Abstract
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.