LEADERSHIP AND THE SELF - PSY275 Spring 2021

Date

Class Agenda

Lesson 1:

Feb. 8^th

Topic: Defining Leadership and the Self

Description: Our goals are to preview the themes of the class, discuss our theoretical framework and describe the course assignments and syllabus.

Reading:

·      This syllabus

Assignments/deadlines:

·      Complete info and assessment form

·      Post your introductory video to NEO

·      Bring questions about the syllabus to class

Lesson 2:

Feb. 15^th

Topic: Mastering the Context: Leading and following in an age of self-promotion, image, and globalization

Description: Applying the triad of leadership—leaders, followers and context—we will discuss the defining characteristics of human nature and culture that present challenges to authentic leadership in the 21^st century workplace and communities. Why is mastering, instead of surrendering, to our context important for effective leadership? We will look through the intersection of sociology and psychology for practical insights about how cultures and environments effect the human process of change.

Reading due:

·      Bennis, On Becoming a Leader ch. 2 “Understanding the Basics”

·      Thacker, The Art of Authenticity ch. 1 “The Digital Era of Freedom and Fear”

·      Watch David Brooks TED Talk “The Lies Our Culture Tells Us About What Matters—and a better way to live”

·      Eurich, Insight ch. 1 “The Meta-skill of the 21^st Century”

Assignment due:

·      Take the Insight Self-awareness Quiz online at https://www.insight-book.com/Quiz and upload your results to NEO (emailed to you in a PDF) Note: This short quiz also requires you to send it to a friend that knows you well, so sure to make time for this. (Post your result on NEO)

Lesson 3: Feb. 22^nd

Topic: The Elevating Nature of Leadership; Model of Authentic Leadership

Description: Given the nature of humans and advanced societies, what kind of competencies and practices does one need to have to be a leader? Is morality essential to leadership? How is knowing the self relevant to good leadership? We will explore questions like these using case studies, such as Thomas Clarkson and the abolition of slavery in the British empire. In addition, we will discuss the theory of authentic leadership which will frame much of the class going forward.

Reading due:

·      Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers ch.1 “Values and Leadership”

·      Northouse, Leadership Theory, ch. 11 “Authentic Leadership”

·      Reed, “The Inspiring Story of Thomas Clarkson”

Assignment Due:

·      Reading Quiz #1

SELF-AWARENESS AND BUILDING TRUST

Lesson 4: March 1^st

Topic: Becoming yourself: personality, self-monitoring and truth

Description: We will explore the role of personality in leading others, how personality is constructed and developed, and examine two major psychological constructs for personality. What do personality assessments reveal about us that could help us live more integrated lives? What is the role (and danger) of self-monitoring and charisma for building trust?

Reading due:

·      Bennis, On Becoming a Leader ch. 3 “Knowing Yourself”

·      Eurich, Insight ch. 2 “The Anatomy of Self-Awareness”

·      Watch Tasha Eurich’s TED talk: “Increase your self-awareness with one simple fix”

·      Thacker, The Art of Authenticity ch. 2 “Self-Awareness or is it Selves Awareness?”

·      Optional: Judge and Bono (2000) “Five Factor Model of Personality and Transformational Leadership”

Assignments/deadlines:

·      Take the (free) Myers Briggs Personality Assessment online at: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

Lesson 5:

March 8^th

Topic: Motivations, instincts and personal blindspots (Introduction to The Enneagram)

Description: In this session we will deal with the question, “Does personality really capture who we are deep down?” We will use an ancient system called the Enneagram (Any-a-gram) with its 9 types to discuss personality as a defense mechanism, going beneath the “surface” to core motivational and patterns of thought that drive our behaviors and habits. Students will take the Enneagram assessment to identify their dominant type and explore the ways in which it has shown up in his or her experience and could impact the way in which they build trust with others.

Reading:

·      Riso & Hudson, The Wisdom of the Enneagram ch. 3 “Essence and Personality”

·      Cron & Stabile, The Road Back to You ch. 2 “Finding Your Type”

·      Eurich, Insight ch. 3 “Blindspots”

Assignments Due:

·      Take the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Inventory (PDF on NEO) and upload initial short reflection on NEO with your dominant type listed prior to class

BALANCED PROCESSING AND COLLABORATIVE DECISION-MAKING

Lesson 6: March 15^th

Topic: Balanced processing, openness and bias

Description: We will explore the second domain of authenticity called “balanced processing” in the literature, but we will think of it as the art of staying curious and checking your bias. Good leaders recognize their limitations and thus approach dilemmas in a more open way. Through case studies and interactive activities we will explore the practice of authenticity and the role bias plays in making decisions in teams.

Reading:

·      Thacker, The Art of Authenticity ch. 6 “Balanced Processing and Collaborative Decision Making”

·      Brown, Dare to Lead “Introduction” (see her website: https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/)

·      Nicholson (2017) “Mandela’s Lessons in Self-Leadership” in Think London Business School

Assignments/deadlines:

·      Reading Quiz #2

Lesson 7: March 22^nd

Topic: Self-deception and the dark side of leadership

Description: One can know leadership in deeper way by getting well acquainted with what it is not. We need to understand the “shadows” of inauthenticity and bad leadership to cast light on good leadership. In particular we will discuss the corrupting influence of power and privilege through the life of Vaclav Havel and his efforts of resistance. We will also discuss the dark side of personality—the characteristics that sabotage teams, groups and communities.

Reading:

·      Vaclav Havel “Sonning Prize Speech”: http://old.hrad.cz/president/Havel/speeches/1991/2805_uk.html

·      Ignatieff (2015) “The Hero Europe Needed” in The Atlantic

·      Price, “Explaining Ethical Failures in Leadership” in Leadership & Organization Development Journal

·      Watch: Lance Armstrong interview with Mike Tirico

·      Paulhus & Williams (2002) “The Dark Triad of Personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psycopathy” in Journal of Research in Personality

Assignments/deadlines:

·      Failed Leadership Interview Paper

RELATIONAL TRANSPARENCY AND CANDID COMMUNICATION

Lesson 8: March 29^th

Topic: Relational Transparency and psychological safety

Description: Authentic leaders are those that become more human to those within their sphere of influence and beyond. But for honest conversations to truly take place, leaders must reduce the interpersonal risk of disclosing personal views and information. How does one create the conditions in which people are more honest and transparent? How should followers pursue authenticity in relation to leaders?

Reading:

·      Thacker, The Art of Authenticity ch. 7 “Relational Transparency and Honest Conversations”

·      Edmonson & Lei (2014) “Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct”

·      Listen to: https://www.ted.com/talks/worklife_with_adam_grant_how_to_love_criticism?language=en&referrer=playlist-worklife_with_adam_grant

·      Avolio & Reichard, “The Rise of Authentic Followership” from The Art of Followership by Riggio, Chaleff & Lipman-Blumen (eds)

Assignment due:

·      Self-Assessment Analysis & Plan

April 5-9

Midterm Break

Midterm Break

Lesson 9:

April 12^th

Topic: Emotional Intelligence and Vulnerability in the Leadership Process

Description: We will discuss Goleman and others’ work on emotional intelligence as a key competency for leaders. Eleanor Roosevelt’s life provides an inspirational example of someone with great courage, empathy, and compassion borne of pain and difficulty. In particular, we will reflect on the role that the human vulnerabilities of shame and fear play in leadership. Have we confused vulnerability with weakness?

Reading:

·      Goleman, “What Makes a Leader?” in Harvard Business Review

·      Brown, Dare to Lead section 2 “The Call to Courage”

·      Watch Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady and humanitarian

Assignments/deadlines:

INTERNALIZED MORAL PERSPECTIVE AND LEADING CHANGE

Lesson 10: April 19^th

Topic: Integrity and Moral Development

Description: The fourth component of authentic leadership is the practice of behaving in concert with one’s deepest values. This also requires humility and more sophisticated levels or moral and cognitive reasoning. We will discuss the inherent morality of a leader’s stories through Kohlberg’s model of moral development and Gardner’s cognitive model of leadership. We will also debate the constraints of individual morality in terms of environmental variables and the lessons of Zimbardo’s experiments.

Reading:

·      Thacker, The Art of Authenticity ch. 8 “Internalized Moral Perspective/An Active, Unique GPS System”

·      Prince, (in Wren’s The Leader’s Companion) “Moral Development in Individuals”

·      Watch short video about the Stanford Prison Experiment

·      Read about the Zimbardo’s 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment: https://www.prisonexp.org/

Lesson 11:

April 26^th

Topic: Self-compassion and personal growth

Description: Believe it or not, there is a solid and growing body of research on self-compassion and its benefits. This research has shown that the key to personal growth and well-being in not self-criticism as many assume, but in the practice of self-compassion. Why is that? We will explore the components of self-compassion and apply research-based principles of personal growth.

Reading:

·      Warren, Smeets & Neff (2016) “Self-criticism and Self-compassion: Risk and Resilience”

·      Watch Kristin Neff’s TED Talk on “The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self Compassion”

·      Heath & Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard ch. 7 “Grow Your People”

Assignments Due:

·      Reading Quiz #3

Lesson 12:

May 3^rd

Topic: Creating an Environment of Authenticity

Description: We will move from personal growth, the journey to self-expression as a leader, to the ultimate goal of creating environments that make authenticity and integrity more likely. Leadership, in the end, is not just about a destination but about the orchestration of a process in which people live thrive in all the aspects of their lives. The personal challenge is the challenge of equipping others, mentoring, and designing good cultures.

Reading:

·      Bennis, On Becoming a Leader ch. 6 “Deploying Yourself: Strike Hard, Try Everything”

·      Eurich, Insight ch. 9 “How Leaders Build Self-aware Teams and Organizations”

·      Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers ch. 11 “The Personal Challenge”

Lesson 13: May 10^th

Topic: Bringing it all together

Description: We will use the framework for authentic leadership and discussed how students can use it to continue to develop their capacity for self-aware leadership.

Reading: None

Assignments/deadlines:

·      Research Paper

Final Exam:

May 17^th Make-up day

Topic: Final Presentations

Description: In addition to course evaluations, we will review student research  presentations and application of key concepts. This will be an opportunity to practice giving feedback to others in a way that produces a roadmap to confidence and improvement.

Assignment due:

·      Research Paper Presentation posted on NEO