COACHING FOR RESILIENCE - LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT UTILIZING CONCEPTS OF MEANING AND

MOTIVATION

Abstract:

Resilience is the ability to bounce back after a critical blow or crisis. It includes the motivation to rise

from the ashes and to (re-)engage in meaningful living. Hence, developing resilience is crucial for both

individuals and organizations. In this presentation, I will demonstrate how understanding human

motivation in general and the Reiss Motivation Profile in particular can be utilized to coach for more

resourceful resilience in leadership development.

Summary:

Resilience is the ability to bounce back after a critical blow or crisis. It includes the motivation to rise

from the ashes (Masten, 2009). Motivation addresses the initiation, intensity, and persistence of human

behavior (Geen, 1995). Understanding and being able to influence the factors that initiate, sustain, and

change human behavior, are crucial to understanding and building resilience in particular as well as to

leadership development in general. Developing resilience is crucial for both individuals and

organizations.

Interestingly, Maslow’s (1943) theory of motivation, although based on the often disputed

psychodynamics introduced by Freud and Adler, still has a strong influence on leadership and leadership

development (Shriberg, Shriberg, & Kumari, 2005). Surprisingly, the importance of Frankl’s (1959)

research on “Man’s search for meaning”, and of Reiss’ (2000) presentation of “The 16 basic desires that

motivate our actions” has not yet been fully recognized (Mengel, 2008). Frankl’s and Reiss’ work lead

beyond Freud’s and Adler’s emphasis on pleasure and power and they set a new scholarly milestone

based on scientific study rather than on an intuitive understanding and development of concepts of

motivation. The human “Will to meaning”, the centerpiece of Frankl's (1988) motivational theory, and

its application within Frankl's Existential Analysis, can serve as one significant component of building

resilience and developing leadership.

In particular, based on Frankl’s work Gary T. Reker (1996) has developed a scientific instrument –

Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP) – which allows individuals to identify and prioritize the following

areas of meaningful engagement and value actualization:

Leisure activities Meeting basic needs

Creative activities

Personal relationships Personal achievement

Personal growth

Religious activities

Social causes Altruism

Enduring values/ideals

Traditions & Culture Legacy

Financial security

Humanistic concerns Hedonistic activities

Material possessions

Relationship with nature

Similarly, Reiss' (2000, 2008) model of 16 basic desires is only slowly finding its way into motivational

theory in general and into leadership and leadership development in particular. The 16 motivators, goals

and values include:

Acceptance (the desire to avoid criticism and rejection), Beauty (the desire for beauty and aesthetic appeal),

Curiosity (the desire for truth and knowledge),

Eating (the desire for a variety of food), Family (the desire to raise children and to nurture),

Expedience (the desire for purposefulness),

Idealism (the desire for social justice), Interdependence (the desire for interdependence),

Order (the desire for structure),

Physical Exercise (the desire to move one’s muscles), Power (the desire for influence of will,

Saving (the desire to collect),

Social Contact (the desire for friendship),

Status (the desire for prestige), Tranquility (the desire for inner peace), and

Vengeance (the desire to get even). Given that the resulting Reiss Motivational Profile is a scientifically based profile of human desires and

strivings, this approach can effectively complement Frankl's existential approach in the context of

building resilience and of leadership development.

This presentation will first introduce these two approaches to motivation and discuss how they may

serve as a basis for meaningful leadership practice and development. In particular, it will show how the

Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP; Reker, 1996), a scientifically developed instrument based on Frankl's

work, allows individuals to identify and prioritize areas of meaningful engagement and value

actualization. Furthermore, the presentation will demonstrate how the Reiss Motivational Profile (RMP)

and the respective strivings and values of an individual may allow for a 'balanced' evaluation of

capacities for resilience and leadership. Both, the SOMP and the RMP-strivings and values, are

integrated into a coherent leadership development and coaching process based on an Existential and

Motivation Analysis. Finally, the application of the Existential and Motivation Analysis will be described

presenting the case of the coaching client Sam Someone.

References:

Frankl, V. E. (1959). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy . Boston, MA: Beacon Press. Frankl, V. E. (1969). The will to meaning: Foundations and applications of logotherapy . New York, NY: The World

Publishing Company. Geen, R. G. (1995). Human motivation: A social psychological approach . Belmont, CA: Cole.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50, pp. 370-396.

Masten, A. S. (2009). Ordinary Magic: Lessons from research on resil ience in human development. Education Canada. Canadian Education Association, 49 (3): 28–32.

Mengel, T. (2008). Motivation. in: Gosling, J. and Martura no, A. (eds.) (2008). Key Concepts in Leadership Studies.

Milton Park, Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge. pp. 111-114. Reiss, S. (2000). Who am I? -The 16 basic desires that motivate our behavior and define our

personality. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam. Reiss, S. (2008). The normal personality - A new way of thinking about people. Cambridge; New York:

Cambridge University Press. Reker, G. T. (1996). Manual – Sources of Meaning Profile Revised. Peterborough, Ontario, Canada:

Student Psychologists Press. Shriberg, A., Shriberg, D. L., & Kumari, R. (2005). Practicing leadership. Principles and applications (3rd

ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

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Thomas Mengel, PhD Professor of Leadership Studies, University of New Brunswick;

CEO, Reiss Profile Canada Corp.

COACHING FOR RESILIENCE

–

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT UTILIZING

CONCEPTS OF MEANING AND MOTIVATION

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• Meaning and Motivation: Values (Viktor

Frankl) and desires (Steven Reiss)

• Existential and Motivational Analysis

(EMotiAn) – The Case of Sam Someone

Overview

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Viktor Frankl: “Man’s Search for Meaning”

(1985)

Frankl suggested that we discover meaning

• in what we do by realizing creative values (e.g., creating something at work or in our learning environment),

• in what we experience by realizing experiential values (e.g., experiencing meaningful relationships in our

personal and professional lives), and • in what we believe and think by realizing attitudinal

values (e.g., developing new and healthy attitudes

when suffering professional setbacks or personal crises).

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Gary T. Reker (1996): Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP)

to identify and prioritize the following areas of meaningful engagement and value actualization: 1 Leisure activities 2 Meeting basic needs 3 Creative activities 4 Personal relationships 5 Personal achievement 6 Personal growth 7 Religious activities 8 Social causes 9 Altruism

10 Enduring values/ideals 11 Traditions & Culture 12 Legacy 13 Financial security 14 Humanistic concerns 15 Hedonistic activities 16 Material possessions 17 Relationship with nature

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Sources of Meaning Profile (Reker, 1996)

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16 basic desires (strivings) based on Reiss 2000

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16 basic desires (strivings) based on Reiss 2000

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Sam Someone

Sam came into a self leadership seminar trying to better understand his current frustrations about life and

leadership and to identify what to do about them. • 35 year old manager of a sales-team in major

insurance company. • married and has two children at the age of 5 and 7. • degree in social work and a teacher certificate.

• Because he could not find work in his trained profession he started selling insurances and worked his way up into his current position.

• While he is quite successful and earmarked by his superiors as a high potential, he does not feel to be ‘at

the right spot’.

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Strivings and values of Sam Someone (Based on Reiss, 2000)

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Sources of Meaning Profile of Sam Someone (Based on Reker, 1996)

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Potential areas of tension for Sam Someone

Sam’s desires, values,

sources of meaning

Requirements of Sam’s

professional context

Thinking, theory, learning about

many things

Practical knowledge, focused on

financial management

Service orientation, participative

leadership

Directive leadership, goal and

achievement orientation

Time for family, work-life balance Long hours, extensive travelling,

career-orientation

Engagement in community projects

(church and village)

Long hours, extensive travelling,

career-orientation

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Context, desires and values of Sam Someone

However, Sam also realized that his professional context was conducive to satisfying the following desires and

living the respective values:

• Enjoying meaningful relationships with colleagues and

customers

• Helping customers and team members to achieve financial security

• Figuring out innovative solutions for customers and his sales team members

• Securing a livelihood for himself and his family

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Two main options of self and leadership development forSam Someone

• Transitioning into a corporate training department

• Exploring leadership opportunities in community based non-profit organizations

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Selected option

• Conversations between Sam, HR, and VP sales

• Transitioning into a corporate training department

• Senior Coach, Director of mentoring program

• Exploring leadership opportunities in community based

non-profit organizations as a future option

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References and contacts

Frankl, V. (1985). Man’s Search for Meaning. Pocket Books, New York Mengel, T. (2012). ‘High Potential’ can be deceiving – Utilizing the Reiss Motivational Profile® in HR and Leadership Development. FMI Journal June 2012. Mengel, T. (2012). Leading with ‘emotional’ intelligence – Existential and Motivational Analysis in leadership and leadership development. Journal on Educational Psychology 5(4):24-31. Reiss, S. (2008). The Normal Personality. A New Way of Thinking About People. Cambridge University Press, New York. Reiss, S. (2000). Who am I? The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personality. Berkley Books, New York. Reker, G. T. (1996). Manual-Sources of Meaning Profile-Revised. Student Psychologists Press, Peterborough.

tmengel@unb.ca; www2.unb.ca/~tmengel; www.reissprofile.ca