LEADERSHIP A WALK ON THE DARK SIDE

Transcription

1 LEADERSHIP A WALK ON THE DARK SIDE JOHN SHIELDS PROFESSOR OF HRM & ORGANISATIONAL STUDIES THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY BUSINESS SCHOOL john.shields@sydney.edu.au

2 1. The Good Leader Outline 2. The Dark-side Leader 3. The Great Leader? 2

3 The Big Three Attributes of a Good Leader (According to Contemporary Leadership Theory) The Good leader is: 1. Inspirational 2. Emotionally Intelligent 3. Authentic 3

4 1. The Inspirational Leader Transformational leadership: Burns (1978); Bass (1985) Goffee and Jones (1995): Four traits and behaviours consistently associated with effective (inspirational) leadership. To exhibit these traits and behaviours the leader needs a high degree of self-knowledge: 1. Dare to be different; willing to risk failure. 2. Rely heavily on intuition and an ability to read interpersonal cues and make highly effective use of this soft data. 3. Practice tough empathy. 4. Selectively show own weaknesses. 4

5 2. The Emotionally Intelligent Leader Goleman, 1995, 2000; Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2001, Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, Emotional intelligence is an ability consistently associated with good leadership and is based on 4 sets of attributes: 1. Emotional self awareness. 2. Emotional self management. 3. Social awareness of others emotional states. 4. Social Skills to influence others emotions. Adaptive: Those with high EI are able choose and apply any one of six management styles effectively : 1. Coercive. 2. Authoritative. 3. Affiliative. 4. Democratic. 5. Pacesetting. 6. Coaching. 5

6 3. The Authentic Leader Kemis, 2003; Gardner, Avolio, Luthans et al, 2005; Shamir & Eilam, 2005; North, 2007) Authenticity (Kemis, 2003): Deep self-awareness (beliefs, values, strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncracies). Relational transparency (genuine representation of self to others; not a situational actor). Balanced processing (open to information and ideas contrary to prior beliefs). Internalised moral perspective (self-regulation and responsibility) Authentic behaviour: Sincerity, integrity, ethicality, leading by positive example No role-playing or impression management Walk the talk; every conversation matters; every action matters 6

7 A Good Leader is: Inspirational The Good Leader - Summary Emotionally intelligent; socially skilled; sensitive; reflective Authentic We not me : empowering (not just empowered); Distributed leadership A team builder / team player /coach (not a Lone Ranger) Made (not born ; nurture, not nature) Androgynous (not gender stereotyped) 7

8 Exemplary Good (Political) Leaders

9 A Few Good (Business) Women Marissa Mayer

10 BUT. Is goodness enough for greatness? Could greatness also have a dark side? 10

11 The Dark Triad 1. Narcissism ( me ) 2. Psychopathy ( malice ) 3. Machiavellianism ( manipulation ) 11

12 1. Narcissism High esteem need (=adulation, to be admired). Attention-seeking. Seek prestige and status. Expect special favours from others. Strongly loss averse. Indifferent to the needs and feelings of others. Close association with charismatic leadership. 12

13 Charismatic Leadership House, 1977; Bass, 1985; Conger, 1989 Charismatic leaders: Create an image of themselves that is based on trustworthiness, credibility, morality, worthiness, innovativeness, being highly esteemed and powerful. But also use impression management tactics to ensure follower loyalty (i.e. manipulative) 13

14 14 Charisma?

15 2. Psychopathy Psychopaths: Lack remorse. Are unconcerned about the morality of their actions. Are callous and insensitive. Are cynical. Are habitual, calculative liars. Emotionally disingenuous. 15

16 Work

17 Psychopathy Checklist (Robert D. Hare, 2003 Jon Ronson, 2011) 1 Glib and Superficial Charm 2 Grandiose Self-Worth 3 Need for Stimulation or Proneness to Boredom 4 Pathological Lying 5 Conning and Manipulativeness 6 Lack of Remorse or Guilt 7 Shallow Affect 8 Callousness and Lack of Empathy 9 Parasitic Lifestyle 10 Poor Behavioural Controls 11 Promiscuous Sexual Behaviour 12 Early Behaviour Problems 13 Lack of Realistic, Long-Term Goals 14 Impulsivity 15 Irresponsibility 16 Failure to Accept Responsibility for Own Actions 17 Many Short-Term Marital Relationships 18 Juvenile Delinquency 19 Revocation of Condition Release 20 Criminal Versatility 17

18 AND YOUR SCORE IS..?

19 3. Machiavellianism Manipulate others to get their way. Whatever it takes! Use deceit to get their way. Use false flattery to get their way. Exploit others to achieve their own ends. Strong association with narcissism. 19

20 Does the Dark-side have an Upside? CEO psychopaths: 1 in 25! US executives rate higher on psychopathy checklist than overall population; psychopathy associated with charisma creativity, good strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills" (Hare, 2010). UK executives scored at the same level of narcissism as patients at Broadmoor psychiatric facility, and higher on histrionic scales (Board & Fritzon, 2005). Leadership attributes correlated with psychopathy: superficial charm/charisma, creativity, assertiveness, cynicism, persuasiveness, composure / emotional selfcontrol, mental resilience, strong task focus (Dutton, 2012). 20

21 But What Do Dark Side Leaders Lack? Ethical awareness / moral compass Integrity Humility Restraint Respect of followers Sustainability Balance (me vs we; ends vs means) 21

22 Balancing Will and Humility Collins, Good to Great (2001): Most effective type of leader is a Level 5 leader who sits at the top of a hierarchy of capabilities: 1. Highly capable individual. 2. Contributing Team Member. 3. Competent Manager. 4. Effective Leader. 5. Level 5 Executive Leader. Level 5 ( Great ) Leaders exhibit all four of the preceding levels and demonstrate a blend of professional will AND personal humility. 22

23 Beyond Good and Evil Good alone may not be enough Bad may not be all bad

24 The Qualities of Great Leader 1. Will (achievement orientation; results-focussed; inner confidence) 2. Humility (reflectivity; openness) 3. Cognitive ability (data and decision-making) 4. Emotional and social intelligence (empathy) 5. Relationship management (connectedness) 6. Authenticity (inter-personal integrity) 7. Able to thrive on ambiguity (internal locus of control; creativity) 8. Resilience 24

25 THANK YOU! QUESTIONS & COMMENTS