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BIRHAN COLLEGE

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION

GROUP ASSIGNMENT FOR
LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Prepared By:
Group members id no-
1 Tilahun Ayele MBA 0137/13
2 Tamene Wondimneh MBA 0134/13
3 Begashaw Gebrie MBA 0102/13
4 Melkamken Garedew MBA 0124/13
5 Tirubir Teshome MBA 0138/13
6 Fanose kebede MBA
7 Dawit Birhanu MBA 0105/13
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july 2021
PRIMAL LEADERSHIP REFLECTION

In Primal Leadership we see the important concept of emotional intelligence in

leadership explored. According to Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee (2013) very simply: “Great

leaders move us.” The whole premise of the book seems to be to emphasize and describe the

importance of emotionally intelligent leadership, and then help the reader to harness that skill,

and apply it in leadership positions in a variety of contexts. In the past in leadership the focus

was often on issues like vision, or goals or intellect, or other aspects of leadership. Those issues

of leadership are certainly important. But the premise of Primal Leadership is that emotion is the

primary issue of leadership, and if leaders can harness the power of emotion in the people they

lead, they can become much better leaders. At its best Primal Leadership addresses areas of

emotion in leadership that captivate the attention of the reader and make the reader awe in

wonder that they hadn’t fully considered such issues in the past. At its worst Primal Leadership

sometimes sounds like another pop secular leadership book that won’t age particularly well.

“Great leadership works through emotions,” according to the authors. I tend to think

that’s a reality of the world we live in today. People are not and have never been first analytical

or logical beings. People tend to act on their emotions, probably much more than they should.

There is certainly nothing wrong with emotion. Emotion can be a good guide in certain

situations. But emotion can also be a very bad guide at times, as well. In any case, the leader

certainly does tend to set the emotional tone in any setting, religious, business, or otherwise. The

staff are always going to be looking to the leader to provide a context and understanding for how

to react to situations that develop. The authors cite the example of the BBC news room where

the entire department is being fired, and the two executives who deal with the situation so

differently. The first executive deals arrogantly with the reporters, citing how well other

departments are doing and how poorly they did. The reporters’ response is predictable; they go
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crazy with anger. The second executive comes in later and gives the reporters the emotional

platitudes they desire, and they end up cheering. Ultimately the end of the story is the same, the

reporters lose their jobs, but the first executive triggered a rebellion, while the second received

applause and praise. It certainly shows how workers can have their emotions manipulated by the

right words and platitudes.

“The emotional task of the leader is primal- that is, first- in two senses: It is both the

original and most important act of leadership,” according to Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee

(2013). Leader must drive the emotions of the workers in the organization toward the vision and

goals of the organization. They must also overcome the difficulties and setbacks that are caused

by negative emotions that take over and harm productivity. While the emotions of all the staff

members play a role in guiding the overall climate of emotion, the one with the most emotional

sway is of course the leader. One might be tempted to assume that emotions are a secondary

concern for leaders, it’s interesting to note that statistically individuals who are socially isolated

are at greatly increased risk of health problems, while those with many social connections are

less affected by negative stimuli in their lives. The authors note that according to scientific

studies, when two people interact their emotions will sync.

According to Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee (2013) “Scientists have captured this

attunement of emotions in the laboratory by measuring the physiology—such as heart rate—of

two people as they have a good conversation. As the conversation begins, their bodies each

operate at different rhythms. But by the end of a simple fifteen-minute conversation, their

physiological profiles look remarkably similar—a phenomenon called mirroring.” According to

a study cited in the book, in 70 work teams across various industries employees who regularly

sat in meetings together shared common moods after, within two hours apparently (Goleman,
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Boyatzis, & McKee, 2013). With all employees prone to watch the boss the most, of course the

leader has the strongest level of input on the communal emotional state of the employees. Thus

emotional leadership becomes an important part of what the leader does in guiding the

organization and its workers in the right direction.

The concept of the leader as one who “manages meaning” is quite interesting. When a

situation occurs, say someone in the church dies, or an employee is let go, the leader is one helps

the various individuals involved to understand the meaning of the event and how to process it,

and how to feel about it. This is of course very powerful. A leader can bring about a strong

healthy response, by encouraging people at the church to grieve the loss, and take time to share

their emotions about what is happening. Or the leader can cause a very negative response, by not

speaking about the person, and trying to move forward as if nothing has changed. Ultimately

managing the general emotional atmosphere of the church or business is up to the leader at the

top. When a leader properly guides the emotional tone of the organization he or she can become

a “resonant leader.” A resonant leader is attuned to the emotions and speaks to the emotions of

the group, also sharing in their emotional states, while helping guide the emotional state of the

workers in the right direction. The authors cite this as emotionally intelligent (EI) leadership.

Let’s reflect on how this concept of resonant emotionally intelligent leadership can be

applied in the context of ministry leadership. I recall before I came to The Salvation Army’s

seminary school (CFOT) I spent two years at an internship. I shadowed under the leader of the

church there, and learned from him for two years. He was a good leader in many ways. He

tended to guide the mood of the organization in a positive way. He maintained a relaxed

environment where people felt they could speak up as they desired in staff meetings. He laughed

a lot and his energy made you want to smile and laugh as well. This certainly helped
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productivity and provided an overall sense of joy in the work place. Of course there were also

some problems. He was fairly passive with the employees, even when there were clear problems

between employees who did not get along well. We would only meet together once a week, and

sometimes only once a month. This made it difficult for the team to develop a good level of

cohesion. He wasn’t a micromanaging leader, which was wonderful, but sometimes he felt a bit

too far away. He helped cultivate a generally peaceful feeling in the office environment, but he

didn’t really inspire us to take ownership of what we did, and he didn’t help tell the story of the

organization in an emotionally moving way. Though I don’t want to take anything away from

him, he was a good pastor and leader.

I think when I am placed in charge of a Salvation Army corps in seven weeks, I’ll try to

play to my own emotional talents. I’m good at speaking and writing, as well as creativity and

imagination. I’m going to try to be a leader who inspires the staff around me to take ownership

of the ministry work. I hope I can tell the story of the organization in a way that the staff feels

like more than just social workers or administrative assistants, or outreach coordinators, but that

they feel like salvationists, working to serve suffering humanity, and carry the gospel of Jesus

Christ. My first task will be helping guide the employees and church members through the

difficult transition between the officer who has just left and been assigned to a new corps, and

receiving a new leader, who is not only new, but also fresh out of seminary. I know I will have

to be patient with this process. It will take time to build trust, and get connected with who they

are and what they believe. But I will try to help them process the painful emotions of taking on a

new leader, and leaving behind a previous leader, by encouraging them to share how they feel.

I’ll also try to guide them toward emotions like hope, safety, and security. I’ll try to assure them

that they aren’t in danger of losing their jobs. I’ll try to help them understand that the world isn’t
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ending. And I’ll try to encourage them to trust me, while also enforcing an importance in doing

their very best. I’ve made the mistake in the past of being Mr. nice guy. And unfortunately

sometimes people will take this as a sign of weakness, and try to strong arm you, or walk all over

you. So I’m going to try to be more than just Mr. feel nice, but also Mr. accountability, setting a

high standard, and making sure the employees know that I expect them to give their best to their

work.

In conclusion, Primal Leadership is certainly an intriguing guide to human emotion,

emotional intelligence, and resonant leadership. Implementing emotional intelligence in church

ministry should be high on the list of leadership skills to develop in ministry. Emotional

intelligence is definitely more important in modern society than ever before, where emotions

often play a central role, while intellect tends to increasingly take a back seat to feelings. To be a

leader who connects with and guides the emotions of employees, one must learn to sense the

emotions of the group without being overcome by them, while also guiding the emotions of the

group positively in the right direction for the organization. This will be a challenging task, but I

will endeavor to lead in such a way in ministry in the future.

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References

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2013). Primal leadership: Learning to lead with

emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.