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Emotions, Behavior & the Dynamics of Leadership

Topic: Therapy and CounselingBy Anne Dranitsaris, PhDPublished Recently added

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Leaders no longer have the protection of a structure of given authority behind which their vulnerabilities remain unseen. The new social norms have transformed organizations into social democracies where leaders are expected to reveal themselves and their irrational side to their staff, to enhance their awareness and sensitivity to group dynamics, and to increase their ability to communicate affect. In summary, it requires them to be emotionally astute and self aware.
Part of the new reality of organizational life is that organizations are emotional places simply because they rely on human beings to function. The notion that adult humans are emotional beings who experience love, hate, fear, and envy who are prone to pleasure and pain, and who have a need to express these emotions in the context of their work, has become more acceptable. It is also recognized that the interpersonal nature of organizations results in the inevitable arousal of emotions such fear, anxiety, and envy resulting in competitiveness, rivalry, conflict, dominance and submission.
Although emotions are central to human behavior and experience, scientific theory and research dismissed their relevance during most of the last century. Previously, this area was less pertinent, as the focus of leadership was on systems, structure and function, and the dynamics of how these interacted with the exte
al environment. Emotions were viewed as immaterial to and interfering with the achievement of objectives. The focus has shifted dramatically during the last 30 years, however, and we have observed increased interest in emotions in a number of disciplines, including leadership behaviour. As a result, the role of emotion and interpersonal effectiveness in leadership success has taken on a greater level of importance.
Despite this shift, there is still a long road ahead. While the rational mind of leaders accepts their importance in theory, and gives intellectual assent to their importance, emotions are still not understood, nor are they utilized to the benefit of organizations. Emotions continue to be repressed or controlled within leadership teams and within organizational cultures. Although Emotional Intelligence is popular as a leadership development concept, it is rarely utilized as a mechanism for exploring the emotional life of the leader and organization. In addition, the leader’s beliefs about emotional expression and the potential negative consequences of changing their own behaviour gets in the way of harnessing the power of emotions and the energy they produce in the service of the corporate objectives. As a result, emotions continue to be judged and marginalized, with little focus on understanding the relationship between an emotion and the behaviour it evokes, nor on the impact emotions have on decision-making, employees, culture and organizational success.
Cheers,
Anne Dranitsaris, PhD

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About the Author

The Visionary Striving Style

Anne Dranitsaris, Ph.D, brings a lifetime of study, “psychological savvy” and hands-on clinical experience to helping people become who they are meant to be. Her interest in creating mental health, coupled with her interest in personality systems and the dynamics of human behavior, has influenced the development of the Striving Styles Personality System.
Holistic Approach to Learning

Driven by a vision for a holistic approach to emotional and physical health, Anne chose educational pursuits that aligned with her passion. At the same time, she studied at mainstream universities such as Ryerson (Business Management), University of Toronto (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Religious Studies) and ADR Institute of Ontario (Alte
ate Dispute Resolution). Anne looked for training institutes that would help her integrate the cognitive, emotional and physical approaches to healing the mind and body. This education included: receiving her degree as a Registered Massage Therapist; graduating from the International School for Spiritual Sciences (Montreal); psychotherapy certification from the Centre for Training in Psychotherapy (D.C.T.P); studies at the Masterson Institute for Disorders of the Self (New York); and a Ph.D. in Therapeutic Counseling from the Open International University for Complementary Medicine (WHO).
Committed to lifelong learning, Anne has completed postgraduate programs in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Spiritual Self-Schema Development, Brain and Behavior and Emotional Intelligence (EQ-i), and she has been a long-time follower of the work of Carl Jung. Anne continues to stay educated and informed about recent advances in neuroplasticity, brain development, mindfulness and social intelligence.

Executive Coaching & Corporate Therapy

Anne became one of Toronto’s first Executive Coaches in the late 1980’s. She could see the direct application of the therapeutic tools to the corporate world, which drove her to expand her work into that realm. Anne began using the title of corporate therapist to indicate the depth with which she worked with leaders and teams developing emotional intelligence, behavioral competence and relationship skills in organizations. She has also used her unique approach to work through dysfunctional relationships, partnerships, teams and boards.
Prior to starting SKE, Anne built several successful companies including Sage Developmental Resources, an organizational consulting firm focused on behavioral alignment, and the Centre for Mindful Therapies, which offered customized Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Programs to organizations and individuals. In addition, she worked extensively with Heather on Several global leadership development initiatives for Caliber's clients, providing both individuals coaching and facilitating high performance team development at the executive and senior management levels.
Sought After Writer

A prolific and frequently cited writer on the impact of behavior, emotional intelligence and personality styles in the workplace, Anne has written a series of books on personality type based on Jung’s theory of Psychological Type. The Personality Profile Series© books are used to help individuals in coaching and counseling to understand themselves, their environment, their partners, and their children. Anne's latest series of books, The Jung Typology Series©, focuses on understanding the impact of personality type on employees, teams and leaders.
Anne has been featured in the media — on radio and on television — as well as in a wide range of national and international publications including USA Today, The New York Post, Huffington Post, The Toronto Star, NOW Magazine, The Globe and Mail and TIME.com. Additionally, her work has appeared in three issues of “O” Magazine within the past year, with her article on Striving Styles being included in the “O” Annual as one of the year’s top articles. She has recently been contracted to write for an upcoming issue of “O”.

Emotions, Behavior & the Dynamics of Leadership

About the Author

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