Reflections Around Resonant and Dissonant Leadership: What’s Relationship Got to Do with it?

This week I began another MOOC adventure. I am taking Coursera’s Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence! with Richard E. Boyatzis, Ph.D., Distinguished University Professor, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University (see above if you would like to see his pic). I will be joining 70,000 students from around the world in this exciting learning experience.

This week we are starting out with reflecting on the language and traits of positive leaders we have already experienced.

Great read
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/leading-by-relationships-scott-taylor

BASIC LEARNING POINTS
1. Effective or resonant leadership relationships typically involve the experience of hope, compassion and mindfulness.

2. Effective, or resonant, leaders remind people of the purpose or vision of the organization. This arouses context, meaning and hope.

3. Resonant leaders care about others, beyond empathy or understanding, they deeply care.

4. Resonant leaders are mindful. That is, they appear to be authentic, transparent, genuine, and act with integrity.

5. On the whole, resonant leaders inspire others. Most of the time, when you leave a conversation or their office, you feel charged up, excited and inspired.

6. Leadership is about the relationship between the leader and the people around him or her.

7. The best leaders build or rebuild resonant relationships. These are relationships in which the leader is in tune with or in sync with the people around him or her.

Personal Insights and Reflection:

****Social Mode vrs Analytic (problem solving) Mode. When you activate one you suppress the other
Social networks- leave us open to new ideas.

Dissonance leaders– lead to more resistant responses, and negative emotions.
Resonate leaders- open to new ideas…. This is why in my office when I am working with students the Working Alliance is important.

One of the most amazing leaders I know is Alec Couros the professor from University of Regina who organized #etmooc (I know I should be moving on to my new mooc experience, but that one was just too magical). Throughout that three month course we had to participate in a number of real time blackboard collaborate sessions and I have reviewed the tapes of these sessions. I admired his authenticity, the fact that he invited us in to his world and his learning process. The fact that he was curious and asked us about our opinions. Often during his sessions/ meetings he would pose an initial question and then would ask prompting questions based on our responses

Has anyone else had a positive leadership experience. Feel free to share.