I am currently going to therapy because I found myself experiencing ever increasing levels of stress about not having enough time to get things done. I was trying to work, go to school, help my parents look after my niece, take care of a very sick dog, look after my own household and burning myself out in the process. In therapy, I discovered that I do this to myself because I have a need to please everyone and a need to do it perfectly. Why? What will happen if I fail?Today? Nothing. But clearly something in my past, trained me to think that there would be serious consequences if I failed.
According to Northouse (2016) psychodynamics is the study of the subconscious motives behind human behavior. These behaviors are our unconscious responses to situations that have similar emotional stigma to experiences from our past (Neely 2016). These unconscious responses are blind spots in that people don’t even know what motivates them (Northouse 2016).
These responses carry over into our leadership styles, and if we can discern our motivations, we can be better leaders (Northouse 2016). Our personalities are developed from our Core Conflictual Relationship Themes (CCRT’s) which are our hidden desires and intentions (Northouse 2016). Leaders who understand their SSRT’s and those of their followers are the most successful (Neely 2016).
I took the abridged Leadership Archetype Questionnaire, located on page 318 of our textbook, to identify the personality qualities, that I developed in my past, that would make me a good leader moving forward. My results indicated that I was a mix of The Processor and The Coach archetypes. According to Northouse (2016) The Processor is someone who is structured, sensible, meticulous, dependable, organized, good at time management, and highly functioning under stress. These are all qualities that I pride myself on having as an employee. However, Northouse (2016) states that these qualities can make a leader inflexible toward change and new situations. I agree that these qualities in a leader could make me inflexible, but I think more from the sense that I would hold people to my own very high standards for punctuality and perfection, and those standards may not be realistic.
The Coach is someone who is empathetic, an extremely good listener, is good at reading other people and their emotions, and gives others the benefit of the doubt (Northouse 2016). The drawback to these qualities, as a leader, is that we may be too diplomatic to effectively provide feedback (Northouse 2016). I find that because of these qualities, I am well-liked in my current job. However, I agree that in a leadership capacity, these qualities would make it difficult for me to discipline or even fire someone.
References
Neely, B. Psych 485: Lesson 3: Psychodynamic Approach. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1834747/modules/items/21827811
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 7th Ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. pp 295 – 327.