Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence: Goleman, McKee and Boyatzis - Essay Example

Section/# On the Importance of Feelings: An Analysis of “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence” as a Means of Better Management and Human Resources Practices within the Workplace Whereas a litany of sources have analyzed aspects of management as a means of improving workflow, output, relationship building, and overall profitability, few sources have examined the key importance of management through the lens of the power that emotions play within the workplace. As described at length within the book by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee entitled, “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence”, the authors make the case for the fact that a manager who is emotionally attuned to the individual and collective needs of his/her employees is best suited to guide the firm to new heights of success and profitability that a leader who was not so emotionally attuned would have little if any chance of achieving. As a means of performing this analysis and review, this author will seek to point out the key concepts and framework of Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee’s argument as well as to draw a level of comparison and inference onto the way that traditional management has often understood the need or lack of need to identify with employees in such a manner. One does not need to look particularly deep in order to come to a broad appreciation of the existence and extent to which feelings affect workplace operations and overall health. Although prior research has mostly sidelined and relegated research into understanding, quantifying, and drawing inference from such a field of study, the level of importance to which the reader and practitioner can ascribe to feelings and the way they impact upon nearly every level of personnel management has been thoroughly detailed within Goldeman, Boyatzis, and McKee’s argument. However, more than merely laying out the case for why emotional empathy and understanding is useful in the workplace, the authors set out to discuss the key components between those managers that utilize emotional understanding/empathy with their employees as compared to those that do not. The authors term his level of emotional empathy that a manager/leader/supervisor utilizes as “resonance” (Goleman 2002). As such, this “resonance” determines whether a leader’s actions and desired goals will be dissonant with or resonate with the employees by means of determining the future level of potential and success that the firm could hope to enjoy. The differentiation between dissonant and resonant leadership is further discussed a means of helping the reader to denote the key differences between management style and the definition and practical application that a leader who uses resonant leadership embodies. As a way of bringing this point to a further head, the authors seek to direct the attention of the reader to the concept and key point concerning the fact that leaders who are emotionally attuned to the needs, wants, and desires of their employees are necessarily able to achieve a much higher level of success. Rather than viewing the workplace as something of a one way street, the authors set out to discuss the key symbiotic relationship that employers and employees have. As the employer seeks to motivate the employees to produce a high level of quality output, regardless of their given field of expertise, the means by which the employer can accomplish such a task is integrally related to the level of resonance that the leader shares with the employees (Goleman et al 2009). In such a way, a leader that has a low level of resonance, or worse yet dissonance with their employees, will likely experience a greatly reduced level of output and/or quality as compared to a leader that places a high degree of emphasis on understanding, listening to, and working to hold in high esteem the emotional needs of their employees. As a way to engage the reader even more with the given topic, the book discusses some of the key downsides to being in a situation with a manager/boss/supervisor who does not realize the importance of emotional understanding/empathy with relation to his/her employees. The text categorizes this by stating that the key problems relating to bosses that lack this trait is that they are lacking it from either one of two main sources: personal or social. Conversely, the text notes that those managers and/or leaders that utilize resonant forms of management can expect to develop a flexible leadership style that is attuned to both the physical as well as emotional needs that they employees and shareholders will necessarily exhibit. Although the authors note that there is definition of “correct” management, the fact remains that those mangers that exhibit resonant forms of management will necessarily find their management style making a decided drift towards a more democratic and hands off style which allows for maximum output from the affected arms of the organizational structure (Goleman et al 2004). As discussed within the text, the evolution that a manager experiences which leads to this resonant style of management is referred to as “primal” leadership due to the fact that it is at this stage that the manager is able to unlock the full potential of his/her managerial style with reference to maximizing its positive effect on workflow, results, and the interpersonal relationships and dynamics that necessarily evolve within the group. As a way of presenting the material, the book itself is divided into a series of parts. Part 1 focuses on a series of stories which help to underscore the importance of an emotionally intelligent leader and the possible and probably effect that such an individual might have on a firm. It follows therefore that Part II of the book focuses on the means by which key leadership traits are further honed and developed by the implementation and practice of resonant style combined with primal management. Finally, Part III discusses the core need of emotionally intelligent organizations. What can be inferred by the total net combination of all of these parts is that those firms that do not practice a form of emotional intelligence are necessarily doomed to a fate of repeating the same mistakes multiple times. Due to the “non-growth” attitude that many managers have who place little to no emphasis on emotional appreciation, it is impossible for these firms or organizations to grow into a better and more complete understanding of the key needs that exist within their employees (Narine 2011). Conversely, as with the firm or organization that practices a degree of emotional intelligence, these will necessarily be able to grow and expand upon prior knowledge as a means of correcting the mistakes of the past and seeking to provide a level of growing expertise which can serve to inform the management/leadership of key areas and means by which they can increase their overall level of satisfaction, happiness, output, and profit all at the same time. The book itself helps to further hone and develop what can only be considered as a socially primitive idea of what good management style and results actually mean. As with any field of modern thought and study, the field of management and human resource studies has grown significantly over the past several decades. Beginning with the belief that managers were little more than a means of extracting the most work from the least resources as a way to boost the bottom line, studies in management have eventually morphed into what is exhibited by the text in question; a dynamic examination of the key and non-traditional means by which managers can seek to both build a working and personal relationship with their employees while at the same time increasing the level of performance, increasing the bottom line, and promoting workplace harmony. As such, the reader can readily see why such a process is recognized by the authors as an all-around win-win strategy. What is of further interest within the context of the reading is the fact that although a high degree of emphasis has been placed on the existence of emotional intelligence within leadership as something of a retained quality or a retained need, the fact of the matter, according to the authors, is that even those managers that do not currently represent emotional intelligence within their workplace environment can learn to utilize the key strategies and skills that have thus far been detailed (Brooks 2003). As such, the level to which leaders are born or made is answered definitively within the pages of the text. Finally, with relation to the key strengths and weaknesses that this reader has noted as a result of reading the text, this final section will discuss these briefly. Obviously, the greatest strength is in regards to the fact that the writers powerfully and succinctly great the reader with the subject matter; which has the added advantage of being new and fresh. Furthermore, due to the fact that management develops alongside the development of culture and personal needs, it only makes logical sense that the level to which emotional awareness plays a major role in determining the overall effectiveness of managerial style would thereby increase alongside the increasing appreciation for psychology and its applications and growing appreciation within the workplace. Likewise, with respect to the key weakness that the piece represents, this student would have to point to the fact that there are no firm determinants or step by step methods whereby a manager/leader who was struggling with his/her level of emotional intelligence, as exhibited within his/her job function, could be increased. Rather, the authors merely discuss the need for it and how without it a firm or organization is likely doomed to repeat the same mistakes with greatly diminished returns. This drawback is quite severe due to the fact that doubtless a high number of individuals would purchase the book in the hopes that they might hope to follow a simply detailed step by step plan as a means of improving themselves. However, this is not the case within the chapters of the book. In conclusion, the book itself offers a wealth of information with regards to the changing nature of the workplace and the ever-increasing need for a higher level of emotional intelligence. The authors are able to present the topic in a way that both appeals to the higher echelons of upper management as to students, of which this reviewer represents. In such a way, all shareholders that come into contact with the work are made aware of the fact that by applying a higher level of emotional intelligence within a given firm or organization, the level to which cohesion, a more positive working relationship, and a higher bottom line, are all raised. References Brooks, K. (2003). Review of 'Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence'. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 14(2), 235-238. doi:10.1002/hrdq.1063 Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2009). Primal Leadership. Leadership Excellence, 26(10), 9-10. Goleman, D. (2004). Primal leadership : learning to lead with emotional intelligence. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA US: Harvard Business School Press. Narine, S. (2011). New program encourages leadership. Windspeaker, 29(2), 10. Read More