Leading Out Loud: A Guide for Engaging Others in Creating the Future, 3rd Edition

Chapter Four

Writing—Applying Discipline to Authenticity

So far, I’ve defined the essence of leadership as making an emotional connection with others to build commitment toward creating a new imagined future. In emphasizing the need for leaders to display both competence and connection, the focus has been on ways to create emotional resonance. The reason for the emphasis is twofold. First, people might be convinced through their conceptual capability, but they commit from their emotions. By connecting with others we tap this emotional energy. In How We Decide, Jonah Lehrer boils it down like this: “The emotional brain is especially useful at helping us make hard decisions. Its massive computational power—its ability to process millions of bits ...