Leadership Lens: Leadership of the mind and state
The skill of managing mindsets and emotional experience is one of the great tools of leadership, writes Development at Work Australia GM Bridget Hogg.
We live in a world where good leaders and dictators live side by side, using the same tools.
Powerful leaders manage both their own mindset and that of others. They know how to choose their emotional experience and influence the emotions of those around them. But powerful leaders are not always good leaders.
Australia hasn’t been immune from leadership failures – such as in the “Robodebt” scandal, which saw whistleblowers jailed and caused widespread distress and even, tragically, loss of life.
Is your leadership brave enough to challenge undesirable outcomes when you see them? Are you a leader who can see when it’s all going awry and take a stand?
We live in challenging times. We need leaders who can see the potential outcomes of the paths we choose. Leaders who’ll take a stand, even when it’s difficult to do so.
Are you that type of leader? When you can see something isn’t right, will you step up, step in and call it out?
Lead yourself, your mind, and your emotions first
The skill of managing mindsets and emotional experience is one of the great tools of leadership. If you can’t manage your own emotional state, it’s very hard to manage anything else. When you start with self-leadership (leading your own thoughts and experience), you can then develop the skills to lead others’ emotional experience and mindset.
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A tool isn’t good or bad in itself – it depends on what you do with it.
Take a look around at the people leading you. Do the leaders in your family and community lead in a way that aligns with your needs and values? Do you trust the decisions of those leading our state, or our country? Do you trust our educators?
What kind of leader are you? You may be responsible for people, projects, budgets, organisations, a community, a state, or even a country. But are you in charge of your own mind and emotions?
When I was much younger, I believed that “anyone would react in the same way I did if this happened to them”. It was only when I grew older that I realised that many people had access to mental tools I didn’t – ways of thinking that enabled them to manage their thoughts and feelings, and even guide the emotional states of others. Once I knew that, I went in search of them.
Do you have those tools at your disposal, allowing you to manage your own mental state when things get tough? If so, can you guide others around you through the same challenges?
The essence of leadership is thought leadership and mastering emotional intelligence
Think of some great leaders. There are many to choose from!
It’s likely that many people would pick leaders known for their humanity or compassion – such as Mother Theresa or Jacinda Ardern – or leaders known for their thought leadership, who help people think in new ways – such as Elon Musk, Richard Branson, or Thomas Edison.
Or perhaps you identified thought leaders who were masters of emotional intelligence? People who can understand and manage their mindset (especially in challenging times) and who manage the emotional state of others around them? A good example of this is Tony Robbins, the author, coach and motivational speaker – he regularly directs the emotional experiences of up to 10,000 people at a time. Or maybe you know a child educator who can manage both their own emotional state, and that of the children in their care? This kind of leadership is very powerful.
What I learnt on the GLF Program
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When taking part in the Governor’s Leadership Foundation program, one of the biggest things I learned was that each leader is very different. We don’t always share beliefs and values. Sometimes the behaviour of others shocked me, and this was a valuable lesson to learn. Throughout history there have been leaders who have held to some shocking values. Sometimes we can’t trust “leaders” to do the things we would, or in the way we want them to be done.
“She’ll be right” thinking doesn’t always serve us
Looking at the leaders around us and seeing how their choices differ from the way we want things done can spur us into action. It can inspire us to get involved, to have a say, and to take an active leadership role ourselves. It’s never enough to say “she’ll be right” if that means turning a blind eye to behaviours or political directions we can’t support.
When people use powerful tools for outcomes that we’re not happy about
Could you spot evil if you saw it?
Being able to lead the emotional experience of others isn’t purely the preserve of good leaders. Some shocking political leaders have also been able to influence the emotions of thousands.
Phillip Zimbardo came up with the theoretical idea of the Lucifer Effect – also called the Zimbardo effect – to describe why good people do bad things. Key contributing factors were “expert directions”, “peer pressure”, the “dehumanisation of others”, and an “urge to conform”. These are factors that could affect any of us. If you’ve never read “The Lucifer Effect: How Good People Turn Evil” by Phillip Zimbardo, I highly recommend it – especially the final chapters, where he outlines how to avoid turning a blind eye to evil.
The book discusses the 1971 Stanford prison experiment, including how it got out of hand, and why none of the researchers realised and stopped it. In the end, it was another psychologist coming in from outside who insisted it be shut down. Sometimes others “going along with it” blinds us. Great leaders need to have and use an internal moral compass that sets the boundaries of behaviour.
How do you manage your own emotional state?
If you’re seeking to improve your ability to manage thoughts and feelings, there are many options. One practical starting point is to pay attention to the areas of your life that are within your control – such as how you use your body, where you place your focus, and the meaning you give to events – and to recognise how intentional changes in these areas can significantly shape your emotional experience.
Bridget is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Adelaide’s Organisation Development consultancy “Development at Work Australia” and she provides outplacement services under the brand “Outplacement Adelaide”. She helps government agencies and businesses in Adelaide to: assist retrenched workers to find work they want; manage the people aspects of change; and attract and retain talent.
Leadership Lens is a monthly column produced alongside the Leaders Institute of South Australia. Click here to read the series.
