Resonant Leadership: Inspiring Others Through Emotional Intelligence
Richard Boyatzis
More Than Sound (2009)

How to renew yourself and connect with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion

As I began to listen to the first of three CDs that comprise this set, I was reminded of observations by William James, the father of modern psychology, who wrote that ‘the faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention over and over again, is the very root of poor judgment, character, and will…An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence.’ That faculty, at its core, is the very essence of mindfulness. And the education that James proposes, an education in a mindful approach to life and to thought.”

This is precisely what Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee have in mind in Chapter 6 of their book, Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion as well as in Becoming a Resonant Leader: Develop Your Emotional Intelligence, Renew Your Relationships, Sustain Your Effectiveness they co-authored with Fran Johnston.

Each of the three CDs in this set is devoted to a critically important, in fact one of the defining characteristics of a great leader:

o How they move us
o How they develop resonance and emotional intelligence competencies
o How and why their effective (and authentic) use of hope, ideal self, and vision motivate change initiatives

Eager and ambitious young managers frequently ask, “What’s it going to take to become a great leader?” Boyatzis responds directly and eloquently while suggesting that achieving that worth goal should be viewed as a process, not as a destination. As he has either stated or implied in all of his books and articles as well as, presumably, lectures to his students, all organizations need effective, preferable great leadership at all levels and in all areas. These two points should be kept in mind while listening to these CDs.

(Personal note: I agree with almost everything Bozatzis and Ben Stein have to say and enjoy seeing as well as – in this instance — listening to Boyatzis…but not to Stein. I mention this because the Boyatzis CDs are excellent companions when heard while traveling in a vehicle. The total running time for all three is 176 minutes. If they had been recorded by Stein, the running time would seem like 176 days. One man’s opinion.)

The material on all of the CDs is outstanding and well-presented. However, these are the portions of greatest interest and value to me:

CD #1 (seven segments): “What Distinguishes Great Leaders?,” “Hope, Mindfulness, and Compassion, and “Emotional, Social, Cognitive Intelligence Competencies”

CD #2 (five segments): “The Positive and Negative Emotional Attractors” and ”Sustainable Change Is Multi-Level”

CD #3 (seven segments): “The Positive Emotion Attractor and Vision” and “Metamorphosis”

In weeks and months to come, as my interests change, so will my preferences for segments of the complete program. I think this will also prove true of many (if not most) of others who purchase this set and then listen to all three CDs for the first time. I recommend listening to all three — over time when convenient – but NOT straight through — because knowing what the segments are does not necessarily mean that those you cherry-pick will necessarily have the greatest resonance with your needs and interests. Be prepared to learn, of course, but also to be surprised and (I hope) pleased by what Richard Boyatzis shares.