High Level Leadership: No Sacrifice

There is confusion about what Millennials expect of their leaders. These young workers want no less from the boss than what Abraham Maslow called "self actualization" back in the 50s and 60s. That means that office environments and corporate policies should emphasize personal growth as a precursor to financial achievement.

Some managers will nod their heads enthusiastically, as if this high minded objective is , common sense. Many managers, remembering their low scores in Psyche 101 in college (as well as their problems hitting quarterly profit projections), will roll their eyes in disbelief.

However, former Harvard professor Robert Kegan (An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization) has conducted research that makes the link between personal growth and financial performance clear and tangible.

Self actualization is the second-highest form of personal growth; it is a pertinent and practical goal for all employees, not just managers. It enables workers to remain stable under stress and to protect their highest goals from disruption by distracting impulses and thoughts.

Self actualization inspires worker productivity. But it goes deeper than that. Self actualized employees seldom get out of control or are self-destructive. Their outlook on the future is consistently bright because they do not depend on the boss or their client to make them happy. They are not doubtful. Most important, they have a sense of authenticity and meaning. They consistently act in a way that "fits them."

This research means managers are being given the opportunity to demonstrate certain positive qualities that "bring out" the same qualities in workers, over time. Those qualities attract customers, lower workplace stress, enhance decision-making and foster creative thinking (which reveals opportunities).

Those qualities are:

· Acceptance (Sample item: "I accept all of my quirks and desires without shame or apology.")

·        Authenticity (Sample item: "I can maintain my dignity and integrity even in environments and situations that are undignified.")

·        Equanimity (Sample item: "I tend to take life's inevitable ups and downs with grace, acceptance, and equanimity.")

·        Purpose (Sample item: "I feel a great responsibility and duty to accomplish a particular mission in life.")

·        Efficient Perception of Reality (Sample item: "I am always trying to get at the real truth about people and nature.")

·        Humanitarianism (Sample item: "I have a genuine desire to help the human race.")

·        Peak Experiences (Sample item: "I often have experiences in which I feel new horizons and possibilities opening up for myself and others.")

·        Good Moral Intuition (Sample item: "I can tell 'deep down' right away when I've done something wrong.")

·        Creative Spirit (Sample item: "I have a generally creative spirit that touches everything I do.")

When managers become self actualized, they realize their identity and link it to a broader, selfless agenda. They "forget themselves" and focus on helping others without any interest in getting anything in return. In other words, they refocus on self-transcendence. So self actualization is really a transitional goal, a rite of passage, a step along the path to the transcendence of identity. We find ourselves in order to erase ourselves. 

Most important, self-actualized managers don't sacrifice their potentialities in the service of others; rather, they use their full powers in the service of others. This is an important distinction.

You don't have to choose either self-actualization or self-transcendence -- the combination of both is essential to having a full and meaningful career.

This is the next chapter of leadership. It looks like servant leadership, but it is preceded by a deeper awareness of who we are and why we really exist. The next generation of workers wants to be inspired by managers who embrace this general notion. Understanding and embracing this psychological and philosophical dimension to business is our next challenge, our duty and our 'grace.'