I honestly believe we human beings (starting with myself) need our heads checked once in a while. I say this because we have such a propensity to do things that make no sense. Whenever I remember what I subjected myself to many years ago, I’m left wondering if I was going through a sadomasochist phase then without knowing it. How else do I explain my repeated visits to a dentist who didn’t have the minutest shred of sympathy or empathy for me? Instead of the soft yet firm and reassuring tone you would expect from a medical professional to put your mind at ease, this man, as if beyond his control, would take a look and just exclaim! Not in the least bit moved by the petrified look on my face and how a person as dark as I am could turn pale in an instant before his very eyes, he would then proceed to tell me how my tooth is a lost cause and how painful the procedure to remove it will be! He seemed totally oblivious to how his behaviour was sure to affect his patient’s mindset, positively or negatively.
Studies by Masood Khawaja have shown that though several factors determine the extent to which a doctor’s patient will adhere to treatment that he or she is given, a lot actually depends on the degree of positive emotional attractor that there is, vis-à-vis negative emotional attractor, in his or her relationship with the doctor. This simply means, what sort of emotions are triggered in the patient’s mind when he or she thinks of visiting the doctor and how positive does the patient feel when with the doctor? The level of treatment adherence has been shown to depend largely on the extent to which the patient feels there’s a shared vision, a shared compassion and a shared positive mood in the relationship with his or her doctor. When the patient perceives these to be present, there’s a greater likelihood that he or she will comply with the doctor’s instructions. Contrary to some beliefs, treatment adherence doesn’t increase when doctors try to shock patients into adherence. This only arouses the Negative Emotional Attractor in the patients, sending them into a defensive mode and ultimately causing them to close down. The resultant low morale is more likely to make them lose hope. In my case, instead of slowing down on sweets and chocolate, which I obviously needed to do, I simply found myself another dentist; one whose dental practice felt less like an abattoir. Any doctor who wishes to improve his patient’s level of treatment adherence should look in one direction and that is in cultivating a resonant relationship with the patient and enhancing the patient’s experience. This exact same principle applies to leaders who desire to be effective.
An effective leader is not necessarily going to be the smartest, the most diligent, the strongest or the most outspoken person in the unit; whether this be in a family or a business organization. Instead, he/she must be able to invoke in others a sense of ownership in the project. He or she needs to be a person who can set the vision but even more importantly, he/she must be able to motivate and inspire others to share in that vision. This shared vision is one of the proven predictors of corporate success. A leader must be able to first identify each person’s talent and then place them where they can express that talent in a way the unit will benefit optimally from it. Next, the leader must harness the individual talents harmoniously unto perfect synergy. He or she must be able to galvanize the energy and strength of the people to fulfil the corporate vision. By cultivating resonant relationships with members of the unit, the leader must be able to inspire all to put in their best.
He or she should exude compassion for subordinates and team members. This is where empathy, am integral component of emotional intelligence comes in. These team members must know their leader genuinely cares about them, their wellbeing and their interests. When you know this of your leader, you’ll be willing to swim the ocean for them. Anything but to let them down. However, if the leader’s supposed regard for them is discovered not to be sincere, they will feel like they are being used to satisfy the leader’s goals only. As a leader it is important you let them know you appreciate their intrinsic as well as their instrumental value. At least, according to the revered ethicist, Immanuel Kant, it is only immoral if you use someone solely for your interest. So, if your use of them is mutually beneficial, that means it passes Kant’s moral test and cannot be deemed to be wrong.
It needs to be said here that a leader must also make himself/herself accessible and available to offer guidance to members and subordinates. Adequate supervision (perceived organizational support) is one of the best strategies a leader can use to ensure his subordinates have a sense of engagement with the organization and it’s goals; yet another determinant of corporate success. The recognized and respected Centre for Creative Leadership in the US, which provides services for more than 2,000 organizations, over 20,000 individuals and 80 of the Fortune 100 companies, conducted a research which found that there are 3 main reasons why both organizations and individuals fail. They are, (1) inability to be a team player, (2) difficulty in handling change and (3) having poor interpersonal skills. Studies have shown that a high emotional intelligence quotient accounts for 90% of what sets great and highly effective leaders apart from peers who match them in technical ability. Careerbuilder, an HR company, surveyed 2600 hiring managers and HR professionals and an overwhelming number of them (71%) professed to placing greater premium on emotional intelligence quotient (EI) than on intelligence quotient (IQ). What was the rationale behind this? To put it in their own words, “individuals with high EI quotient build great teams and great teams do the best work”. With his penchant for employing scare tactics and benching star players at the drop of a hat, Mr José Mourinho, in my opinion has repeatedly shown himself to lack the requisite EI (and character that comes with it) to manage players and get the best out of them; particularly when things are no longer going according to plan. Leaders must always be conscious of how their mood and behaviour will affect their team positively or negatively, so they must learn to relate with them in a way that will get the best out of them, in good and especially in challenging times. It takes an effective leader to blend a group of individuals of unequal talent and competing egos into a team. Will this latest sacking spell “adieu” to José’s career as a football coach or just “au revoir”? Only time can tell. For now we’ll just say, so long José.
Changing the nation…one mind at a time.
