Chapter 6

Personality is the sum of thoughts and feelings that makes someone unique

Nature vs Nurture: Questions if the inborn qualities or personal experiences shape who we really are

Blank Slate principle: This principle states that every newborn baby is born as if they have a blank slate and they will write their personal experiences

Leaders cannot change human nature, but they can have an affect on that environment.

Birth order theory: This theory states that person’s rank within their family can have an affect on their intelligence and personality.

  • This theory is an easy way to begin thinking about how the environment one grows up in can change up their personality

Charisma:

Charisma is invisible energy that a person has which attracts other people

  • Strong charisma can have a negative effect as the followers might be too flattered and will ignore any problems to impress the leader

Johari Window: A tool to explore relationships between ourselves and others. Explores self-perception

This is split into 4 arenas:

  • Public Arena

  • Blind Arena

  • Private Arena

  • Unknown Arena

Myer-Briggs Type Indicator(MBTI) is a self-assessment test in which people reflect on how they work/learn.

  • According to MBTI, there are 16 types of personalities

  • The MBTI supports a leader’s development by making the leader understand themselves so that they become effective in working with others

  • Thinkers are cool, and not swayed by emotion

  • Feelers have strong sense of empathy toward others

  • Judgers value structure, order, and predictability

  • Perceiver keeps their options open

Motivation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggested that individuals were motivated by unfulfilled needs.

  • Self-Actualization Needs

  • Esteem Needs

  • Love or Belonging Needs

  • Safety Needs

  • Physiological Needs

Maslow says that we are motivated by a need of love or a basic connection with people.

He also says that “What can a man be, he must be”. This describes self-actualization

The hierarchy gives a framework of understanding what motivates people

Hawthorne Studies: This is when leaders pay attention to their people and treat them as partners

Classical Conditioning: The process whereby a living thing learns to connect a stimulus to a reflex.

  • People found that classical conditioning is a method to motivate people to pursue a goal

The Milgram Experiment: Milgram discovered that the obedience to authority was its powerful motivator

Interpersonal conflict:

  • In any relationship, there will be conflict

Defense mechanisms:

  • Defense mechanisms are ways to prevent us from any psychological injury

  • Defensive behavior is normal, but it can prevent us from seeing different things

  • Defense behavior can become a habit

Displacement: When someone redirects feelings from about something to another thing less threatening

Projection: Taking someone’s unacknowledged thoughts and falsely attributing them to someone else

Rationalization: When someone devises reassuring or self-serving explanations for their behavior

Intellectualization: This is when a person tries to remove the emotional side of a situation examines their problem in an excessively abstract way.

Denial: When a person fails to acknowledge what has or will happen

Suppression: When a person knows that they have anxiety or problems, they decide to put them aside choosing not to even think about them.

Withdrawal: This is when a person removes themself from people, events, and things around them to bring back painful feelings or thoughts

Conflict:

  • Conflict is a disagreement through which a person perceives a threat to their needs, interests, or concerns

  • Leaders are more interested in solving conflicts because it prevents the teams ability to succeed

  • Conflict creates an uncomfortable feeling which can affect everyone on the team

  • Leaders focus on changing people’s behavior

Methods of managing conflict:

  • Zero-sum game: This sees conflicts in only win or losing terms

  • Mediation: An attempt to resolve conflict by using a third party to help a decision

Leading in a Diverse Society:

  • Leaders need to have respect in a diverse team

  • Being prejudiced means to pre-judge someone

The Armed Forces were one of the first institutions to racially segregate.

CAP was founded upon a commitment to diversity.

Harassment: unwelcome conduct

Retaliation: Someone seeking revenge against someone else who objects to harassment or discrimination

5 ways to end hate

  • Rise up

  • Pull together

  • Speak out

  • Support the victims

  • Teach tolerance