Primordial Leadership™: Excerpt 2: A BRIEF History of Western Leadership Thought in The Last 100 Years
Primordial Leadership™: Excerpt 2: A BRIEF History of Western Leadership Thought in The Last 100 Years
Primordial Leadership™: Excerpt 2: A BRIEF History of Western Leadership Thought in The Last 100 Years
Primordial
Leadership
By Lawrence D. Duckworth
and In Others
Copyright, Lawrence D. Duckworth, 2013
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PRIMORDIAL
"adjective \pr-m r-d-l\
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a: first created or developed : primeval
b: existing in or persisting from the beginning (as of a solar system or universe)
c: earliest formed in the growth of an individual or organ : primitive <primordial cells>
PRIMAL
"adjective \pr-ml\
1: original, primitive
2: first in importance : primary
DRIVE
"To press or force into an activity, course, or direction"
Source: Merriam-Webster.comom
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Les Miserables
"One evening little Gavroche had had
no dinner; he remembered that he
had had no dinner also the day
before; this was becoming tiresome.
He resolved that he would try for
some supper."--Victor Hugo
The Grapes of Wrath
"How can you frighten a man whose
hunger is not only in his own
cramped stomach but in the
wretched bellies of his children? You
can't scare him--he has known a fear
beyond every other."--John Steinbeck
Early Labor Credo
The trade union movement
represents the organized economic
power of the workers... It is in reality
the most potent and the most direct
social insurance the workers can
establish. --Samuel Gompers, early
U.S. labor leader
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Attempts to unionize to gain power for the workers started to gain traction in the late 1800s, often by
women originally. In the later 1800s and early 1900's in the U.S. Samuel Gompers (Cigar Workers Union)
and others eventually founded and confederated labor unions (e.g., the AFL (American Federation of
Labor) and CIO (Congress of International Organizations), who later merged). They began to fight for
more worker power balance against the top-down, one-sided impositions of industrialists. Using
political power to augment workers economic powers, federal administrations supported efforts to give
more power to workers via passing the Clayton Act of 1914 and the Norris-LaGuardia Act of 1932. The
Roosevelt administration then supported this trend via many labor laws, including establishing the
National Labor Relations Board (in the 1935 Wagner Act) to better protect workers. It was growingly
recognized that a strong middle class, founded on power-based rewards sharing via union power to
offset powerful owners, was important to Americas future strength via a middle class.
In Europe, political support for workers and union organizing somewhat lagged the aggressive pace in
America initially due to tradition being an even stronger force there, but at some point even surpassed
workers' rights and unionization in the U.S. Today, politics and labor unions under generally quasiSocialist political banners have major sway in most European countries.
More modern leadership views began evolving in the early to mid-20th century. As increased ecosystem
(economic strength) based Safety grew there were more societal pressures for owners to be more
compassionate (Sociability). Many laws were also passed to help workers.
In third world countries, workers rights generally continue to be weak, which contributes to the
economic disparity gap in many locations. In some, like present day Venezuela, Bolivia and other
countries, Socialists have politically garnered major worker power reactions to income disparity to
supposedly provide some power balance. The success or failure of Socialism is still in process.
Dictatorships and Monarchies of different types generally favor the powerful, who are needed to
support the dictators and not revolt. North Korea is a good example. Workers suffer greatly.
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potentials [I might get more rewards], and Hope was also triggered.) Productivity improved. Success
reports went far and wide. Leaders started to think differently.
Then, in the 1930s and 1940s modern leadership mores and insights began to actively take hold in the
universities. Lectures and books began to picture workers as being of more than one dimension.
Physiological Needs
Safety Needs
Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness
Needs for Esteem
Needs for Self-Actualization.
As can be seen, Maslow importantly described the impacts, or the results, of the Primal Drives, including
a flow of Needs, and thus got close to the lower, causative Primal Drives by identifying their symptoms
well; and even named one, Safety. Safety, Selfishness, Transcendence, Sociability and more are reflected
in the two-dimensional needs Hierarchy. The truth of this is revealed when we ask Why? are these
Hierarchy drives like they are? What caused them? Answer: The Primal Drives, one level lower than
Maslow took us.
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Hygiene Factors
Pay and Benefits
Achievement
Recognition
Work Itself
Responsibility
Promotion
Growth
Company
Policy
Administration
and
In terms of the Primal Drives, Herzberg missed the deeper Why? causal factors, but did reflect the
marbling nature of them in varying, complex situations. Value was added.
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His book The Human Side of Enterprise (1960) is a seminal work in management as it introduces a
humanistic approach to the business perspective. McGregor's view was a critic on what we perceived as
erroneous assumptions of the human relations approach that was popular after the Hawthorne
experiments.
It was also clear to McGregor that prevalent management practices of bossing workers through
control and direction were also wrong and counterproductive.
"This McGregor termed Theory X and the perspective assumed:
The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can...
Because of this human characteristic of dislike of work, most people must be coerced, controlled,
directed, and threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort toward the
achievement of organizational objectives...
The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has relatively little
ambition, and wants security above all.
Reminiscent of Follett, McGregor argued for a shift of perspective towards one that emphasized the
integration of individual and organizational goals. This view of humans he termed Theory Y:
The expenditure of ...effort in work is as natural as play or rest. The human being does not inherently
dislike work...
External control and the threat of punishment are not the means for bringing about effort... . Man will
exercise self-direction and self-control in the service of objectives to which he is committed.
Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. The most
significant of such rewards, e.g., the satisfaction of ego and self-actualization... .
The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek
responsibility. ...
The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity in the solution
of organizational problems is widely ...distributed... .
The intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilized.
The McGregor insights were very well received, but still stopped short of the Whys? behind them.
These and other professors' observations and writings provided the mid-20th Century breakthroughs
that have spawned perhaps scores of different books on management and leadership since; perhaps
more. They allowed us to evolve from prior autocratic methods, where Theory X negative practices were
predominant worldwide.
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Primal Leadership
This 2004 evolutionary book by Universities Professors Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee gets the closest
yet to the key Whys? behind how to successfully get the most out of yourself, and out of others,
presents many compelling scientific studies and surveys linking the brain's functions to management,
and has many good recommendations; but still leaves important room for these deeper, more powerful
Why? elements to be revealed.
The pronouncements are materially correct and very helpful. An important exception is in the Preface's
page 1 when they say that the "fundamental task of leaders is to prime good feelings in those they
lead." They are confusing "means" and "ends." Dr. Drucker, and the author, say that RESULTS are the
fundamental task of leaders. Positive, motivated "resonant" employees are certainly key means to those
ends, and the preferred means if possible, but are just a means. However, non-"good feelings"
leadership acts happen scores of times every dayto achieve leadership results in the real world versus
academia. To be fair, the authors later do show that negatives sometimes have to control
They use the term Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Emotional Quotient (EQ) throughout. Their views are
that leaders need to be emotionally sensitive, and provide "meaning" and "resonance" to the
organization; and that leaders are key to transcendence as "emotional guides." (Braksick in Unleash
Behavior-Unleash Profits talks about the importance of "discretionary (voluntary) performance," which
is similar to "resonance.") The author fully agrees. The importance of "Humor" is highlighted, which will
be seen as a key Safety-releasing Primal Drive.
Much emphasis is made about "how" leaders lead. Some
mention of the importance of vision is noted, but not
sufficiently in the author's view. )Positive feelings do not
last long if the company is being beaten in the market due
to a poor vision and resulting plan, and workers' jobs are
at risk.)
In an exciting and pioneering way, much time is devoted
to the brain, its lymbic system, the amygdala (shown here,
which has fully 20% of the brain's synapses, controls
emotions, memory, reactions and much more), and other
brain processes; including the interactions with the prefrontal lobe (emotions). They seem to stress the emotional
areas over the neo cortex, "thinking brain." (The author
generally reverses that view.)
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An "open loop" brain is discussed, and how we make connections with others' brains to form
"contagions" and to "latch." All is correct, well documented with many research studies, and useful to
know as we move forward as leaders. Research showing the positive impacts of "upbeat," mutual
comfort cultures or "climates" are documented.
Perhaps too much emphasis is made of "good moods," upbeat styles and more, however, in these times
of Gen Y and Millenials, such styles are becoming increasingly expected. They show how "Discord" (fear)
caused a "flooding of heartbeats" (increases) as the negative reaction. They note that "dissonance"
(negatives) can be used when needed, but will have short run impacts only. They did not explain why,
however.
Four domains of EI and sub-elements are reviewed, summarized as follows:
Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Relationship management
Visionary
Coaching
Affiliative
Democratic
Pace-setting
Commanding
A major, correct emphasis is on choosing A-players. Competency profiles are needed, objectively based
on the best performers. Identify those with high potentials and move them up the ladder at the right
pace. This fosters meritocracy also.
Other key areas were reviewed.
While Primal Leadership has been criticized for few how ideas to actually use, it does move the
leadership evolution forward towards the brain-centered Primordial Leadership bedrock, and is
recommended reading.
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but fall short of the key underlying , more powerful Why? factors explained by the Primal Drives,
which are underlying powerful constructs that can be applied consistently in varying situations.
Max Dupree's The Art of Leadership, thought irreverent, has many practical insights and ideas from a
leadership practitioner.
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