kets de vries - leaders, fools and impostors

Leaders, Fools and Impostors:Essays on the Psychology of Leadership MANFRED F. R. KETS DE VRIES

VINÍCIUS M. R. ALMEIDADANIEL J. A. TIRACHIRAFAEL C. ALVARENGAPROF. MATEUS T. S.

COZER

The leadership by Kets De Vrieso Generic Perspectives;

oMacro and Sociological Perspectives;

oPhilosophical and Political Perspectives;

oPsychological perspectives;

oEmerging perspectives.

- Freudian psychoanalysis approach, linked to the unconscious of the individual

- Unconscious as a Force that moves the Leader.

- Freud: Childhood’s Reflection from into adulthood.

The Dark Side of Leadership

CLINICAL PARADIGM : Based on Human Behavior

• Rule Makers;• Rule Takers;• Rule Breakers

Insanity: "Doing the same thing several times expecting different results." (Albert Einstein)

Invention X Innovation

1P) Regardless of how irrational seems, has reason;

2P) It is widely determined by forces of the unconscious;

3P) We are all products of our past (Freud)

Don’t live a life ... Create one!o The most effective leaders are those who deal with ambiguity: Those who can restructure complex situations;

o The biggest challenge of leadership is to "think outside the box."

Barriers are internalized and perpetuated in our unconscious ... May undermine the creative development, so innovation becomes transgression. We try to achieve disruption without even changing at all! (SOURCE: SAGE Handbook of Leadership)

1. The Leader as Mirroro Idealizing and mirrored transfers.o Followers tend to idealize their leaders;o At the same time, the leader is glimpsed (mirrored) in the eyes of his

follower and vice versa.

Mirror, latin mirare ("look") and also ("admire"). Can serve both as an instrument of truth and distortion, depending on what you want to see.

o Childhood: Creates a sense of identity of

the individuals since their beginnings.

SOURCE: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/feb/08/black-mirror-charlie-brooker-survival-guide

Mirror, mirror on the wall…oSnow White (Walt Disney); The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde); Narcissus (Greek Mythology).

o The distortion of reality. Metaphor of the Mirror: "We see what we want to see, not what we fear to see."

Fonte: Google.com

2. The Incomplete Self: Narcissism and the Exercise of Power

“ [...] The narcissist depends on others to validate their self-esteem. He can not live without his admired audience [...] For him, the world is a mirror. "(Christopher Lasch, The Culture of Narcissism)

“Almost all men are able to withstand adversity, but if you want to put a man's character to the test, give him power.” (Abraham Lincoln)

o Leadership is the exercise of power, and its quality - good, inefficient or destructive - depends on the individual's ability to manage it.

oPower is a powerful narcotic.

Narcissismo Richard III (William Shakespeare): Richard loves Richard.

o Contardo Calligaris: In a "narcissistic society," the invisibility is more intolerable than prison.

o Abílio Diniz: Ardent fan of sports, centralizer and doesn’t admit being contradicted in their decisions.

o Effect of Power: Disruption of Personality and stagnation of self-realization.

Source: Google.com

3. Letting Go of Power: The Emotional Reckoning

The Effects of Aging The Experience of Emptiness

"Two hours ago I could say five words and be quoted in all the capitals of the world. Now, I could talk for two hours and nobody would give a damn. "

3. Letting Go of Power: The Emotional Reckoning

Retaliation law The Process of Retirement

The Legacy Complex

4. Dead Souls: Understanding Emotional Illiteracy

The identification of Alexithymia

4. Dead Souls: Understanding Emotional Illiteracy

The Organizations man’s predisposition to alexithymia.

Isolated CEO

SYSTEM’S PERSONIndividual Styles

SOCIAL SENSOR

4. Dead Souls: Understanding Emotional Illiteracy

Looking for Solutions

"By logic and reason we die. By imagination we live ".

5. Hubris and the Fool: Humor as a Balance to Power

"The words that would cost a wise man’s life of are surprisingly funny when spoken by a clown."

"Do you think that the things people make fun of themselves are less real than the things they deal sensibly? They are more true: the only things that are true. "

5. Hubris and the Fool: Humor as a Balance to Power

People say, "How can you sell for such low price?", I say, “Because it sucks."

The Danger of Humor The Danger of Arrogance

"... predictable unfolding of uncontrolled narcissism".

5. Hubris and the Fool: Humor as a Balance to Power

The Role of the Fool

"The fool is the only person close to the King who has the wisdom and courage to recognize and tell the truth"

The Use of Humor

"Humor is not resigned; is rebellious "- Freud.

"... fools have protective immunity."

5. Hubris and the Fool: Humor as a Balance to Power

The Organizational Fool

CHECK THE DESTRUCTIVE FORCE OF ARROGANCE

Staying on track

HOLD UP TO REALITY

6. The Impostor Syndrome

Impostors fascinate the public.

Impostor:◦ The one who deceives, defrauds or cheats;◦ Someone who assumes a false personality.

"To the impostor, psychological gratification is, almost always, more important than material gains"

Ferdinand Waldo Demara (1921–1982)

• Trappist monk;• Doctor of Psychology;• Dean of Philosophy at a college in

Pennsylvania;• Law Student;• Civil engineer;• Graduate zoologist;• Oncology researcher;• Elementary school teacher;• Middle school teacher;• Surgeon Lieutenant in the Canadian

Navy (performing real surgeries - successfully - at sea);

• Assistant director of a prison in Texas.

(1961)Source: en.wikipedia.org

Fonte: content.time.com

(2002)

Frank Abagnale Jr. (1948)

• Wanted in 50 states and 26 countries;• Pretended to be a pilot, a doctor and a

lawyer for 5 years;• Forged checks that totaled $ 2.5

million;

• All before turning 21.

• Today: Chairs Abagnale and Associates; • Provided services to the FBI.

Source: www.abagnale.com

Source: www.impawards.com

Source: pearlsofprofundity.wordpress.com

Marcelo Nascimento da Rocha (1977)

• Assumed 16 false identities;

• The most famous: Henrique Constantino (heir of Gol Linhas Aéreas at the time);

• Today: Speaker

(2011) Source: http://revistatrip.uol.com.brSource: cadernodopsicologo.blogspot.com

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Shades of Imposture Feeling like an impostor:

◦ “True” Impostor – Individuals who own identity based on representation rather than their achievements;

◦ “Neurotic” Impostor – Individuals who feel fraudulent while they are actually successful.

Dealing with impostors :◦ Impostors don’t last long;◦ Maintain the ability to test reality;◦ Developing a reflective capacity to find the blind spots the impostor.

7. Leadership and the Abuse of Power: Beyond Complicity

The dynamics of tyrants is simple: Either you are with them or against them.

Many end up conspiring with the tyrant for two main reasons :◦ So they don’t become victims of this tyrant;◦ Identification with the aggressor, in order to solve their problem of

powerlessness or helplessness.

Fear or love encourage the followers these leaders.

“The one who confronts”

Politics of Fear: Internally and Externally

“The excesses of his regime forced people to identify with their aggressor in a surreal level”

Source: http://pt.wikipedia.org/

Saddam Hussein (1937 – 2006)

Conclusion: Managing the Ambiguities of Leadership and Power

The challenge of a leader is knowing how to manage energy.

◦ Must direct the focus of the organization to a common goal;◦ Generate competitiveness while generating emotional energy internally. –

Empowerment and Motivation;◦ Trust and Empathy.

Leadership: A Balancing Act

◦ Leadership is subject to changes;◦ Interpersonal relationships and self-knowledge.

Source: upc.upcscavenger.com

Leaders who will be remembered:

Combining action with reflection;

Self knowledge to recognize the transformations of power;

Doesn’t succumb to the temptations of power. “Malice, cunning and duplicity are

concomitant to the absolute power” – Marcus Aurelius