintohowaleadercanapplythecomponentsof resiliencewhenaccomplishingtheirgoals.Whileresilienceremainsafortifyingfactor,itis importanttoutilizeresiliencewheninfluencingtheteam.We’llinvestigateCialdini'sprinciples andhowtheyethicallyshapemotivationandteambehavior.

Chapter4-Influence

Arecurringthemeinthisebookisthatleadershipisaformofinfluence:influence ultimatelyshapesateam’sbehaviors,decisions,andmotivations.Youmayhavealsonoticedthat throughoutthebook,Ihaveusedmanipulationandinfluencesomewhatinterchangeably,andthe ethicaldilemmabehindthisexactargumentistobecoveredinalaterchapter;however,forthe sakeofsimplicityandapplicabilityforthischapter,Iwillmaketheargumentthatinfluenceand manipulationinthesenseofleadershiparesimilarduetotheirimpactonpsychologyand persuasionofindividuals.Withthisinmind,Iamdemonstratingtheroleofinfluencewithin leadership.AccordingtoCialdini,influenceisacognitiveandemotionalprocessrootedin persuasionpsychology Throughethicalmeans,influenceismotivating,aligning,andinspiringa teamtosharedgoals.Leadershipsimilarlyreliesontheaccomplishmentofagoalbyateamthat recognizestheinfluenceofaleader.Tounderstandhowateamrecognizesinfluenceinaleader, wemustlookatafewprinciplesofinfluencewithinleadership.

Cialdinihassixprinciplesofinfluencewithinleadership,butIwillfocusonlyonfourto avoidredundancy:socialproof,authority,liking,andscarcity.Eachprincipleprovidesateam withamanipulatedperspective,givingtheleaderaplatformtoinfluenceandlead.

Socialproofisoneofthemostinfluentialaspectsofleadership.Whileitcanstemfroma simpleanalysisofafellowteammember’sactivities,itcanalsostemfromaleader’stestimony. Ifateammemberisworkinginanenvironmentthatdoesn’tcultivateproductivity,theteam memberisnotgoingtomakethemselvesproductive;incontrast,ifateammemberisplacedina hyperproductiveenvironment,theyaremorelikelytoshifttheirabilitiestomeettheexpected standardthatisfoundintheirnewenvironment.Forexample,ifastudentisplacedintoaclass thatisdisengaged,thestudentisunlikelytoparticipatebecausetheyseetheirfellowpeers’

activitiesassociallycorrect;however,ifthatsamestudentisplacedinaclassroomthatis continuouslyactive,thepairwouldfeelthattheirlackofparticipationisincorrectandthey wouldneedtocorrectitbyconsistentlyengaging.Similarly,aleadercanusetheirtestimoniesof thebenefitsofqualityworktodemonstratehowsuccesscanbegenerated.Thiswouldinspire teammemberstobecomemoreproductiveandcultivateaproductiveenvironmentforthose aroundthem,therebygeneratingharder-workingsubordinates.Forexample,Iusedtoworkata mathtutoringcenter.Thisworkspacewasmostlyoccupiedbyfellowhighschoolstudentsfrom differentschoolsaroundthevalley,andthestudentswhocametostudywereusuallyonlyoneor twogradesbelowus.Thestereotypethatteenagersareunwillingtoworkwasquitevisiblein thatcenterundertheleadershipofamanagerwhowasrarelypresentandabsentfrommost communication.However,whenleadershiphadchanged,andanewmanager,enthusiasticabout spreadingeducation,joined,theunproductiveandunderpaidhighschoolstudentsbecame enthusiasticabouttheirjobs.Theywantedtoexcelinmakingapositivedifferenceintheir students’academics.Thissuddenshiftinperspectivewasduesolelytothetestimonialsofour newmanagerandthesocialproofthatrestructuredtheworkplaceintoaproductiveenvironment.

AccordingtoCialdini,authorityfromtheperspectiveofinfluenceistypicallyassociated withcredibility Credible,transparent,andresponsibleleadersareperceivedtohavegreater authoritythanleadersunwillingtodotheirobligatedduties.Forexample,inmyresearchlabat UNLV,I’moftenassignedbiochemicalresearchthatrequiresmultipletrialsandultimately resultsinproductsthatarenotnecessarilyuptoparwithinternationalstandards.Myprincipal investigatorandourpostdoctoralgraduateassistanthelpedmeaccomplishthosegoalsby consistentlyteachingmeabouttheproceduresI’mfollowingandprovidingmeaplatformto understandthesignificanceofeachbiochemicalstep.Thislevelofcredibilityandexpertise,

alongwithtransparency,establishesasenseofauthorityanddemonstratesthatIamableand confidenttofollowmyprincipalinvestigatorduetotheirextensiveunderstandingofcomplex procedures.Aleaderissomeonewhounderstandstheirgoalandunderstandstheoutcomethat theyseek.Iftheleaderthemselvescannotdescribetheresultoftheirgoalorevenhowtheyseek toaccomplishit,howwouldtheirsubordinatesbeabletounderstandthegoalorstrategy?A leadercandemonstratetheirinfluencewithinateambymaintainingauthoritytoestablish credibilityandexpertise.

Likingalsohasasignificantinfluence.Influencecanbeindirectlyappliedtoindividualsby havingalikable,trustworthy,andrespectablecharacter.Leaderswhofostercharactercanbuild strongeremployeerelationships,improvingmoraleandcooperation.Leaderscanalsoseemmore authenticandbecloserwiththeirteammembers,ensuringtheyarewillingtocooperatewiththe leaderevenwhentheyfeeltheirpositionisjeopardized.Forexample,whenIwasthechairofa committeethatwasrequiredtoanalyzethespendingofmultipledepartmentsoncampus,I utilizedmylikabilitytoinfluencemymembersandmakethemtrustmyleadershipmore; however,thissomewhatbackfiredasmemberswouldutilizemylikabilityandkindnesstotheir advantage.Memberswouldintentionallymissworkandrelyonscheduledconversationsas opportunitiesforthemtobegivenanextension.ThoughIhadnoticedthispattern,Ifoundit moreimportanttomaintainthatlikabilitythanjeopardizecommunicationwithmymembers.

Leaderswhoarecoldanddistantfromtheirteammemberswillfinditdifficulttosharevalues withthemandtobuildameaningfulrelationshipwiththem;furthermore,they’llseethat cooperationandmoralemaydecrease,leadingtogoalsthataremoredistantfromcompletion.

Finally,thelastapplicableprincipleofinfluenceisscarcity.Scarcityisn’tnecessarilythe lackofleadership;instead,itisthevaluetheteammemberfindsinanopportunity Leaderswho

utilizeopportunitiesandsharethemaslimitedopportunitieswithmajorbenefitscanobtainmore supportfromtheirteaminthoseopportunitiesandgoalsduetohigheramountsofincentive.By inspiringteammemberswithuniqueopportunitiesorvisionstoaccomplishaspecificand reforminggoal,aleadercaninfluencetheirteamtoprogressanddevelopgoalsthatexceedthe leader’sperceptions.Forexample,inresearch,thereisalwayscompetitiontoproducethefirst publiclyavailableinformationthatcouldbeusedforscience.Inmyresearchlab,myprincipal investigatorconsistentlyassignslimitedopportunitiestoeachundergraduateresearcherto providethemanopportunitytopublishresearchasaprimaryauthor;thisuniqueopportunity incentivizeseachofmyfellowpeerstoexcelintheirfieldandtodevelopresultsthatexceedthe expectationsofotherlabslocatedoncampus.Thisseeminglyinvisibleloveofinfluencehasa majoreffectonteammembersandmakesthemfeeluniqueandindividuallycontributetothe team;additionally,itmakesthemfeelmoreaccountablefortheirspecificprojectsand incentivizesthemtoallocatemoreefforttoaccomplishandassignagoal.

Whilehavinginfluenceissignificant,havingspecificcommunicationskillstomaintain thatinfluenceisjustasimportant.Seeingthatinfluencecanbeethicallyunderstoodisthe shapingofbehavior,anditisvitaltoshapethebehaviorofteammembersbycommunicatingand presentinginformationinamannerthatshapestheirdecision-makingandmakesthegoalsmore appealing.Supposeagoalispresentedasanunnecessarytaskorasaburden.Inthatcase,itwill betreatedasanunnecessarytaskoraburden:alackofenthusiasminpresentingagoalwill makethegoalsseemunappealing.Itwillencouragenoteammembertoengageinthatgoal actively.Similarly,supposegoalsarepresentedinadisengagingmannerthatdoesn’tallowteam memberstoconnectandprovidefeedback.Inthatcase,teammembersfeelnoattachmenttothat goalandwillloseconnectionandcontributions.Iknowfrompersonalexperiencethatthe

presentationofagoalasdisengagingandsimplyassigningitwithoutcharacterizingits importanceleadsteammemberstothinknegatively.Teammembersaremorelikelytodevelopa negativeperspectiveofthegoalandwilllikelyfindopportunitiestopushitofforavoidit entirely Forexample,ifacheftellshisteamthattheymustputplatesinaspecificorderonthe tablebeforetakinganorderanddoesnotlistentoanyquestionsorconcernsregardingthe strategy,histeamwilllikelybeconfusedaboutthegoalandwilldevelopnegativeperceptionsas towhysuchagoalwasfirstimplemented;however,ifthechefweretoassignthesamegoaland takeintoaccounttheexperiencesoftheteamonsuchastrategy,notonlywouldthechefbeable todevelopamoreefficientstrategy,theteamwouldbemoreengagedandwillingtocooperate, therebyleadingtoamoreinfluencedandproductiveteam.

Ultimately,leadershipandinfluenceworkcloselytogether,andhavingtheprinciplesof influencealongsidecommunicationsignificantlyimpactstheoverallaccomplishmentofgoals andmaintenanceofleadership.Bymaintainingbothdirectandindirectmethodsofinfluenceon teammembers,aleadercanmaintaincontrolovertheirgoalandapplyaninternalperspectiveof pointsofcontrol.Thismayseemlikemanipulation,butethicalstandardswithintheinfluenceof leadershiparesignificantandimmenselyrelevantformaintaininghealthystandardsforteam goals.

Inthischapter,weexaminedCialdini'sprinciplesofinfluencewithinleadership: specifically,wefocusedonsocialproof,authority,liking,andscarcity.Similarlytoother chapters,weobservedhowpersonalanecdoteswererelevanttoeachofthemajorprinciplesof influence,andwesawhowtheyaffectedateaminanethicalformat.Aligningmotivationswith collectivegoalsremainsapillarofleadership,butinfluencefalterswithoutanalyzingand

understandingteampsychology.Inthenextchapter,we’llanalyzeTuckman’sstagesandfocus onhowleaderscanresolveconflictstomaintaingoalprogress.

Chapter5-TeamPsychology

Ultimately,leadershipwithoutateamisoneindividual’sactiontowardaccomplishinga goal.Leadershipisonlyaccomplishedthrougheffectiveteammanagement,andeffective managementreliesontheunderstandingandapplicationofthepsychologicalcomponentsofa team.Bymaximizingunderstandingofthepsychologicalcomponentsofateam,aleadercan fosteranenvironmentthatmaximizesperformancethroughteamcollaborationandeffective conflictresolution.OnepopularmodelforgroupdevelopmentisknownasTuckman’smodelof groupdevelopment:thismodelexplainsteamevolutioninfivestagesandhelpstoestablisha frameworkforteamdevelopment.Thefivestagesareforming,storming,norming,performing, andadjourning,andtheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyfurtherexplainseachconcept. Whileoneteammaydevelopseparatelyfromanotherone,thismodelofgroupdevelopmentlays thefoundationformostgroupdevelopmentandremainssignificantforleaderswhentryingto understandthecausesofchangesinteambehaviorstoprioritizeandmaximizeproductivity.

Instageone,knownasforming,teammembersarefirstintroducedtooneanotherandare excitedabouttheirplannedwork.Atthismoment,manyteammembershavehigherexpectations forthemselvesandeachothertoboostamaximizedteamexperience;atthesametime,theymay alsofeelthattheywillstrugglewithoverallperformance.Throughunderstandingthisstage,a leadercanorientteammembersandguidethemtoformtheteam’soverallmissionandgoals whileestablishingfoundationalexpectationsfortheteamtorelyonthroughouttheirgoal progression.Whenwethinkaboutthispractically,wecanseewhyorientationsandicebreakers atthebeginningofmeetingsaresignificantformaintainingtheformingstageintheelementary stagesofteamdevelopment.Orientationsplayalargerroleintrainingaswell.Still,byhavinga teamtrainedtogether,theycanintroducethemselvestooneanother,understandtheir

motivations,andapplypositivesocialproof.Thoughthismaynotbeanecessarilyproductive aspectofteamdevelopment,thisisfoundationalforensuringthattheprogressofthegoalinthe futureisnotonlylinearorevenexponential;itisensuringthataleadermaintainscontrolover thegoaloftheirteamandthattheyhavetheself-confidencetoaccomplishthatgoal.

Thenextstageinteamdevelopmentisstorming.Atthistime,teammemberswillbegin tomovetowardstheirgoals,andsomemembersmayfeelthatmotivationandmoraleare decliningasgoalprogressslowsdown.Insteadoffocusingonthegoal’sprogress,teammembers willexpressfrustrationoranger,leadingtouncertaintyaboutthegoal’sprogress.Thesituation canleadateamtooverlookthesignificanceofcommunalworktowardsthegreater accomplishmentofagoal;asaresult,aleaderneedstorecognizethefrustrationsandemotions thattheirteammayhaveandcreatescenarioswhereteammemberscanachievecomponentsof thegoalmoreeffectively.Forexample,onecommonwayofmanaginggroupconflictwithagoal istoorganizeteammembersintospecificgroupsthatfocusonspecificcomponentsratherthan havinganaggregateteamworkingtogetherononegoal.Frommyownexperienceasavice presidentofamajororganization,whenattemptingtoensurethatmymembersunderstoodthe significanceofmaintainingcommunicationwithparticipantsofaspecificevent,insteadof allowingtheentireteamtoengageinthisformofcommunication,Ihadallowedonlyaselect fewtofocusonengagingadministrativeattendeesandanothergroupofmemberstointeractwith studentattendees:thisallowedmyteamtohaveaneffectivedispersalofeffortsthatoverall contributedtothemajorgoal.Atthesametime,membersexpressedthataspectsoftheir communicationwouldbeineffective.Still,toreorienttheirconsiderations,Ireemphasizedthat eachmemberhasspecificstrengthstowardspecificgroupsthatattendedthatevent.

Thethirdstageisnorming.Duringthisstage,teammembersbegintoengageinthe resolutionoftheirfrustrationsandconflictsandbecomemoreflexiblewithexpressingtheir authenticfeelingsandideasaboutgoalprogress.Teammembersbegintoexpressthemselvesand acceptotherteammembers’opinions,makingcriticismmoreconstructiveandtheteammore inclusive.Membersaremorewillingtoachievegroupharmonyandcanshifttheirenergyto achieveoverallgoalsthroughincreasedproductivity.Aleadercaneffectivelyutilizethisstageby activelyengagingteammembersfortheiropinionswhilediscoveringresolutionsforexisting problemsthathavebeenpreviouslyvocalized.Teammemberswhofeelheardbyanauthoritative figurewillfeelthatfellowteammemberswillalsohearthem.

Thefourthstageisperforming.Performanceisakeyelementofgroupdevelopmentandgoal achievement:itisatimeinwhichtheteamcanrecognizetheirabilitiesandweaknesseswhile alsoattributingasenseofcommunalefforttowardsgeneralgoalprogression.Membersoftenfeel moreconfidentintheirabilitiesafterexpressingtheirfeelingsaboutgoalprogressand consideringtheirabilitiesandteammates’confidence.Asaleader,understandingthestageis criticalforensuringthatyoumaintaincontrolofyourgoalandtheprogressofthegoal.Aleader shouldrecognizethestageasamomentforteammemberstodemonstratetheirabilitiestowards progressionandteambuilding;additionally,aleadershouldprovideasenseofencouragement andoffertestimonialstoprovidetheteamwithagrowingexperience.Duringthistime,teams canchangetheirbehaviorsasgoalprogressioncontinues:leadersshouldrecognizethisbehavior changeandattempttoaddressitconstructivelyandbeneficially.Forexample,ateammay relinquishtheireffortsprematurelyasthegoalnearscompletion;aleadershouldmaintainmorale anddemonstratethatalthoughthegoalisnearlycomplete,moreeffortmustbeprovidedtofulfill thegoal.

Aswithanymajorgoal,oncesuccessisachieved,thenecessityforateamisnolonger imminent;asaresult,thefinalstageinteamdevelopmentisadjourning.Teammemberswill oftenfeelanxiousoruncertainabouttheirfutures,thoughtheywillatleastremainsatisfiedwith theiraccomplishmentstowardtheoverallgoal.Theywilllearnfromtheirexperiences,although theymayexpresssadnessattheirteam’sloss.Duringthistime,ateamshouldbeinformedofan upcomingtransition,ifapplicable,andinformedthatalthoughtheteammaydissolve,progress canstillbemadeinthefuture,invitinganopportunityforoptimism.Often,acelebrationcan leaveamemorableandpositiveexperienceinwhatwouldbeanupsettingexperienceforothers. Frommyexample,whenIreachedtheendofmyterminaleadershipposition,Ibecameupset thattheteamIhadspentmonthsorganizingandcollaboratingwithwouldnolongerbeatmy directsideinthefuture.AlthoughIhavemaintainedrelationshipswithmembersofmyteam evennow,Istillfeelthattherewasalackoffulfillmentforthefuture;however,afterIhadbeen reintroducedintoleadership,Ifoundanewteamandutilizedmyunderstandingoftheprevious team’soperationstoprovideafoundationfortheirgrowthandoverallgoalachievement. UnderstandingAteam’sgrowththroughvariousstagesallowstheleadertorecognizehowto maintaincontrolovertheirteammembersand,moreimportantly,achievegoals.By understandingthepsychologyofhowateamdevelops,leadersaremoreconfidentandcapableof expectingspecificbehaviorsandutilizingtechniquesformaintainingtheirleadershipand influence.

Withanymajorteam,thereareboundtobeconflicts:conflictsneedtoberesolved promptlytoavoidfesteringandescalation.Aneffectiveleaderrecognizesthesignificanceof conflictresolutionandimmediatelyattemptstoovercomethoseconflictstopreventgoal progressionfromhalting.Conflictscancomeinvarioustypes,andeachteammaydevelopa

differentconflictbasedontheenvironment,thegoal,andeventheleader’sstyle.Dependingona leader’slevelofcooperationandassertiveness,variousmethodscanbeutilizedtoresolve conflict.AccordingtotheThomas-KilmannConflictModeInstrument,onecanfindthemethods theyutilizeforconflictmanagement.Overall,therearefiveprimarymethodsformanaging conflict:competing,collaborating,compromising,avoiding,andaccommodating.Competingin conflictmanagementdemonstratesahighlevelofassertivenesswhilebeingminimally cooperativethroughouttheresolutionprocess:itprioritizesaleader’sgoalsandneedsinconflict. Thoughthismethodseemsineffective,itisdirectlyrelevantwhenunpopulardecisionsorcrisis eventsoccur.Thesecondconflictmanagementtypeiscollaborating.

Collaboratingiswhenaleaderisbothhighlyassertiveandhighlycooperative:itiswhenaleader attemptstoworkwithothersandfindthebestsolutionforall.Collaboratingistypicallyfoundto bethemostwell-roundedmannerwhentryingtoestablishtrustanddemonstrating solution-makingskills.Thethirdconflictmanagementtypeiscompromising,whenthereisa moderatelevelofassertivenessandamoderatelevelofcooperativeness,andattemptstofinda middlegroundthatsatisfiesallpartiesinvolved.Thismethodofconflictmanagementisutilized insituationswhereinaquicksolutionisnecessaryorwhenexcessiveeffortshavebeenmade towardthesameconflict.Thefourthconflictmanagementtypeisavoiding.Asthename suggests,avoidingiswhenaleaderhasminimalsorenessandminimalcooperativeness; additionally,itiswhenaleaderattemptstoavoidaconflictorentirelyignoresit.Avoidingisthe leasteffectivemethod;however,itcanbehelpfulwhenanissueistrivialorwhenmoretimeis neededtounderstandtheconflictentirely.Thefifthandfinalconflictmanagementtypeis accommodating.Thistypeofconflictmanagementdemonstrateslowassertivenessandhigh cooperativeness;additionally,itiswhenaleaderprioritizestheteammember’sneedsandgoals

ratherthantheirown.Thismethodissimilartocollaborativeconflictmanagementandisuseful whenattemptingtobuildameaningfulrelationshipwithteammembers;however,itcanbe detrimentalinthatinsteadofprioritizingthegoalsoftheorganizationorteam,itfocuseson individualgoals.Asmentionedbefore,eachleader’sconflictmanagementskillsaredifferent, andthroughvariousonlinequizzes,anindividualcandiscovertheconflictmanagement techniquesthataremostsuitableforthem.Aleadercanalsoutilizemultiplemethodsatdifferent timestodeveloparesolutionforcontext-specificscenarios.

Thischapter’slastandfinalcomponentisrecognizingthemotivationbehindteammembers. Fromtheleadershipperspective,twoformsofmotivationcanbeobservedinteammembers.The firsttypeofmotivationisconsideredtobeintrinsic:theseareeffortsthataredrivenbypassionor fulfillment.Thesecondtypeofmotivationisconsideredtobeextrinsic:thisisatypeof motivationthatisdrivenbyvalidationorrecognition.Forexample,inmyexperiencesand leadership,Ihavefoundthatindividualswhotakeupteampositionsdosotogetrecognitionin publicsettings.Thisformofengagementisdrivenbyextrinsicmotivation.Morespecifically,a boardmemberjoinedtheboardprimarilytoimprovetheirresumeandtoseemlikeacommunity member;theydemonstratedalackofintrinsicmotivatingfactors,butthatdidnotaffecttheir abilitytoaccomplishtheirgoal.Althoughformsofmotivationmayseemeitherselfishor selfless,asaleader,itisimportanttorecognizethatdependingontheperson’smotivation,one canmanipulateone’sdesiretocompleteacommunalgoal.Ifamemberisjoiningforintrinsic motivationpurposes,motivationismorestraightforwardtoinstillintothatmember;forexample, whenIfirstjoinedmyresearchlab,Ihadimmenseamountsofintrinsicmotivationandwasnot askedtoparticipateorengage,consideringmyrecurrentattendance.Evennow,Istillfeela similarinherentmotivation,andasaresult,Ihaveaccomplishedmygoalsandlabscores

effectively.Ifamemberisjoiningforextrinsicmotivationpurposes,Rewardsandother validationmethodsarenecessarytocompelthem.Forexample,recognitioncanbeprovided throughrecommendationsorevengiveaways.Inmyresearchlabs,onerecentlyemployed techniquewasgivingawayStarbucksgiftcards.Thisencouragedmemberstoopenlyengagein researchandcompetewithoneanotherforrecognitionandreward.Bymanipulatingextrinsic motivationfactors,aleadercanensureagoalisaccomplishedevenifateammember’s motivationsareineffective.Leaderscanoftenofferrewardsandrecognitions,suchasemployee ofthemonthorgiftcardawards,thatincentivizeandmotivateemployeeswhileboosting employeemorale.

Overall,understandingteampsychologymeansunderstandingtheirdevelopment, resolvingconflictsquickly,andunderstandingteammembers’motivations.Thisisessentialfor understandingtheenvironmenttheteammembersareworkinginandmanipulatingthe circumstancesthatincentivizeandcontrolthemtoensurethatthegoalsthatneedtobe accomplishedcanbedonebothefficientlyandeffectively.Theunderstandingofteam psychologyremainsrelevantbutinapplicablewithoutpropercommunicationbetweenteam members:inthenextchapter,we’llexaminehowAristotle’sethos-pathos-logosframework, differentformsofcommunication,andMehrabian’srulerevealaleader’svisionandmaintain transparency.

Chapter6-Communication

Admittedly,myleadershipskillshavesufferedduetomyinabilitytocommunicate properly:Ihavestalledgoalsinthepast,butIhavelearnedfrommymistakesandhave discoveredthesignificanceofcommunicationforthepurposesofgoalcompletion. Communicationisessentialforleadershipbecausenoteamcanalignwiththeleader’sgoals withouteffectivelyarticulatingideas.Communicationcomesindifferentformats,including verbalandnonverbalelements,andeachplaysacriticalroleinleadershipinfluenceandoverall teamefforts.Byexploringthesekeycomponents,wecanunderstandhowtocommunicatewhile alsounderstandinghowteammembersperceiveinformationeffectively.Additionally,wewill exploreAristotle’snotableethos,pathos,andlogosinleadershipcommunicationandhowthey playaroleincommunication.Finally,we’lllookathowcommunicationcanbeusedethically anddeceitfullywhilealsoviewinghowpoorcommunicationcandisruptgoalprogress.

Thefirsttypeofcommunicationisverbalcommunication.Thistypeofcommunicationis oftendisplayedthroughoutourdailylives,butunderstandingverbalcommunicationfromthe leadershipperspectivecreatesclarityforteammemberswhenpursuinggoals.Leaderscanbe assertiveintheirspeechabilitiesandinspireanddirectteamsthroughclear,concise,and persuasivecommunication;ateamcanbeinspiredtopersistingoalachievement.Byusingyour words,tone,andstructurethatconveyaspecificmessage,ateamcanclearlyunderstandthe leader’sgoals.Forexample,ifmygoalistohostaneducationaleventforstudentsoncampus,I wouldnotattempttoexplaintheeventasapotentialgoalorattempttoframeitasasocialevent; rather,Iwouldattempttoexplainitasanecessitythatprovidesopportunitiesforfellowpeers andinvitesroomforgrowthbothforattendeesandforourselves.Thisrestructuringof communicationgivestheteamamorememorableandinspiringconceptoftheoverallgoal.Asa

leader,ensuringthatyouhavecontroloverthegoalbeginswithclearcommunicationofthat goal,andthepsychologicaleffectsthatcomefromthedemonstrationsofgoalscandrastically determinehowgoalsareactedon.

Thesecondtypeofcommunicationisnonverbalcommunication.Nonverbal communicationusesbodylanguage,facialexpressions,eyecontact,andothergesturestoconvey anunspokenmessage.Verbalwordsplayasignificantroleinclearlycommunicatingagoal,but howitisperceivedcanvarybasedonnonverbalcommunication.Forexample,supposeI’m usingbodylanguagethatdemonstratesalackofconfidenceandgesturesthatdonotalign directlywithwhatIamsaying.Inthatcase,teammemberswillrecognizemytone’sinsecurity andlackofassertivenessandwillperceivethegoalasunachievablethroughthecurrent leadership.However,ifmybodylanguageisassertiveandmyeyecontactandposturefurther demonstratethat,evenifmyverbalcommunicationissubpar,mynonverbalcommunicationwill demonstrateasenseofconfidencetomyteamandinspirethemtocontinuethegoal.

Mehrabian’s7-38-55rulepostulatesthatcommunicationcomprises7%verbalcommunication, 38%tone,and55%bodylanguage.Thisrulesuggeststhatcommunicationis93%nonverbal, andtheremainingportionisverbalcommunication.Duringin-personboardmeetings,Ioftenuse handgestures,fluctuatingtones,eyecontact,andpreparedagendaitemstoemphasizemypoints inaneffectivemanner;thismethodofcommunicationmakesasignificantdifferenceinteam comprehensionofmaterialwhencomparedtoonlinemeetings.Forexample,whenIhadto explainhowtocommunicatewithadministrativeofficialsprofessionally,Iusedhighertonesto explainappropriatecommunication,andIusedlowertonestodemonstrateinappropriateones. Thismethodofcommunicationremainedeffective,andafterexaminingandanalyzingmyteam members’emails,Ifoundtheirprofessionalismtobecomparativelybetterthanwhentheyhad

initiallyjoined.Thecompositionofaleaderduringcommunicationisimmenselysignificantfor ensuringthattheteamconfidentlycomprehendsthegoal,evenifcommunicationisn’tapparent.

Communicationalsoneedstobepersuasiveandinfluentialforleadershiptobeeffective.

Aristotleisknownforhisfamousethos,pathos,logos,andcommunication,butIwillapplythese threedirectlytoleadership.Firstly,wehaveanethos,whichestablishescredibilityandauthority throughleadership.Asmentionedinpreviouschapters,havingproperauthoritycanbederived throughlikeabilityandotherfactorsdevelopedthroughenvironmentalconditions;these characteristicsareimportantforestablishingcredibilityamongstateam.Whenateamisfaced withacredibleandauthoritativeleader,theteamismorewillingtorespond,understandthe leader’smotivations,andapplythemtothemselves.Forexample,asmallbusinessowner lecturedthefamouschefGordonRamsayontheessentialsofmaintainingabusiness;howlikely doyouimaginethatGordonRamsaywouldbewillingtolisten?AlthoughGordonwouldbe willingtolisten,itwasunexpectedthathewouldtakeandapplythatadvicecarefully.Now,let’s reversethescenario.IfGordonRamsayhadcometoasmallbusinessandinstructedthemon howtorunit,howlikelywouldyouimaginethesmallbusinessownerwouldhavelistenedto Gordon?Smallbusinessownerswhowishtodevelopasignificantbusinesswouldlistento GordonRamsaycarefullyandlookathispreviousworkstounderstandhowhisadvicecouldbe relevanttotheirbusiness.Credibilityisessentialforensuringaleaderremainsrelevantduring communicationwhenexpressinggoalachievement.Pathosisalsoacriticalelementofleadership communication.Throughconnectingwiththeteamthroughstorytellingandemotionalappeal,a leadercandemonstratethesignificanceofgoalachievementandinspireteammemberstoexcel. Aleaderwhoprovidestestimonialsonthesignificanceofemotionduringstorytellingcanallow teammemberstoviewthegoalassomethingpersonallymeaningful,thereforedrivingintrinsic

motivation.Aleaderwhocanconnectwiththeirteamcanhaveeffectivemethodstoensurethat theyhavecontroloverthegoalanditsprogress.Finally,logosactivelyutilizefactsandlogical argumentstosupportdecision-making.Asaleader,it’simportanttoensurethatteammembers presentlogicalresolutionstotheproblemsingoalprogress.Aneffectiveleadercan communicatewithteammembersaboutthelogicalcomponentsofgoalachievementwhile takingtheirinputandusingitconstructivelytodevelopabetter-roundedgoal.Teammembers whofeelthatthelogicbehindthedecision-makingisflawedareunwillingtocontributetothe goaluntiltheysufficientlyunderstandtheprocess.Forexample,ifIexplainthatthebestwayto diversifyaportfolioisbyrollingthedice,teammemberswillnotlooktomyleadershipto achievethegoal;however,ifIexplaintheintricaciesofKeynesianeconomicsinalogicalformat andpresentdatathatsupportsmydecisionmaking,teammembershavemoreconfidenceinmy abilitiesandarewillingtoproceedwithgoldprogress.

Communicationisnotexclusivelyunidirectional.Communicationisconductedbothbya leaderandbyteammembers.Effectiveleaderscanbothprominentlydemonstrateand communicatetheirgoalswhilealsobeingabletoprocessandrespondtoteammembers' communication.Withteammembercommunicationinmind,leaderscanmakedecisionsthat aligncloselywiththeirindependentgoalsandtheirteam’s.Leaderscanfindthatbylistening activelyandtakingfeedbackintocarefulconsideration,teammembersfeelmoretrustedinthe leader’scapabilitiesandarelesslikelytomisunderstandcomponentsofthegoal.Forexample,if aleaderisdescribingtheirgoalandateammemberasksaquestionandpointsoutafallacyin theleader’sargument,theleaderisleftwithtwochoices:theleadercanchoosetodebatethe memberopenlyandattempttoprovetheirauthorityortheleadercantakeintoconsiderationthe teammembersopinionandopenlyresolveit.Fromtheperspectiveofotherteammembers,a

leaderwillingtolistentothemisarespectableandinfluentialauthority.Asthevicepresident,

oneofmyrolesistooverseeeventplanning:duetomylackofcreativity,Ihavefoundthatmy ideasaresubparcomparedtomyfellowboardmembers.Duringeventplanning,Iconsistently messagemembersandengageinconversationswiththemregardingideasandotherstrategies. Oneofmyboardmembersrecentlycommunicatedtheirideastoplanaprayerbeadcreating stationandapaintingstationatourstudy-and-chillevent;thisideawasimplementedafterfurther discussionandprovedexcitingandengagingforourgeneralmembers.Usingcommunication, ideasweresharedandimplementedamongstmyboardmembers,andflawsregardingtheevent werenotedwhileideaswerediscussedandorganized.

Communicationcanbeusedbothinethicalandunethicalways.Inthenextchapter,we’ll takeacloserlookatwhatthisentails;however,fornow,wewilllookathowcommunicationcan bepositivelyinfluentialandunethicalmanipulation.Ethicalimplicationsincommunicationare strategiesleadersutilizetopromotetransparencywithinanenvironmentanddemonstratetheir capabilitiesasreasonableleaders;incontrast,unethicalmanipulationisusingcommunication strategiestodeceiveteammembersintoaccomplishingagoalundermisconstruedpretenses. Ethicalinfluencecanpreventcorruptionandensurethattheteammemberscantrusttheleader throughoutthegoal’sprogress.Aleaderwillingtoremaintransparentandaccountablefortheir communicationandinfluenceremainsethicalintheirinfluence.Leaderswhoattempttousetheir seatstoinfluenceteammemberstoaccomplishagoaltheywouldotherwisenothave accomplishedareutilizingMachiavellianism:atypeofleadershipwhereindeceptivetacticsare utilizedtomaintaincontrol.Thisisaselfishtypeofleadershipthatdoesnotseektoimproveor growateam;instead,itseeksonlytoimprovethegoalprogressoftheleader.Forexample,ifa leaderintentionallywithholdsinformationrelevanttotheentireteam,thatleaderisacting

manipulativelyandattemptingtoreducetransparencyfortheirselfishdesires.Thisformof corruptionshouldbeavoidedbyallmeansbecauseeveninadvertentwithholdingof communicationcanleadtoteammembersassuminganintentionallackoftransparency Arecent exampleofMachiavellianleadershipisfoundintheTheranosblood-testingdevicescandal. ElizabethHolmes,thefounderofTheranos,utilizedMachiavellianleadership,including deception,manipulation,andothertactics,tomaintainherpowerattheexpenseofethics.Firstly, sheliedaboutafaketechnologythatcouldsupposedlyrunhundredsofbiophysiologicaltests usingasingledropofblood;however,whenthetechnologyfailed,Elizabethwouldutilizefalse demosandwouldfalsifydatausinghercompetitors’devices,andshewouldblameengineersor labdirectors.Mostnotably,sheintentionallycreatedadeceptiveimageofherselfbymimicking famousvisionariessuchasSteveJobsbywearingsimilarattire.Herworkethicfocused exclusivelyondesigningalie,andshewoulduseherpersuasivenesstoextinguishskepticism amongstemployeesandothers.Ultimately,Elizabethwasexposedbyformeremployeesand journalists:shewassentencedin2022touptoelevenyearsinprison.Herninebilliondollar company,herreputation,andherfalsevisioncollapsed.ByexaminingtheTheranosscandal,we canseethepsychologicalandlegalconsequencesofMachiavellianleadership:weseethat Elizabethwasabletodeceivethosearoundherthroughintentionalmanipulationpsychologically, andwealsoknowthatElizabethisservingaprisonsentenceforhercrimes.WhiletheLucifer effectmaynotalwayscreateaMachiavellianleader,itcancreatealeaderwhosepowerfuels selfishdesiresthatleadthemtoMachiavellianism.Communicationshouldalsobedoneclearly. Asmentionedbefore,communicationisnonverbalandverbal,andbothequallycontributeto developingclarityintheexactgoal.Ateamthatcommunicatestorecognizethegoaleffectively canidentifythestrategiesnecessarytoaccomplishitandunderstandthesignificanceofreaching

outwhencircumstancesrequireit.Anyaspectofdistortionduringcommunicationmayleadtoa lackofengagementduetoinconsistentmessagesfromleadership.Forexample,Imanageda smallgoalduringmyleadership:orderingfood.Ourtreasurer,whomIwouldoversee, misunderstoodtheamountoffoodnecessarytobeorderedandhadorderedtoofewforthe audience.Thisinadvertentmiscommunicationledtofrustrationamongboardmembersandthe audience;however,thesituationwasresolvedbyclarifyinghowmuchmorewewouldneedto purchasetomatchouraudience’sexpectations.

Inthischapter,weanalyzedverbalandnonverbalcommunication,andweanalyzed conceptsfromAristotleandMehrabian’sruletounderstandhowleaderscommunicate effectively Alongsiderepresentationsofclearcommunication,wealsolookedathow miscommunicationcanoccurinexamplessuchaseventplanning.Unfortunately,communication canbemisutilizedinleadership:leadershipcanquicklybecomeweaponizedandformtoxic environmentsthatprovidegoalprogressionatthecostofnegativeimpactsonteammembers.In theupcomingchapter,we’llfocuscloselyonunethicalleadershipthroughexaminingconcepts suchastheLucifereffectandMachiavellianism.

Chapter7-UnethicalLeadership

Leadershipisapotenttoolthatcanbeutilizedtoinfluenceothers.However,itcanalso beusedasamethodofpsychologicalabusethroughcorruptionandunethicalmanipulation.

Ethicalinfluenceandunethicalcoercionaretwodistinctcomponentsthatcanbeformedthrough leadership,andtheyshouldbeunderstoodandrecognizedbeforeengaginginlargerformsof leadershipthatcanaffectteammembersandotheraudiences.Inthischapter,we’lltakeacloser lookatsomepsychologicaltheoriesthatexplainhowleadershipbecomesunethicalandwilltake acloserlookatsomeofthemechanismsthatenableunethicalleadershipbehavior.

TheLucifereffectaimstoexplainhowtypicalordinaryindividualscanbecomeunethical leaderswhenplacedintoapositionofpower TheLuciferEffectcomesfromthebook The Lucifer Effect writtenbyDr Zimbardo,whichincludedtheStanfordPrisonexperimentandthe abuseprisonersfacedatAbuGhraibprison:theeffectdemonstratesthepsychologicalandsocial factorsordinaryindividualsexperiencebeforeleadingunethicalbehaviorswhenputintoa positionofpower.Dr.ZimbardoconductedtheLucifereffectexperimentbyrandomlyassigning 24collegestudentsaseitherguardsorprisoners:hethenexaminedtheirbehavioroverthecourse ofafewdays.Withinsixdays,theexperimentwasterminatedastheguardsbecamesadistic,and theprisonerssufferedphysicalandpsychologicalinjury Inthecontextofthebook,leaderswho wereinhigherleadershippositionsinprison,namelycorrectionalofficers,adoptedcruel punishmentswithnopriorauthorization.Thiswasacleardemonstrationofabusivepower,and withoutanychecksorbalances,thecorrectionalofficersavoidedethicalguidelines,whichledto humanrightsbeingviolated.AnexampleofthiscanbefoundinthelaborcampsofNorthKorea. TheDemocraticPeople'sRepublicofKorea,alsoknownasNorthKorea,isinternationally recognizedforitshumanrightsviolations:specifically,thelaborcampsemployedbythe

dictatorshiputilizethenationalarmytosubjectunsentencedprisonerstoperformextraneous laborindefinitely.Soldiersareputintohigherpositionsofpowerwhentheyaredeployedatthese camps;additionally,dedicationtoprovidingextremeconditionsforprisonersprovidesthemwith opportunitiesforleadershipamongstthearmy Bybeingputintotheseopportunitiesforpositions ofpower,fellow“comrades”turnagainstoneanotherandexploitthecamps’knownviolations ofhumanrightsassteppingstonestowardshigherranks.AnotherrecentexampleistheWells Fargoscandal:thisisacleardemonstrationoftheLucifereffectasemployeesweremorphedinto criminalsthroughpersuasionandincentives.Atfirst,WellsFargoencouragedemployeesto incentivizecustomerstoopenextraaccounts;following,employeesforgedsignaturesand createdemailaddressesinordertoenrollcustomerswithouteverobtainingtheirconsent. Employeeswhopartookintheseactionswerepromotedandgivenlargebonuses,butemployees whodidnotparticipateweredemotedorfired.Byfailingtomeettheirsalesquota,employees weredisregardedanddehumanizedjustascustomerswere.Similarly,leaderscanquickly becomeabusivetoteammemberswhenunchecked.Thoughthetormenttheprisonersendured wasavisibleformofabuse,thepsychologicalandmentalabusethataleadercanimposeonthe teammemberscanleadtoatoxicworkenvironment.ToavoidtheLucifereffect,aleadercan ensurethataccountabilityandtransparencyareconsistentlybroughtupintheworkplace; additionally,theycanprovideteammemberswithresourcesandotheravenuestokeep themselvesaccountable.

Machiavellianismwaspreviouslymentionedasaleadershipmechanismwhere narcissisticleaderscanmanipulateateamtoprioritizetheirowngoalsoverethicalguidelines andresponsibility.Thisformofleadershipisaselfishwayforleaderstoutilizeandexploitteam members,leadingtoatoxicenvironmentwhereinethicalguidelinesaredisregarded.Evenwhen

caught,Machiavellianleadersattempttomanipulatetheirenvironmenttoavoidthe consequencesoftheiractions.TeamsundertheauthorityofaMachiavellianleaderfacetoxic environmentsthatpreventgrowthandexclusivelyfocusontheselfishgoalsoftheleader; additionally,teammembersarehinderedfromgrowingintheirpositionandareoftenabused bothpsychologicallyandsocially.Forexample,inpoliticalscandals,politiciansutilizetheir powerandexploittheirofficestoalterrecordsandattempttorewritetheiractionsinapositive light.Amorenotableexampleofthiscomesfromthe2020electionresultsbeingclaimedto havebeeninterferedwith:apresidentialcandidatewhowastheincumbentpresidentdecidedto utilizetheirofficeandexploitcapitalworkerstodeceivetheirpartymembersandattemptto rewriteelectionresults.ThislevelofmanipulationiscommonlyfoundinMachiavellianleaders, andthesourceofthisleadershiptypeisalackofaccountability SimilarlytotheLucifereffect, thebestmethodofensuringthataMachiavellianleaderisnotformedistohaveanaccountability systemandremovesoleconsolidationofpowerfromtheirposition.Additionally,itisbestto employareportingsystemwhereteammemberscanpointoutaleader’sunethicalbehavior.The purposeofdemonstratingthesetwopsychologicalmechanismsistodemonstratewhatunethical andcorruptleadershiplookslikefromtheperspectiveofateammemberandaleader Nowthat we’veseenhowaleadercandevelopandexploitunethicalbehaviorslet’stakeacloserlookat factorsthatcanindicatepowerabuse.

Theindicatorsofunethicalleadershipcomeintwodifferentforms:micro-level indicators,whicharetheindividualbehaviorsofaleader,andmacro-levelindicators,whichare theorganizationalissuesthataretheconsequencesofunethicalleadership.Micro-level indicatorsincludedismissalfeedback,exploitationofauthority,andmanipulation.Leaderswho activelydismisscriticismandattempttodisregardallformsofinput,ortrytosuppress

accountabilityanddiscourageteammembersfromgrowingintheirpositions.Inextremeforms ofthisindicator,aleaderwouldpunishteammembersforactivelyquestioningtheirleadership, furthercontributingtothetoxicenvironment.Exploitationofauthorityistypicallydonefor selfishpurposesandisencouragedbytheleader’sself-fulfillingdecision-making.Unfortunately, teammembersunderexploitativeauthorityareundervaluedandutilizedexclusivelyastoolsfor accomplishingtheleader’sselfishgoals.Thesemembersareprovidedwithminimalresources, leadingtolowmoraleintheworkspaceanddecreasedgoalprogression.Anexampleofthiscan befoundinPakistan’spolitics:NawazSharif,formerprimeministerofPakistan,wasfound guiltyofembezzlingfundsandexploitinghisauthoritytosellprivategovernmentinformationto foreignentities.Atthesiteofunethicalleadershipinhighgovernmententities,government employeesindepartmentsdirectlytiedtotheprimeminister’sofficeslosttrustintheethical standardsingovernment,leadingtofurtherunethicalbehaviorduetoalackofaccountability. Finally,manipulationisthelastindicatorofunethicalleadershipfromthemicrolevelscale. Unethicalleaderswillattempttoutilizeemotionalmanipulationtocontroltheirteams; additionally,theywilltwistperspectivesanduseguilttomaintaincontrol.Thisformof manipulationgeneratesconfusionamongteammembersandreducesconfidenceinthe progression:teammemberswithalteredperspectivesandmisinformationwillfindthemselves confusedandunabletofunctioncorrectly.Forexample,ifaleadersuggestspromotionsforteam memberswhocanmeetspecificgoalsandlaterdeniessuggestingtheseideas,teammembers willbeleftconfusedandfilledwithpoormorale.

Macro-levelindicatorsarefocusedontheorganizationalissuesthataffectteammembers. Theseindicatorsarenegativemoraleandreputationaldamage.Unethicalleadersgeneratean environmentthatdisengagesteammembersandencouragesthemtoleave.Organizationalissues

thatarisefromnegativemoraleincludefrequentresignations:teammemberswillfind themselvesmorelikelytovacatetheirpositionsandsearchforanewoneratherthanattempting toresolvetheissueduetopoormorale.Forexample,supposeanemployeewhoconsistently demonstrateshigh-performancelevelsisnotprovidedwiththenecessarycompensation.Still,an employeerelatedtothemanagerisprovidedaccesstocompensation.Inthatcase,thefirst employeewillreducetheirperformanceandinevitablyfindadifferentpositionthatwillvalue theirintrinsicmotivations.Reputationdamageisanothermajororganizationalissuearisingfrom unethicalleadership.Duetotheintentionalprioritizationofselfishgoalsovermoral responsibility,theorganizationmaybeseenasscandalous,leadingtoopencriticismofthe organizationanditsinevitabledemise.Forexample,theBoeingairplanemanufacturingand engineeringcompanyhasbeencriticizedfortakingshortcutsinmanufacturingsignificant aircraft.ThishasledmanypassengerstoavoidflightsthatutilizeBoeingplanesandoptfor Boeing’scompetitor,Airbus.ThereputationaldamagethatBoeingfacesfromunethical engineeringpracticesleadstodecliningprofitsandreputationamongstconsumersandairlines.

Thischapteraimstohighlightthemotivationsthatdriveunethicalleadershipand illustrateapatternoflackofaccountabilitytosignifythedangersofunethicalleadership. Leadershipisanimmenseprivilegegiventoaselectfewwhodemonstrateacourageousand intrinsicmotivationtoleadothersinpursuitofbetteropportunitiesforall.Activelyengagingin unethicalleadershiphasdirepsychologicalandsocialconsequencesforanorganization’s reputation.Itisessentialtobeself-awareandaccountableforyourselfasaleaderandtoavoid behaviorsthatcaninevitablyleadtounethicalleadership.Inthenextchapter,we'llfocusonhow leadershipisaffectedbyanadvancingsociety,andwe'lltakealookathowtokeepuptodate withfutureleadershipthroughtheuseofAIandvirtualleadership.

Chapter8-LeadershipoftheFutureandtheFutureofLeadership

Leadershipisquicklychangingandadaptingtotheneedsoffutureleadership.As artificialintelligenceandtheconceptofadigitalworkplacebecomemorerelevantindailylife, theexpectationsforfutureleadershiparealsochangingquickly Byutilizingtechnology,wecan bestpreparefutureleaderstodevelopgoalsbytrainingthemtoutilizeartificialintelligenceand virtualleadership.

Artificialintelligenceisoftenmischaracterizedasaformoftechnologythatdisengages youngergenerations;however,artificialintelligenceisleadingthevirtualworldindeveloping newstrategiesforaccomplishinggoalsthatexceedtheexpectationsofmodernleadership.

Activelyencouragingyoungergenerationstoutilizeartificialintelligenceasatoolforleadership allowsthemtohaveamorepowerfulstrategyforconflicts,ethicalguidelines,andteam management.ToencouragetheutilizationofAIamongstteammembers,currentleadersmust adaptthemselves.Asmentionedbefore,animportantcomponentofleadershipisadaptabilityto newenvironmentalcircumstances;artificialintelligencehasgreatlyrevolutionizedthe environmentofgoalachievement,andtoremainaneffectiveleaderandteachertofuture generationsofleadership,leadersmustadapttotheirnewenvironmentandprovidenew opportunities.ThroughonlinevideosandactiveparticipationwithAIbots,leaderscanlearnthe roleofAIandtheuniqueperspectivesitgeneratesinthecontextofleadership.Leaderscanthen passontheirperspectivesandunderstandingofartificialintelligencetotheirteamandencourage themtoutilizeitinexperimentalwaystoassistthemingoalprogress;thiswillremain foundationalforfutureleadershiptouseartificialintelligenceasanecessarytooltoaccomplish communalgoals.

Leadershipcanevolvethroughtheutilizationofartificialintelligenceforthepurposesof decisionmaking,behavioranalysis,andengagement.BeforeIexplainthebenefitsofartificial intelligenceintheimprovementofleadershipskills,itshouldbenotedthatartificialintelligence isstillgrowingandlearningfromhumaninteractions.Itisnotaninfalliblesource,anditis possiblethatitcancreatemistakes.Artificialintelligenceshouldbeutilizedexclusivelyfor recommendationsandobjectiveanalysis.Artificialintelligenceisarelativelyreputablesource forinformationfromtheinternet,anditcananalyzedataquicklyandeffectivelywhilealso interpretingitinaspecificcontext.Itcanalsoprovideinsightandotheranalyticsforpotential outcomesthatmayseemunforeseeabletothehumanmind.Utilizingartificialintelligencefor data-drivendecision-making,aleadercanspendmoretimefocusingonthesubjective componentsofleadershipskillandrelyontherecommendationsofartificialintelligence.For example,asattorneygeneralforthestudentgovernment,Ineededtoanalyzeanalyticsofspecific violationsobjectively;additionally,Ineededtounderstandatrendthatoccurredduringaspecific timeframe.Usingartificialintelligence,Iwasabletounderstandhowspecificinfractionswere occurring,whichinfractionsweremostprevalent,andhowtheConstitutionprovidesresolutions inspecificcontexts.Asmentioned,artificialintelligenceislearningfromhumaninteraction. Artificialintelligencecanbeutilizedinbehavioranalysisthroughanexaminationofprofessional communicationinemails,chats,andcalls.EmailcompaniessuchasGooglehavealready implementedartificialintelligencetoanalyzeemails,providesuggestedresponses,andeven offersummaries.Throughanalyzingtone,bias,andstrengthsfoundincommunication,artificial intelligencecanprovidefeedbackrecommendationsontheimprovementofspecificskillsthatit discoversthroughpatternrecognition.Forexample,IhaveutilizedGemini,Gmail’sartificial intelligenceassistant,tosummarizeemailsandwritethem.Dependingonthespecificcontext,

Geminiwillwriteemailsinaprofessionalmannerthatmimicsmyownwriting,oritwill automaticallyfillinmysentencesbasedonmypreviousdialogues.Finally,artificialintelligence canbeutilizedforengagementbyprovidingpersonalizedincentivesforsubordinatesorteam membersthroughanalysisofcommunication.Forexample,ifateammemberhasmadequiet contributionstoaspecificgoal,artificialintelligencewillrecognizetheircontributionsandflag themforyou;additionally,itwillprovideapersonalizedrecommendationforincentivesor rewards.Aschairofastudentgovernmentcommittee,Iwasabletorecognizethesilent contributionsofmyvicechairthroughGemini.Afterconfirmingthestatisticsindependently,at thenextmeeting,Ipubliclypraisedhercontributionsandlaterofferedherarecommendationfor chairmanship.Hercontributionswouldhavelikelygoneunnoticed,duetotheuniquecapabilities ofartificialintelligence,Iwasabletoprovideincentivesformycommitteemembersthroughmy publicannouncementofmyvicechair’scontributions,andfindasuitablereplacementformy chairposition.

Onemajorconcernregardingtheutilizationofartificialintelligenceintheworkplaceis theexcessiveutilizationofitscapabilities:teammemberswhooverutilizeAImayfindthatthey donotneedtoutilizetheirskillsandcanrelyexclusivelyontheworkofacomputer Toensure thatsuchacircumstancedoesnotoccur,aleadershouldprovideopportunitiestouseartificial intelligenceintheworkspaceinanycontrolledenvironmentthatdoesnotdirectlyimpactgoal progressionoverall;aleadercaninitiallydemonstratethepositivesandnegativesofartificial intelligenceanddemonstratehowtheeffectivenessofitscapabilitiescanalsoremainamajor flaw.Forexample,aleadercandemonstratethatartificialintelligencecanbeutilizedtodiscover thebestconflictmanagementtypeforaspecificcircumstance;however,theleadershouldalso demonstratehowartificialintelligencecanmisinterpretthescenarioandgenerateaninaccurate

outcome,inviolationofethicalguidelines.Frommyownexperience,beingaleaderinthe Muslimcommunity,Ineedtoremainactivelyawareoffreemixingamongstmenandwomen; however,atthesametime,Ineedtoprovideformsofentertainmentatourevents.UsingAIsuch asChatGPTandDeepSeek,I'mabletoobtaininspirationforentertainment.Forexample,ata recentevent,Istruggledtofindaformofentertainment,butbyusingAI,Iwasabletoobtain freemixingsafeideassuchasPictionaryandMafia.

Theincreaseduseofremoteworkplaceshasledtoanincreaseddemandforvirtual leadership:teammembersworkingremotelymaydeveloppoorhabitsorloseengagement,which cannegativelyaffectgoalachievement.Toreducethelackofengagement,aleadershouldbe abletodemonstratevirtualleadershipanddigitalcollaborationforeffectiveteammanagement. Leadersshouldalsorecognizethedifferencesbetweenvirtualandcurrentleadershipmodelsand learnhowtobeeffectiveinbothenvironments.Thiswillremainhelpfulfortheleaderwhois preparedtoprovidenewleadershipopportunitiesforteammembersinenvironmentsthatrequire virtualandtraditionalleadershiptechniques.

Leadersmustrecognizethechangingworldandadapttotheutilizationofartificial intelligenceintheirownorganizations.Artificialintelligenceremainsarelevanttoolwhen attemptingtoobtaininspiration,creativity,planning,andseveralotherskillsthatareoftenabsent amongleaders.Leaderswhoembracethisrevolutionarytooltotheiradvantagecanimprovenot onlytheirleadershipskillsbutalsotheirgoalprogression;however,leaderswholookdownon theutilizationofartificialintelligenceintheworkplacewillfindthemselvesstrugglinginan advancingworld.Forexample,whencryptocurrenciessuchasBitcoinwerefirstintroduced, skepticsrefusedtoinvest,statingthatsuchaformofcurrencywasnottangibleandhadnovalue. Today,Bitcoinremainsthemostvaluablecryptocurrencyandcanbereliablyusedtobuycars,

houses,andotherlargercommodities.Similarly,whenweexamineartificialintelligence,we needtotakealookathowskepticismofrevolutionaryadvancementshasstalledtheprogression ofseveralorganizationsandputthembehindcompetingones.Anexampleofhowartificial intelligencecanbeutilizedinorganizationsforgoalprogressioninvolvesmarketing.Recently, artificialintelligencehasbeenabletocreateimagesandothergraphicsforbusinesses,making marketingsignificantlyeasier,morepersonalizable,and–mostnotably–cheaper.Businessesthat exclusivelyrelyonmarketingfirmsorothercreativeagenciesforthecreationofmarketingwill paylargesumsofmoneyforgraphicsthathavesimilarpersonalizationasgraphicsdevelopedby artificialintelligence.Artificialintelligenceisalreadybecomingacomponentofourdailylives, anditwillsoonbecomeanessentialcomponentofeveryworkplace.Todenytheuseofartificial intelligenceisunwiseinadevelopingworld,anditwillonlyservetonegativelyimpactaleader's organization,goalprogression,andteam’sperspectiveofinfluence.

Asthisbookcomestoaconclusion,Iwanttoemphasizeonelastmajorcomponentof leadership:practice.Withinleadership,thereareplentyofopportunitiestomakemistakes; however,thisshouldnotdeteranyindividualfromacquiringaleadershipposition,forour failuresteachussignificantlymorethanoursuccesses.Thewayachildlearnstheheatoffireby touchingaflame,aleaderexpandstheirknowledgeandskillsthroughexperiencingfailure.

Understandably,thiscanseemembarrassing;however,noleaderhasbecomesuccessfulwithout failingatleastonce.Perfectionhasnoplaceinleadership,neitherinitsdevelopmentnorits application.Artificialintelligencecanbeutilizedtosimulatedifficultleadershipscenarios, includingcrisismanagementanddifficultconversations,forupcomingleaders.Forexample, MursionAIutilizesvirtualrealityandavatarstopracticefiringanunderperformingemployee, andtheyincludeemotionalreactionsaswelltomakethesimulationauthentic.Byexperiencing

simulationsgeneratedbyartificialintelligence,leaderscanbegivenasafespacetofailandlearn withoutsufferingtheembarrassingconsequencesoffailure.Similarly,artificialintelligencecan beusedsubjectivelytoproviderecommendationsonhowtoimprovethehandlingofspecific scenarios.AnexampleofthisiswhenIhadtocancelamajormeetingasAttorneyGeneraldue toviolationsofconstitutionallaws:apublicmeetingwasorganizedanddidnotcomplywith Nevada'sopenmeetinglaws;asaresult,astheenforcingofficerfortheselaws,Iimmediately shutdownthemeeting.However,Iwasimmediatelyfacedwithharshcriticismandseveral difficultconversationswiththechairofthemeeting.Thechairinsistedthatmyjudgmentwas biasedandwasnotsubstantiveduetotheambiguouswordingofNevada'sopenmeetinglaws. ThoughIdidnotwanttobeconfrontational,Iimmediatelystoodmygroundandaggressively foughtagainsttheirclaims.Afterroughlythreehoursofdiscussion,thechairultimatelyrealized theirmistakeandwalkedaway.ThoughIwasupsetattheirjudgment,Iwasskepticalofmy handlingofthediscussion.Afterinsertingnotesofmyconversationintoartificialintelligence,I wasprovidedsubjectivefeedbackonhowtohandlethesituationbetter.Oneofthemost intriguingpointsthatIstillapplyinmyleadershippositionstodaywasthatIacted temperamentallywithapoorcognitiveandemotionalmodel.

Beforemyconcludingthoughtsforthischapterandforthisbook,thankyouforreading throughmybook. Irememberbeingayoungfreshmanincollege:afraidofwhatthefutureheld forme,andevenmoreterrifiedofleadershipandhowtoobtainit.Ifyou'restrugglingtofind leadership,participate.Findanorganizationyourespectandadmire;findagroupoflike-minded individualswhoseektoaccomplishagoalthatalignswithyourgoals.Usethelessonsfromthis booktoguideyourleadership,andhopefully,byreflectingonmyanecdotesandsituations,you willfindsolutionstoyourleadershipstruggles.However,itshouldbenotedthatleadershipwill

alwaysbeastruggle.Youwilloccasionallylackconfidence,developanexternalpointof influence,andfearMurphy'sLaw.Don'tletitgettoyou.Therewillalwaysbesituationswhere youwillwanttogiveupbecauseitismorecomfortable.Leadershipisn'tcomfortable:it'sa positionoftenrefusedduetofearofaccountabilityandlackofcomfort.Putyourselfin uncomfortablesituations,anddon'tbeafraidtoputyourteammembersinawkwardsituations, becauseatsomepoint,youwillhavetodevelopanotherleader.Foronelastnote,IwishIhad thisbookasafreshman.Myanxietiesabouttakingupleadershipoverwhelmedmyeverydaylife, butIwishIhadamaterialsourcethatactedasamapformyendeavors.Usethisbookasyour map,andkeeplookingforward:morethingsareaheadthanbehind.