The Three Levels of Leadership – Scouller Leadership Blog » Leadership Psychology
Does Paying Attention to Limiting Beliefs Reinforce Them?
After The Three Levels of Leadership came out in 2011, readers followed up with questions on leadership, leadership psychology and self-mastery – all of them interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I’m releasing my answers here as they supplement the “Three Levels” material and others may find them useful. Here’s the seventh in the series. I’ll post the others over the coming months…
Q7. I’ve heard it said that paying attention to ideas and habits only strengthens them, so won’t I only strengthen my limiting beliefs if I unearth and examine them?
“There’s a difference between paying continued attention to limiting beliefs and simply defining and examining them in the process of letting them go.
Let’s define our terms. For me, ‘continuing to pay attention to these beliefs’ means giving them the energy of your consciousness (your pure self-awareness), causing you to believe they are so true that you identify with them. And because you identify with them, you habitually act on them. Continue reading →
Can A Negative Self-Image Reduce Awareness?
After The Three Levels of Leadership came out in 2011, readers followed up with questions on leadership, leadership psychology and self-mastery – all of them interesting. So interesting, in fact, that I’m releasing my answers here as they supplement the “Three Levels” material and others may find them useful. Here’s the sixth in the series. I’ll post the others over the coming months…
Q6. If you have a negative self-image arising from limiting beliefs and negative feelings about yourself stemming from the beliefs, can that reduce your self-awareness?
“In one sense yes, but in another sense, no…
Numbing Yourself Against Feelings
I say ‘yes’ because if you decide to defend yourself against the limiting beliefs that make up your negative self-image and their painful feelings (above all, shame) by numbing yourself against them, you can indeed reduce what you are consciously aware of. Ironically, such decisions are usually unconscious.
Note what I just said: ‘you can reduce what you are consciously aware of.’ Continue reading →
Leadership, Consciousness, Mind & Brain
This article offers leaders the chance to understand more about the distinctions between consciousness, mind and brain and why this matters to their growth and success as leaders. It draws on recent neuroscience research and explains the essence of self-mastery.
Leadership, Mental States & Buddha’s Middle Way
One of the Buddha’s most mysterious statements was this: “Preceded by perception are mental states, for them is perception supreme.” What did he mean by this and why does it matter to leaders wanting to offer transformational leadership? This short article explains.
A Thought Experiment
Imagine you are a guest at a European Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona and you’re a neutral – you don’t have strong feelings for either side. Imagine too that you have Manchester United supporters to your left and Barcelona supporters to your right. Continue reading →
A Brief Look At Narcissistic Leadership
There are several well-known leadership styles, but narcissistic leadership is one that only came to public attention from 2000 onwards following a flurry of articles and books by Michael Maccoby, Kets de Vries and others.
Leadership: Why Do We Find Change So Hard?
Intuitively, we all know change can be uncomfortable. And probably a leader’s greatest challenge is leading change. What few know is that neuroscience is starting to explain why it’s so hard. 
What Leaders Can Learn from Andy Murray
Andy Murray, the British tennis player lost in the semi-finals at Wimbledon two days ago to Rafael Nadal. The consensus among ex-players and tennis commentators is that Murray has all the shots needed to win a grand slam, but he hasn’t yet broken through. Frustratingly for him, he was in charge of his match against Nadal until his level of play dropped after the first set.
It’s clear that Murray faces two psychological challenges in trying to become a grand slam champion and anyone wanting to be an effective leader can learn from what he’s facing. Here’s why. Continue reading →
Why Don’t We Get The Leaders We Need?
Many people have the sense that our political leaders aren’t leading us anywhere. They feel that while, perhaps, they are solving short-term problems, there’s no sense of destination – that the same old issues keep recurring. Like boom and bust. Or getting into wars we don’t agree with. Or pre-election promises that weren’t thought through or even genuine.
Perhaps this is why – or at least partly why – voter turnout in the UK is on the decline. I heard on the radio two days ago that 60% of 18-30-year-olds didn’t vote at the last election. Although it’s showing as disinterest rather than rioting in the streets, that’s a powerful statement of discontent. Continue reading →
What Is Leadership Presence (Part 2)?
In part 2, James Scouller, author of the book The Three Levels of Leadership, continues his look at this elusive characteristic of great leaders, leadership presence. This time he compares presence to charisma. He argues that the difference between them matters because it shows in the leader’s behaviour under pressure.
What is Leadership Presence (Part 1)?
Leadership presence is a key to being an effective leader, so what is it exactly? How does it show itself? And what is the source of presence? In part 1, James Scouller, author of The Three Levels of Leadership, explains this hard-to-define characteristic of great leaders.
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