Below the Surface Leadership: Its Link to Purpose, Power, and Trusting Relationships

The workplace and society are both evolving simultaneously. It will need new leaders that can support and uplift their staff. These new leaders will fully embrace the leadership position and will be able to penetrate the hearts and souls of their people. The overall objective of the “Below the Surface Leadership” paradigm of inclusive leadership is to replace the divisive “exterior-ness” of conventional corporate cultures with cultures that encourage belonging. The “Below the Surface” leadership style of servant leaders sets them apart from other kinds of figureheads.  As the world adapts to new problems, new cultures, and a new generation of leaders and followers, the distinguishing quality of a great servant leader will be the depth of character, or what is in a person’s heart.

In today’s complicated and fast-paced world, the most successful leaders reject the need to dominate and control people in favor of concentrating on setting up the circumstances for success (Power and Politics, Chapter 12). In today’s faster-paced and more unpredictable environment, where leaders have less direct control, a new approach to leadership is required. The “Below the Surface” leadership qualities of aptitude and character—patterns of behavior, abilities, and style preferences—are more important success drivers when conditions are more dynamic and unpredictable. The most flexible and resilient teams stick together behind mission-critical goals and maintain a strong working relationship so they can continue to make progress even when new obstacles appear or their environment changes. Consequently, it is essential to have reliable connections and effective team dynamics (Bergland, 2015). Leaders may encourage adaptation by motivating and energizing the organization via the application of purpose, values, and culture. These factors have an effect on people’s choices and actions in a manner that is more adaptable and flexible, and foster a culture of purpose-driven results, trust, and better relations.

Balboa and Glaser (2019) note that conversations may impact the physiology and psychology of the brain in addition to functioning as a route of information transmission. These modifications may either enable a person to have dependable and supportive communication or they may prevent them, forcing the individual to talk out of caution, fear, or worry. Transformational dialogues, sometimes referred to as co-creating talks, include participants in interaction dynamics such as sharing and learning (Balboa and Glaser, 2019). This process involves engagement of all followers as a strategy by a leader to create healthy connections. This cutting-edge mode of communication encourages careful listening to completely comprehend the viewpoints of others and encourages the generation of more original ideas. The “Below the Surface” leadership idea places a lot of emphasis on meaningful relationships. Conversation may help a leader earn the respect of their followers, increase their self-awareness, and exert greater control over them.

Now that a “new normal” is on the horizon following the COVID-19 pandemic, the most successful firms will embrace a leadership style that allows people and institutions to become much more adaptive in better responsiveness to changing business framework. After the pandemic, additional abrupt changes are anticipated, including a continuation of the unpredictable and variable nature of the situation as well as a greater need for openness and responsibility to a larger range of stakeholders. People and organizations will be able to notice and react to changes in the business environment more rapidly thanks to this paradigm. To do this, leaders would gradually veer away from more traditional approaches to leadership, which were effective when circumstances were more stable and predictable and relied on personal bravery and top-down orders. From a Below the Surface leadership perspective, leaders must get accustomed to having less power (Power and Politics, Chapter 12). The cascading of plans, information, and objectives via current hierarchies will lessen the ability of CEOs to directly affect the operations of their businesses in the future. As described in Chapter 13.3 (The Power to Influence), the way that power is perceived and utilized in the future will change substantially. The best leaders will instead concentrate on establishing the circumstances that allow their team members to quickly adjust to change (Bergland, 2015). They might do this by using the interpersonal skills necessary for effective leadership. Trust, empathy, culture, efficient teamwork, and information sharing are some of these skills.

In conclusion, outstanding leaders possess a range of skills, but a solid foundation of trust is the key to their success. In today’s leadership environment, flexibility as a leader is highly regarded along with good communication skills and the willingness to cede some of one’s prior power. Even the most assertive and persuasive team members must work together for the success of the team; otherwise, they run the risk of causing conflict and lowering employee engagement. According to the leadership theory “Below the Surface,” there has to be a major shift in the way that leadership is currently practiced. For “Below the Surface” leadership, good connections with team members are essential, as are open communication, real criticism, conflict resolution, and frequent check-ins, all of which are used to establish purpose, create trusting relationships, and exercise power in a way that is beneficial for all stakeholders.

References

Bergland, C. (August 12, 2015). The Neuroscience of Trust. Psychology Today. Available from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201508/the-neuroscience-trust

Balboa, N., & Glaser, R. D. (May 16, 2019). The Neuroscience of Conversations: A deep dive into the fascinating world of conversations. Psychology Today. Available from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conversational-intelligence/201905/the-neuroscience-conversations

Chapter 12: Power and Politics. 12.1 The Basics of Power. BC Campus. Available at https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/obcourseweir/chapter/12-1-the-basics-of-power/

Module 13: Power and Politics. 13.3 The Power to Influence. Available from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-orgbehavior/chapter/13-3-the-power-to-influence/