As a coach, I frequently encounter leaders like Charlie, a high-potential individual contributor whose dedication to excellence actually stands in his way. Charlie arrives early, leaves late, and even sacrifices weekends to stay on top of his workload. He's eager to move into his first front-line leader role, but his heavy workload never seems to ease up. His wife has begun expressing concern about his weekend work habits, highlighting a common challenge: How can someone transition into leadership while feeling buried in their current role?
When Charlie's organization offers him the opportunity to participate in a Leading with Emotional Intelligence program, his initial reaction is conflicted. This response perfectly illustrates a fundamental challenge in leadership development: how our emotional framework shapes our approach to growth opportunities.
The Research on Leadership Goals
Research published in the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies (Sadler, T., Gibson, S., Reysen, S. (2017), reports the effect of a leadership training program on consideration of future consequences. (Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 10(4), 35-42.) The findings highlight the importance of how we frame our development goals.
Let's explore how this plays out in teams.
Consider a leadership team of functional experts - Human Resources, Engineering, Information Technology, Sales, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Finance. While personally cordial, they operate in silos. Each excels in representing their function, but they struggle to achieve true synergy.
The sales leader, focused on maximizing results, can't understand Marketing's timeline for customer segmentation data or Engineering's prototype delivery schedule. Engineering, meanwhile, expresses frustration with Supply Chain's material cost estimates. Despite individual excellence, the team's lack of cohesion limits their collective potential.
Understanding Goal Orientation
Research shows that when it comes to goals, leaders pursue attainment using one of two strategies:
Promotion: concentrating efforts on achieving positive, proactive, and productive results
Prevention: targeting efforts on avoiding negative outcomes
This distinction proves crucial for leaders like Charlie. If he approaches the emotional intelligence training from a prevention mindset - trying to avoid negative outcomes - his potential for success diminishes. However, if Charlie reframes his perspective to something like, "I want to take this leadership training because it will help me be a better coach and mentor to others in the organization someday," he shifts toward a promotion orientation.
Transforming Leadership Development
Organizations invest billions in training annually, from technical skills to leadership development and team building. While the return on investment data shows mixed results, the orientation of our goals can significantly impact success.
Charlie's journey from individual contributor to organizational leader depends largely on this shift in perspective. By adopting a promotion-focused mindset, he positions himself to truly benefit from the emotional intelligence training and his leadership development journey.
Questions for Reflection
As you think about your own leadership development goals, consider:
How are you orienting the goals of folks in your organization?
Are you creating a positive, futuristic orientation of hope for the future?
Or are you trying to prevent failure?
The orientation of our thinking matters. When we approach leadership development through the lens of promotion rather than prevention, we open ourselves to greater possibilities for growth and impact.
What perspective are you bringing to your leadership journey?
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