Resonant leaders are those leaders who are stepping
up, charting paths through unfamiliar territory, and inspiring their people.
They are finding new opportunities, creating hope in the face of fear and
despair. These leaders are moving people - powerfully, passionately, and
purposefully. And they do so while
managing the inevitable sacrifices inherit in their roles. They give
themselves, in the service of the cause, while also caring for self, engaging
in renewal, to ensure they can sustain resonance over time. They are inspiring
their people to reach for ‘impossible dreams’
Resonant leaders are in tune with those around
them. This results in people working in sync with each other’s thought (what to
do) and emotion (why to do it). Leaders who create resonance are people who
have developed emotional intelligence – the competencies of self-awareness,
self-management, and relationship management. They act with mental clarity, not
simply following a whim or an impulse.
Emotionally intelligent leaders build strong,
trusting relationships. They know that their emotions are contagious, and drive
their people’s moods and performance. They know that while fear and anger may
mobilize people in the short term, these emotions backfire quickly, leaving
people distracted, anxious, and ineffective. They have empathy; they read
people, groups, and cultures accurately. They inspire through passion,
commitment, and concern for people and their vision. They cause those around
them to want to move towards an exciting future. They give courage and hope and
help to become the best that one can be.
Resonant leaders blend financial, human,
intellectual, environmental, and social capital into a potent recipe for
effective performance. In addition to being great to work with, they get
results. They know the market, technology, people, and organization. Resonance enables them to use this expertise
in pursuit of performance and engage the power of all who work in team.
Even good leaders are finding it very difficult to
sustain their effectiveness – and resonance – over time. Why? They give of
themselves constantly. When leaders sacrifice too much for too long – and reap
too little – they can become trapped in the sacrifice syndrome. Leadership is
exciting, but stressful. It is the science of power and influence – and power
creates distance between people. Leadership is lonely. Leaders are often cut
off from support and relationships with people.
Our bodies are not well equipped to deal with this
“power stress” over time we become exhausted – we burn out or burn up. The
constant small cries, heavy responsibilities, and the perceptual need to
influence people can be such a heavy burden that we find ourselves trapped in
the sacrifice syndrome and slip into internal disquiet, unrest, and dis-stress.
When dissonance takes over, we suffer physically and emotionally and our
cognitive functioning is impaired. Dissonance becomes the default and spreads
quickly to those around us.
To counter the sacrifice syndrome, leaders need to
focus on renewal: attending to themselves and others by cultivating experiences
that energize and reinvigorate. Three paths help leaders create resonance and
to restore ad renew themselves – and others – mindfulness, hope, and
compassion. They reverse the negative effects of power stress, by attending t oneself,
encouraging an optimistic vision of the future, and caring for others, leaders
can ignite resonance in themselves and those around them.
(This article is adopted from the book “Becoming a
Resonant Leader” by Annie McKee, Richard E. Boyatzis and Fran Johnston)
