You’re a leader. And if you’re like me, you want to be a better leader so that you can live your purpose and impact the world positively.
Becoming a better leader is a journey, not a destination. I’m reading Primal Leadership, Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman along with Richard Boyatzis, and Annie Mckee.
Richard Boyatzis breaks down the process of self-directed learning which is at the heart of useful and sustainable leadership development. There are five discoveries to be made along each cycle of the journey.
- Ideal Self – Who do you want to be?
- Real Self – Who are you? What are your strengths and gaps?
- Learning Agenda – How can you build on your strengths, while reducing your gaps?
- The pursuit of Mastery – Experimenting with and practicing new behaviors, thoughts, and feelings to the point of mastery.
- Support – Developing supportive and trusting relationships that make change possible.
Boyatzis says this is not a linear process, “The steps don’t unfold in a smooth, orderly way, but rather follow a sequence, with each step demanding different amounts of time and effort.”
An illustration of the five discoveries makes this easier to understand.
Unknown to me before reading Primal Leadership, this model makes sense to me. So I now see why the ManKind Project (MKP) is an extraordinary place for men to develop their leadership. What we do in MKP maps directly to the five discoveries.
- Ideal Self – On the New Warrior Training Adventure, each man discovers a golden mission of service. Later in iGroups and through other leadership training men learn about the archetypical energies of the King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover.
- Real Self – Accountability and deep introspective provide space for realistic self-assessment. Too often our beliefs diminish or over inflate our perception of who we are.
- Learning – With opportunities to learn about leadership, practice leadership in the community and when staffing New Warrior Training Adventure, receive and give mentoring and feedback discoveries are frequent.
- Mastery – Staffing the New Warrior Training Adventure and men’s circles provide places to experiment, practices, try-on new ways of being in pursuit of mastery.
- Support – All of this is done in supportive places.
Hit reply: Where are you practicing your leadership?
Live a Bold & Authentic Life
Matt
