The Nuanced Power of Emotional Leaders: It’s More Complicated Than You Think!

Thanks to Hollywood, the portrayal of emotionally bold, assertive, and even aggressive CEO’s who shoot for the stars with audacious goals is presented as the path to power and success as a leader.? However, research in the neuropsychology behind pursuing goals reveals the reality is much more subtle and nuanced.?

That research finds that displaying emotional self-control is a key characteristic that leads to true leadership power, and optimal results.? Further, the setting of bold stretch goals adds to the perceived power and effectiveness of a leader.?

However, there are some interesting nuances revealed by the research findings.

The researchers discovered that bold assertive and even aggressive behavior is viewed positively when it is aligned with bold stretch goals, and that behavior is viewed by others as a necessary approach to achieving those bold stretch goals.? However, if it’s not aligned with those goals, and if it fails to achieve those goals, there can be a backlash effect with the leader’s bold assertive behavior being perceived as having been overly reactive and abrasive.? ?It’s a hindsight in perception effect, which is just one of the realities that makes being a great leader one of the toughest jobs in the world.?

So, what’s the practical application of these research findings for leaders everywhere?

Organizations routinely encourage their leadership to set bold stretch goals for themselves and their teams.? By definition, these are challenging and hard-to-reach goals. ?Hard to reach goals can set the stage for bold, assertive, and even aggressive actions from the leader, especially when there is danger of falling short of reaching the goal. To ensure those actions will be viewed positively rather than negatively, leaders should do the following three things:

1.????? Be intentional about ensuring those actions are seen as aligning with stated bold stretch goals.? Make the connection clear and explicit.

2.????? Be sure your bold assertive actions are indeed necessary to achieve those bold stretch goals.? Make sure other less aggressive approaches have been demonstrated to be ineffective. ?Again, making that connection as explicit as possible is recommended.

3.????? Be sure your bold assertive actions accomplish those bold stretch goals.? Failure to accomplish the goal leads others to fall into the hindsight perception trap of attributing that failure to over reactive leadership actions.?

Striving to do these three things will help eliminate the backlash effect and help you maintain a strong and positive leadership presence even when strong emotional reactions are required to get the job done.?