The 3 Shadows of Leadership: Managing Blind Spots and Unconscious Bias
The purpose of this highly interactive session is to provide participants an opportunity to assess their Style and "Leadership Shadow" using a short, online survey (accessible with a smart phone or tablet and takes less than one minute to complete) and to examine the typical unconscious biases related to each Style.. Based on the author's recent book published by SHRM "Actualized Leadership: Meeting Your Shadow & Maximizing Your Potential" (SHRM Publishing, June 2019), the Actualized Leadership framework is built on the seminal work of Carl Jung and allows participants to identify and better understand their stress-related work behaviors ("Leadership Shadow") and triggers using the online assessment (http://www.ALPFree.com) to determine their leadership style and shadow. The ALP framework consists of three styles and shadows: Achiever/Fear of Failure, Affirmer/Fear of Rejection and Asserter/Fear of Betrayal. The strengths of each style will be discussed before providing an overview of the three resulting Leadership Shadows and their impact on bias and stereotyping in organizational settings. The session will conclude with discussing strategies for becoming more objective and inclusive.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the 3 Leadership Styles and Corresponding Shadows.
- Explore the unique unconscious biases related to each Style/Shadow.
- Examine ways to integrate your Shadow into conscious awareness and in doing so, become a more objective and inclusive leader.
William Sparks
Will Sparks is the Dennis Thompson Chair & Professor of Leadership at the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte. He is the author of “Actualized Leadership: Meeting Your Shadow & Maximizing Your Potential” (2019, SHRM Publishing), which debuted as an Amazon #1 Best Seller.
His TED Talk “The Power of Self Awareness” was released in 2018. He completed his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Development from The George Washington University’s School of Business and Public Management, where his research focused on group dynamics, organizational culture, and leadership.