What Is Resonant Leadership?

When we become leaders and mentors, we need to define a certain leadership style that we will use to govern our behaviors and actions. All leaders have their own style, but not all actions taken provide the best results or build the healthiest relationships among teams.

Research from Gallup shows that only 1 in 10 people have the natural ability to lead. However, a lot more than that are being put into positions of leadership, and so they need to learn the best leadership style for them and how to best interact with their teams.

Of the many styles of leadership out there, one that can produce great results for both the leader and their team is resonant leadership. Let’s explore what it looks like and why it might be a good fit for your team.

What is resonant leadership?

Resonant leadership is a leadership style developed by Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee in their book Primal Leadership.

At its heart, the concept requires leaders to manage the emotions of both themselves and their wider teams. Primal Leadership explores this through an examination of emotional intelligence, a key trait for many successful leaders.

A study from the Center for Creative Leadership found that 75% of careers derail due to emotional competencies. Leaders need to do better to avoid losing talented members of staff. And resonant leadership could be the answer.

What is resonance?

Resonance is a phenomenon observed in physics where a system of objects will vibrate in harmony with one another. Think of a string on a violin or guitar being plucked. Depending on how tight the string is, you can achieve different notes or sounds, many of which can be played together harmoniously to create a melody.

Examples of resonance can be found all around us from instruments to wind chimes or even up to buildings built to withstand the seismic waves from earthquakes.

How does resonance translate into a leadership practice?

Resonance is a natural phenomenon, so how can we expect it to feed into a style of leadership? It is actually more straightforward than you might think. Resonant leaders choose to take into account their own emotions and those of their team members to create a harmonious environment where everyone works alongside each other peacefully.

Resonant leadership should consider everyone’s emotions and adjust accordingly. It is not about alienating or shaming someone who is out of sync with the rest of the team (or operating on a different frequency, if you will), but about giving them the provisions they need so the team can adjust and begin to move as one again.

What are the benefits of resonant leadership?

Any leadership style is going to have its own strengths and weaknesses, no matter how it is structured or how it intends to help. However, by considering the well-being and mentality of the whole team, those who choose to act as a resonant leader can experience the following benefits:

Collaboration and trust

A team that resonates well with each other will be able to build greater levels of collaboration and trust. With a resonant leader at the helm, a team is able to better weather storms that can come their way. They know instinctively how to lean on one another during the more difficult times, but also how to uplift each other and recognize the best within them. In tackling difficult tasks, they also know that they can lean on each other for support, while also seeing effective and enduring leadership from their managers to help them along the way.

Accountability

Resonant leadership creates space for accountability in a team. By building positive relationships with one another, they will gain a greater sense of each other’s needs and emotions. When mistakes are made, they will hold themselves accountable rather than try to hide them.

It is important to remember that a resonant workplace should not be one where people are scared to rock the boat or make mistakes. Instead, resonant leaders foster a sense of psychological safety throughout their teams. The focus is placed on encouraging people to speak up as early as possible so the issue can be fixed before it causes further damage, and so that additional measures can be put up to help ensure the mistake doesn’t happen again.

Greater alignment and job satisfaction

When everyone works well together, there is greater alignment between the team, and it is easier to reach goals. This can extend outwards to departments and even the full workforce. Everyone is on the same page and finds greater satisfaction in completing the goals of their company.

What are the types of resonant leadership?

Resonant leadership is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. Instead, it can be broken down into several approaches. One might suit certain types of leaders over others. This is part of the reason why every leader needs to work to develop their own style, preferably in a High Potential Mentoring Program before they are handed a management position. The four types of resonant leadership are:

Visionary

Visionary leaders have a clear idea of what the future looks like, which is perhaps similar to what foresight leaders practice. Not only do they plot out where they intend the company to go, but visionary resonant leaders inspire their teams to head in the right direction. They don’t just paint a picture of where they want the company to go, but also guide their teams towards it.

Coaching

Coaching leaders are mentors and guides to their team members. They work with them to set out reasonable goals and provide feedback and guidance to help them achieve their dreams. These coaching mentors can work with their charges whether they are new hires or have been at the company for a while.

Affiliative

Affiliative leaders want to create a positive work environment. They prioritize ensuring that their teams are fostering good relationships with each other and that they are developing a culture of collaboration and empathy at every level of their business.

Democratic

Democratic leaders want to hear from everyone. They value the diverse perspectives and experiences of their team members, and they encourage them to speak up and voice their opinions. Ultimately, they want the decision-making process in their teams to be equitable, and for everyone to feel ownership, accountability, and responsibility.

What traits do we see in resonant leaders?

Different leaders will always need to demonstrate a variety of traits to succeed in their roles. The traits we typically see among resonant leaders include:

Self-awareness

Great leaders are self-aware. They know when they have had a bad day, and they try to regulate themselves so this does not affect the wider team. While managers and leaders often have a lot on their plate to deal with, a resonant leader will be aware of how their stress and discomfort can upset the rest of the team.

Though they must be given opportunities to destress and unload, and a leader should never feel uncomfortable sharing with their team, it is not the burden of the team to support them with actions beyond their capacity. A good leader needs to actually act as a leader, and that does not involve passing unnecessary stress to their team.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence, often also referred to as EQ, is how well someone can read both their own emotions and those of others. Resonant leadership styles require individuals with high levels of EQ since they are the ones who are most likely to understand and make space for everyone’s emotional states.

While not everyone is in a position where they can draw positive emotional attractors to them, actively trying to maintain a calm and respectful workplace is a must. They may have to act as a mediator or some other calming spirit to help maintain the peace.

Good listener

Those wishing to adopt a resonant leadership style need to consider themselves to be good listeners, or at least need to be aware that they need to improve their listening skills. Active listening is a rare but much-sought-after soft skill, and it is one that all leaders need to embrace.

When an employee has a concern, a leader needs to actively listen to it. If the employee feels like they are just being brushed aside, they are not going to feel appreciated or valued. This can lead to them being further disengaged and could, in turn, begin to look for new roles elsewhere.

However, in many cases, it is important to note that good listening skills are not enough. An employee will also need to feel like their concerns are being addressed. If they express dissatisfaction or concern to their manager only for it to be put to one side and not taken further, they are naturally going to feel frustrated. A resonant leader will listen carefully to their employee and then seek to find a solution that works for them, fully communicating with them throughout the process.

Empathetic

Empathy fuels great leadership. It is not the same as sympathy (which is a mistake that many leaders tend to make) but seeks to understand the thoughts and hearts of employees through the application of a leader’s own experiences. One survey from EY found that 87% of US workers thought that empathy led to better leadership.

All attempts to be empathetic must be caring and genuine. The same EY survey also found that 52% of employees perceived corporate empathy attempts as disingenuous. Taking an interest in and trying to connect with employees must always be done with genuine intent. When sharing stories and building interpersonal bridges, a leader needs to choose the right time to share their own experiences and must recognize when it is better to simply uplift the employee in need of guidance.

Collaborative

Resonant leadership requires collaboration. Since it encourages everyone to take note of one another’s feelings and perceptions of each other, the program ultimately fails if employees are unwilling to collaborate with each other. Therefore, the leader of the team must set an example and show that they are willing to collaborate with and support everyone in their own team and the wider organization.

Such teams may prefer to work in a horizontal hierarchy rather than a top-down one. This egalitarian approach promotes diversity and inclusive thinking and gives space and opportunity for everyone to offer their own thoughts and opinions. Even very junior members of a team can feel safe and supported in sharing their ideas, and no one feels punished for speaking out against the leader’s current path or vision. Resonant leadership should produce and nourish true collaboration to help steer a team forward and strengthen it as it progresses.

So, how do we create resonant leaders?

Resonant leadership may occur naturally, but few people nominated for management have the relevant skills to demonstrate effective and enduring leadership straight away. Leadership is a skill, and though some people do have a natural talent for it, many will need to refine it if they are to be effective long-term leaders.

Mentorship is the natural vehicle that allows leaders to grow and find a resonant style of leadership that they can bring to their teams. The beauty of mentorship is that it can occur long before the management offer is made. If a company has a high-potential mentoring program, then they can nominate employees as they discover their leadership aptitude, even during onboarding!

MentorcliQ makes mentoring easy. Our software takes away the heavy administrative burden needed by mentoring and makes matching like-minded mentors and mentees easier than ever. We can help your leaders of tomorrow connect with the mentors and guides that will transform their careers. Build a workforce that knows how to resonate and move with each other regardless of turbulence and disturbance, and nurture all of it with a foundation in mentorship with MentorcliQ.