Leadership: Survival of the Fittest
In business, it takes a lot to survive and thrive as a leader. How are you surviving these days? Is your leadership growing stronger?
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change.” ~ Charles Darwin
There’s no question that surviving the corporate jungle requires intelligence, flexibility, political savvy, and the right amounts of courage and aggressiveness. Leadership is not for sissies — nor is it for authoritarian bullies.
The four drive theory that I’ve been reading about in Paul R. Lawrence’s book, Driven to Lead: Good, Bad, and Misguided Leadership(Jossey-Bass, 2010), cites contemporary brain research that supports how leaders are influenced in their decision-making and actions.
Great leaders must be smart and emotionally intelligent to influence people, fully engage their hearts and minds, and encourage peak performance. By understanding the four drives leaders will bring out the best in others and create a thriving workplace.
Leaders juggle multiple priorities, while making important decisions that drive people, performance and the right organizational results. They must find ways to satisfy all four drives for all stakeholders, their employees and customers:
- The drive to acquire
- The drive to defend
- The drive to bond
- The drive to comprehend
Leaders use conscious and unconscious brain processes to form decisions in the face of uncertainty, rapid changes and conflicting motivations. The better a leader can balance these four basic drives, the more successful they’ll be at sustaining success.
Conflicting Impulses
In my work coaching clients [link], some executives complain about conflicting priorities. In fact, humans are hardwired to feel conflicting emotions. As leaders, we must continually assess options and arrive at acceptable decisions through negotiating best compromises.
Animals don’t have this problem. After acquiring food, shelter, a mate and ways to defend themselves against threats, they’re basically set. We, on the other hand, must balance two additional drives:
- To bond with, trust and care for other people (and to be trusted and cared for by them)
- To make sense of our lives (understand the “why” and “how”)
These additional drives allow us to adapt better than lower animals, and they also explain why our brains are three times larger than those of our nearest primate ancestors. But the drives also make us more responsive to the environment, giving us more to react to and consider when making decisions.
Modern managers and leaders must take into account so many different impulses. They must balance their teams’ needs and desires against those of the boss, corporation, customers, stock market, environment and self.
We are built to work and achieve in groups: to lead and follow, to learn from each other, to trust, to protect and care for each other, to acquire what we need collectively even if we later enjoy it individually. We have evolved in this way because it’s a very successful means of survival.
What about you in your organization? I work with many leaders www.workingresources.com, some of whom find it nearly impossible to find the right balance between profits and people. Perhaps I can help you. Let’s have a conversation. You can contact me at [email protected].
Are you working in a company where executive coaches provide leadership development to help leaders put positive leadership into action? Does your organization provide executive coaching for leaders who need to be more positive? Inspirational leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to create a more fulfilling future.
One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “Am I a high EQ leader who helps individuals and organizations achieve their highest potential, flourish at work, experience elevating energy and achieve levels of effectiveness difficult to attain otherwise?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching to help leaders develop more positive teams.
Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-I, CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help leaders nurture mindful conversations in the workplace. You can become a mindful leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.
Working Resources is a San Francisco Bay Area Executive Coaching Firm Helping Innovative Companies and Law Firms Assess, Select, Coach, Engage and Retain Emotionally Intelligent Leaders; Executive Coaching; Leadership Development; Performance-Based Interviewing; Competency Modeling; Succession Management; Culture Change; Career Coaching and Leadership Retreats
...About Dr. Maynard Brusman
Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach|
Trusted Advisor to Executive Leadership Teams
Mindfulness & Emotional Intelligence Workplace Expert
Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist and executive coach. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies select and develop emotionally intelligent leaders. Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.
“Maynard Brusman is one of the foremost coaches in the United States. He utilizes a wide variety of assessments in his work with senior executives and upper level managers, and is adept at helping his clients both develop higher levels of emotional intelligence and achieve breakthrough business results. As a senior leader in the executive coaching field, Dr. Brusman brings an exceptional level of wisdom, energy, and creativity to his work.” — Jeffrey E. Auerbach, Ph.D., President, College of Executive Coaching
For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.
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