In last month’s article I discussed harassment and bullying in the work environment, emphasizing that these behaviors are minimized or absent when “resonant leadership” is in place. In their impressive book Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee define “resonant” leaders as individuals with high emotional intelligence and empathy who “drive emotions positively” and bring out the best in everyone. These authors observe, “Leaders give praise or withhold it, criticize well or destructively, offer support or turn a blind eye to people’s needs. They can guide in ways that give people a sense of clarity and direction in their work and that encourage flexibility, setting people free to use their best sense of how to get the job done.” When I first read Primal Leadership, I recall being impressed by the image of “setting people free to use their best sense of how to get the job done.” To set people free paralleled my views about creating what I call “motivating environments” that are characterized by enthusiasm, cooperation, and intrinsic motivation. I have written a number of articles about motivating environments, including a series posted on my website in February, March, and…
