The Neuroscience of Inspirational Leadership

The thoughts that followers have while listening to a leader speak are described in the essay The Neuroscience of Inspirational Leadership: The Importance of Collective-Oriented Language and Shared Group Membership by Pascal Molenberghs, Guy Prochilo, and Niklas K. Steffens. Supporters strongly believe in a leader who shares their vision, and it is even better if the leader is a member of their group, according to this article. (Molenberghs, Prochilo, Steffens, Zacher & Haslam, 2011). The writers point out that a leader may have important ideas, but he is limited by the followers’ outlook. The public is also likely to pay allegiance to a leader belonging to a particular party and not even pay attention to an opposition leader. The authors have succeeded in illustrating that indeed when a leader comes from an individual community or group, this may accelerate and facilitate the messages that he passes to the people.

Flow and Resonance

Resonance is the act of being engrossed in a current activity, and it mostly occurs when a leader is guiding or mobilizing his followers towards a good course (Marshall, 2009). Flow is the actual concentration that people pay to a particular activity (Marshall, 2009). For the leader and his followers to have resonance and flow, he must be able to address their current needs and the changes that they are looking forwards to achieving (Cuervo, 2015). The gain must always be greater than the risk that they have to go through fighting for the course.

Example

Dr. Martin Luther King was a black American that was determined to fight for the rights of the black Americans. The slaves knew that for a long time they had been oppressed, and king’s mission just fueled their desire further. In his speech, Dr. Martin Luther King notes that the black man has been delineated from critical resources in the country like schooling, accommodation, businesses and even travel (SullenToys.com, 2011). King further highlights that the white people have not honored the promises that they made in the declaration of independence, illustrating that everyone was equal in the land (SullenToys.com, 2011). Working with Martin Luther King thus created the flow that was necessary to emancipate the black man and the unity also helped them to achieve their objective. As a student, there have been instances where I am so engrossed in my studies that I flow with it and hence have little space for distractions. I experience resonance when I can well articulate the points learned in class and what I have understood from the revisions.

How can a leader create resonance with their followers?

Leaders can create resonance with their supporters by clearly articulating what they are championing for and how that may benefit the people (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005). The leader should have a shared vision of the people because that is the only way he can get the support that would enable him to succeed in his quest (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002). The leader ought to instill hope amongst his people that there is indeed a better future that awaits them (Gallagher, 2012). A leader should also be mindful to his well-being and also pay attention to his surrounding (Shalley & Gilson, 2004). Lastly, the leader must be compassionate to others and being kind enough to help them achieve their dreams.

Research Analysis

Indeed, Molenberghs et.al. (2011) is right on concluding that some leaders fit better with certain followers. The followers according to this study are more likely to receive and internalize information better when it comes from a leader within their group as opposed to one outside their group. It only gets better when the leader has a shared vision with his followers.

References

Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant Leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Cuervo, J. (2015). Leaders don’t command: Inspire growth, ingenuity, and collaboration. Alexandria, VA : ATD Press.

Gallagher, D. R. (2012). Environmental leadership: A reference handbook. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press.

Molenberghs, P., Prochilo, G., Steffens, N. K., Zacher, H., & Haslam, S. A. (2011). The neuroscience of inspirational leadership: The importance of collective-oriented language and shared group membership. Journal of Management, 0149206314565242.

Shalley, C. E., & Gilson, L. L. (2004). What leaders need to know: A review of social and contextual factors that can foster or hinder creativity. The leadership quarterly, 15(1), 33-53.

Speech to the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid Nelson Mandela. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4514109/speech-united-nations-special-committee-apartheid

SullenToys.com. (2011). I have a dream speech. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs

Marshall, S. (2009). Values-driven leadership. In Conversation (Vol. 1, No. 2). Routledge.