I always loved connecting with a baseball on the sweet-spot of the bat. The ball seemed to travel at lightning-speed with very little effort on my part. On the other hand, I absolutely hated connecting with a ball toward the handle of the bat. Not only did my pinky and thumb sting and go numb, but it took a lot of effort and he ball went no where. In both cases there was a connection, but only in the  sweet-spot did it resonate well; the other produced dissonance and stinging fingers.

Our leadership is a lot like that.  When we connect well with others, it hits their “sweet-spot” and resonates with them. When that happens, they are very likely to catch our vision, adopt our cause as their own, and expend their time and energy in making it happen.

The bat/ball analogy is the best way I know to illustrate what has been called Resonate Leadership.  The foundational element of Resonate Leadership is a high level of emotional and social intelligence (EI/SI). According to Richard Boyatzis and Daniel Goleman, researchers who have studied and written extensively about resonant leadership, the best leaders get results by first courageously striving to become the best person they can be. In other words, it starts with them.

Resonant leaders:

• Know their strengths and limitations
• Know where they are going
• Have the skills to course-correct internally along the way.
• Are attuned to themselves as well as the deepest needs and dreams of the individuals and collective organizations they lead

Because resonate leaders lead themselves well, others sense they will be lead in the same way and are willing to follow…..and possibly be transformed along the way.

How well are you connecting with your followers? Do  you need to simply adjust your grip or adopt a whole new approach?

Over the next several posts I’m going to discuss more of what a resonant leader is, what they do, and what can be learned in order to become a better resonate leader ourselves.
Stay tuned!