M.A. (Leadership, Performance and Change) / In order to become leaders, we need to develop ourselves from within. Often the inner dimension of leadership is undervalued as a ‘soft’ skill and ignored by organisations intent on bottom line results. Nevertheless, a profound understanding of the need for personal leadership is evolving in the 21st century ‒ an understanding which acknowledges that, in order to be a powerful leader, one needs to win, firstly and most importantly, the battle over one’s own mind. In this study the two extremes, the worrier and the warrior, are introduced as a metaphor in terms of which to explore the contrast between a dysfunctional and a highly functional mindset. In order to gain both traction and credibility in the leadership field, the worrier and the warrior ways of thinking are explained and analysed through the dual lens of the relevant literature on leadership and the field of neuroscience with the latter offering a brain based perspective of personal development. The study was designed as a means of exploring the beliefs, thoughts, emotions, behaviours and strategies that underpin a mastery level of leadership. I chose a qualitative methodological approach, specifically reflecting the interdisciplinary and positivist postmodernistic nature of this research type. My ontology is mirrored in the narratives that the warriors shared ‒ subjective truths that are unique ‒ while acknowledging the constructionist view that we evolve continually within a social context, in other words, I believe that social reality does not exist outside people, but that it is created by individuals. I engage an interpretivist epistemological position where the researcher interprets these narratives from the warrior’s viewpoint as well as adding his or her own interpretations of their experiences and views in a social-science perspective . I also used elements of the intrinsic, as well as the instrumental, case study with the aim of gaining an insight into and knowledge of the warrior mindset. The data was described and analysed until key themes emerged which were then integrated meaningfully with the relevant literature on both leadership and neuroleadership. Drawing from this, the key themes that emerged through the process are described as the five swords of the warrior mind. These include consciousness, connection, confidence, control and choice. A further common thread that connected the warriors’ voices was the concepts of mindfulness and emotional regulation. Together with the five swords these concepts of mindfulness and emotional regulation provide the ‘what’ of the warrior experience. This provides the basis for developing a potential future intervention, which may address the ‘how’ of warrior functioning. A strong implication of what leadership mastery means, may be found in the mindset and not in the actions of the leader. In view of what is required for a master’s degree, the mini dissertation is of limited scope while its implications and applications are, at best, modest. Nevertheless, the mini dissertation did provide an opportunity to explore the principles of both neuroleadership and Personal and Professional Leadership (PPL) in order to establish whether they could be used as a means for understanding the transformation potential from worrier pathology to warrior empowerment. It appears that transformation is possible and this research may provide a framework to facilitate such transformation. In addition, it is hoped that the study has enhanced the understanding of warrior thinking through the linking of the neurological and human sciences in explaining this development. I endeavoured to enhance the principles of credibility, dependability and transferability through rigorous auditing, peer debriefing with my supervisors, intermittent reflexivity through engagement with the relevant literature and triangulation. This was further enhanced by my close relationship with the warriors and also by being able to present quite extensive realist tales. However, on reflection, I would have benefitted from an even richer understanding of the warriors’ worlds, as well as a deeper engagement with my supervisors. I believe that this study has made a modest contribution to existing scholarly knowledge and also that it provides a useful framework in terms of which to begin the conversations about the rich and open topic of leadership mastery.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:7720 |
| Date | 02 September 2013 |
| Creators | Bloem, Colleen Anne |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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