The purpose of this paper is to reflect on “the five discoveries” from the book, Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence and apply them to my personal leadership development and style.
First, I will remark on the development of “the five discoveries”, second, I will connect the key concepts of “the five discoveries” to my personal growth as a leader, and third, I will share the leadership style from the book that I use most comfortably and why.
“The Five Discoveries”
For more than thirty years, Richard Boyatiz studied and researched leadership development, including the value of the evaluation process. His work resulted in “The Five Discoveries”, a model focused on self-directed learning rooted in a process that wasn’t
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In thinking about my own journey, my ideal self has experienced a few modifications. Years ago, as a naïve undergraduate, I had determined that my ideal self would be a CIA agent. I wanted to travel, learn new languages, and save the day. The graduate assistant teaching one of my freshman writing courses posed some powerful questions that caused me to rethink that ideal self. At the same time I began working as a student employee in the library on campus. As my education progressed and I continued to explore my options, I kept returning to my work in the library. It was never a future that I divined for myself, but it was something I truly enjoyed and was adept at doing. I went on to obtain my Masters in Library Science with the future goal of becoming a library dean. Over the past twenty-eight years later, that vision became more intangible. Along the way, I must admit, that I became mired in the day-to-day management tasks and assignments, to such an extent that I lost track of my ideal self, the future library …show more content…
112). Practice and commitment are imperative to successfully gain the desired behavior or leadership mindset. “The key to learning new habits for leaders lies in practice to the point of mastery” (Goleman et al, 2002, p.157). I believe strongly in the power of building habits. I have used this strategy in other aspects of my life and found that if applied in a slow and steady way, the results can be hugely rewarding and sustained. Keeping the habit small and manageable makes it easier to integrate into daily tasks and more effortless as the practice and use continues. Relative to strengthening my communication and listening skills, I might select a daily task or regular meeting opportunity to practice a specific skill or
Hughes, R. L., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin
contrast, the approach in this text suggests that leadership is a process that can be learned, and
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
Leadership is a quality which cannot be acquired by any person from the other but it can be acquired by self-determination of a person. Leadership can best be called the personality of the very highest ability-whether in ruling, thinking, imagining, innovation, warring, or religious influencing. Leadership is practiced not so much in words a it is in attitude and in actions. Their actions leave a long lasting memory in the line of history and lead up to may events that occur today. To be a leader one will need many qualities. Leaders have a purpose and strategies to accomplish that purpose. They are driven and motivated. In the end they should be able to attain good results. These innate talents help to make up a leader that will succeed and be efficient in carrying out tasks. But, the purpose of this paper is determine what truly makes a leader successful. A successful leader should be considered more on their impact rather than their accomplishments of their organizations alone for they are not sufficient in determining the key to their success .
The leadership is a result of a combination of traits, with special emphasis on the personal qualities of the leader, which he should possess certain personality traits that would be special facilitators in leadership performance. This theory shows that leaders are born as such, there is no likelihood of 'making' them later with personal development techniques.
Ewens A (2002). The nature and purpose of leadership. In E Hawkins, C Thornton (Eds). Six
When I think of effective leaders, I think of leaders with strategies, visions, or powerful ideas. However, this course has taught me different. While strategies and ideas are necessary for being a leader, it takes emotional intelligence for a leader to be successful. Emotional intelligence is essential for social and professional competency in any field, especially in the healthcare field where feelings affect individual as well as institutional health. As an individual going into the healthcare field, I must possess the ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage emotions, as it will se...
Hall, Peter, & Norris, Peter. (1993). Learning for leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 14(7), 35. Retrieved August 25, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 81758).
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
There is an importance of leaders to first analyze the impact of their emotional manifestation. Leaders should own emotional intelligence. Those leaders that don’t possess emotional int...
Leaders is an effective tool for summarizing and inspiring leadership, not in that it teaches tough strategies and manipulations, but that when looking at an overview of its content, Bennis and Nanus are essentially teaching human relations and human decency. All in all, this book highlights strategies for us all to be better in our lives and our everyday interactions.
Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy (2009). Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience (6th Ed). New York, NY McGraw-Hill Irwin
This paper describes about my leadership strengths and areas for growth/future study. It also included how these qualities are used in my daily work routine, self-assessment results and a brief explanation on Individual style in leadership.
Riggio, R. E. (2009, Oct. 29). Four things you can do to become a better leader. Psychology Today. Retrieved from
First of all, I would like to mention my inability to control emotions and react efficiently to other people’s problems and worries. Very often, I am unable to make the right decision due to the immediate confusion and fear to lose time. Therefore, I would like to learn to analyze the situations and react moderately and wisely to every event and situation. Additionally, I would like to amplify my leading qualities and provide good solutions and ideas for the effective handling of my studies, work and personal life. In order to achieve this, I should read relevant literature, learn from the examples of great leaders and develop my strategies of effective organization and leadership.