The Five Discoveries 1
The Five Discoveries
A Self Reflection on becoming a better leader
Jacob Pifer
LDR 601 Section AA
Professor Brett Crawford
October 19, 2011
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Successful leaders recognize the need for change and embrace it. “Those who
successfully change in sustainable ways cycle through the five basic discoveries” (Goleman,
Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). While completing the required reading, I found this chapter of
Daniel Goleman’s Book, Primal Leadership, the most interesting. I know there are changes that
are needed to reach my goals. The five basic discoveries discussed by Goleman helped me to
realize just how much I had to change to become a better leader. At the expense of
embarrassing myself, I will use this assignment to examine my own discoveries and their impact
on both my personal and professional life.
The first discovery is “My Ideal Self – Who do I want to be?” (Goleman, Boyatzis, &
McKee, 2002). I looked at this question in both general and specific terms. Generally I want to
be a person with integrity, who can be relied upon to get the job done. I want to have sound
moral character, good family values, and compassion for others. In my professional life I want
to be successful and knowledgable. I enjoy teaching others and hope to continue to be an
instructor in various skill areas related to Law Enforcement. Although none of these ideals are
very specific, it is a general outline for the person I strive to be.
On a more specific level I want to become a great parent to my daughter. I want to
teach her how to be a good citizen in our community; and to treat others with respect and
dignity. I want to have a loving and entertaining relationship with my wife. If you were to meet
her, you would understand the entertaining aspect of her personality. In my profession I see
myself becoming a top supervisor at my agency. After gaining experience in this atmosphere I
would like to become the Sheriff or a Police Chief of a middle sized police agency. I want to be
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respected as a leader and produce a work environment that encourages the employees to learn
and work to their potential. These goals and ideals that I see for myself are just the beginning.
These ideals are always changing and I know I have found a good one when I am “Feeling
suddenly passionate about the possibilities my life holds” (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002) .
The second discovery is “My real self- Who am I?” (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002).
When examining this discovery I came to a conclusion. My perception of myself was based
largely from what I thought others wanted me to be. This was quite the wake-up call and
helped bring me back to a sense of reality. Henry Cloud discusses this perception of an
alternate reality and self-reflection. He states that the quickest way to fail is by “spending time
in some alternate universe that does not exist to make the one that we are living in feel better”
(Cloud, 2006). I thought others wanted me to be strong and courageous. I thought they
wanted me to be the go-to-guy in case of a crisis. Many times people would come to me with
their problems and I would talk to them and listen. I truly thought this was what others wanted
me to be. In reality I may be courageous at times, but I am very scared when it comes time to
act. I am afraid of failure. I am afraid of how I will be perceived if I make a mistake. Will others
think I am incompetent?
In my professional life I really had to dig deep to find some answers. When I began my
Law Enforcement career, I was energetic, enthused, and eager to come to work every day. I
didn’t want to miss a single incident and actually enjoyed going to work more than spending
time with my friends. Slowly this enthusiasm has faded and has been replaced with a jaded
outlook on society as a whole. One example of this outlook happened a couple of years ago. I
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was sent to a report of someone shooting at a coon hunter’s dogs. Being a dog lover myself,
this upset me a little bit. When I spoke with the owner of the dogs he took me to the area
where his dogs were shot at. He stated one of his dogs was still on the property and he
couldn’t find him. This area was private property and we had to get permission from the land
owner to enter onto his property. When we spoke with the landowner he was adamant that no
one enter his property and he was upset that the victim’s dogs had even been on his property.
When he refused to allow the victim to retrieve his dog, I asked him why he was being
pigheaded about the issue. At the time I never thought about how he was feeling, only that my
own opinions gave me a jaded view of this man. He in return filed a formal complaint on me,
and I had to explain my actions to my supervisor. I know that this outlook is negative and
identifying its characteristics is hopefully the beginning of changing this perception.
I realize I have many strengths and weaknesses that I must address. This is also part of
the discovery of who I am. Andrew Dubrin talks about the different Traits and Characteristics of
Leaders in his book, Leadership: Research findings, practice and Skills. Of the eight
Characteristics discussed beginning on page 34 of his text, I believe my strengths lie in five of
the eight traits. I am a hard worker who likes to lead by example. I am trustworthy, and
authentic in both my words and actions. I try to be as humble as I can be, focusing on strengths
rather than being boastful. I am assertive when needed and can find the humor in almost
anything (Dubrin, 2010).
When it comes to weaknesses, it is also very difficult to address. I have yet to talk to
anyone who enjoys discussing their weaknesses, but as a leader, this is an area that must be
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recognized so that change may progress. I am not confident in a lot of my abilities as a leader. I
believe a lot of this comes from my fear of failure, and what others may perceive of me. There
are certain situations that I am extremely confident of my abilities, but those are outnumbered
by the times I second guess myself. Within my profession I am very extroverted. I am able to
speak with other law enforcement professionals with ease, and approach department heads
with little to no anxiety. When it comes to personal situations; however I am more reserved
and do not approach many people I do not know. As discussed earlier, another of my
weaknesses is trying to be enthusiastic and optimistic. Because of all the negative things I see
from society, I am not as enthused as I should be, nor do I have an optimistic view that this will
change any time soon (Dubrin, 2010). The beginning of changing my behavior is recognizing
where my strengths and weaknesses are within my leadership capabilities.
The third discovery is “My Learning Agenda” (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). This
discovery is based largely on growing my strengths as well as working to bring my weaknesses
up to strengths. I have already begun to start this process, simply by returning to school to
obtain a Master’s Degree. I continually ask myself, “Am I taking these courses just to get a
grade and a piece of paper or do I truly want to become a better person and a more effective
leader?” In every class I have taken thus far, I have discovered something new, and have
integrated this learning into my life. I have realized that my assertiveness is needed in times of
crisis, but not necessarily when trying to motivate others. I continue to be humble, but realize
that I need to project my strengths to further myself in my career. I have set several goals for
myself even prior to taking this course that have helped to develop these strengths and
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weaknesses. I try and take time out to talk with people I do not know. Often times this means
someone from a different economic background, or religious belief. Many times this has
opened my eyes to just how little I knew of others and their environments. It has helped to
give me a better appreciation of others and I have gained some valuable experience in
approaching new people. By building these relationships, I am also increasing my selfconfidence, and am more enthused everyday about what obstacles life will present.
Goleman discusses that we must set goals for ourselves in order to effect change as
leaders. By setting these goals and solidifying my learning agenda I can strive for my ideal self.
By setting goals, I am able to set in concrete a guideline for that improvement (Goleman,
Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). I have set some goals for myself in my professional life that I feel are
attainable in the next three to four years.
Write a grant for federal or private funding for an item for my department.
By doing this I can have one of my supervisors critique it and we can work
together to get the funding necessary to do our jobs effectively.
Become a field training officer for my department.
Teaching others is very gratifying. I would like to help teach new officers how to
do their job effectively. This is largely a leadership role and helps to develop
other leadership traits.
Propose and implement new streams of revenue for law enforcement.
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We currently do not have any items of revenue for our department other than
tax base. Fines for tickets go to the court house and libraries. There are other
ways to create revenue that state laws allows for law enforcement departments
to do. These could be an alternative to layoffs in the future.
Approach other supervisors and gain their perspectives on effective leaders.
I want to speak with other Chiefs, and supervisors about what they feel an
effective leader should be.
This is a short list, but one that is attainable for the future. Goleman states, “Perhaps
the greatest mistake that people make when setting goals is committing themselves to
activities that are difficult to do in their current lives and work styles” (Goleman, Boyatzis, &
McKee, 2002). By making these goals attainable, I feel I can be successful in completing them.
The final two discoveries are in the beginning stages for me. Obviously; I cannot give a
final report on them at this time, but I will be able to look back at this assignment to make sure
I am on the right track. The fourth discovery, “Experimenting with and practicing new
behaviors, thoughts, and feelings to the point of mastery,” seems reasonable at first glance
(Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). In reality, people tend to lose their cool from time to time
and are unable to completely control these thoughts and feelings. “The ability to control your
thinking when your emotions are enflamed is huge for success” (Cloud, 2006). By recognizing
the onset of strong emotions, I will be better able to control my behavior coming from those
emotions. I have begun the process of changing my thoughts and feelings. I have never been
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one to strictly act out of emotion, but it has been known to happen from time to time. By
practicing these new behaviors and thoughts, I also realize that I must be prepared for setbacks.
I must be able to lose well and move on. Cloud states, “We all lose. Losing is a reality that
everyone encounters, and therefore we need to learn how to negotiate it” (Cloud, 2006). By
learning to negotiate my failures, and subside my fear of losing, I can learn from my mistakes
and not repeat them.
The fifth and final discovery discussed by Goleman is “Develop supportive and trusting
relationships that make change possible” (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). I have already
begun this process by forming relationships with members of my department, as well as
attorneys and court officials. “A leader with good relationship management skills would
continue to enlarge his or her network of people to win support when support is needed. A
leader with these skills is more likely to be sought out by these networks for new career
opportunities” (Dubrin, 2010). By building the relationships that I have with the Sheriff, the
Undersheriff, Circuit Court Judges, Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys, Chiefs, Public Safety
Directors, and University presidents; I am striving for the support needed when the next big
career opportunity presents itself.
Examinig the five discoveries presented by Goleman was very difficult, but also very eye
opening. My self awareness has been improved greatly from this assignment. When I read the
instructions for the assignment, I was at a loss for a topic. Suddenly, the chart and text from
Goleman struck a charge in my brain and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I realize the process
of becoming a resonant leader is a long one, but I also realize that the rewards are priceless.
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“Ideally, progression occurs through a moment of discovery that provokes not just awareness,
but also a sense of urgency. These discoveries are the process that enables leadership
mastery” (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002).
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Bibliography
Cloud, H. (2006). Integrity: the courage to meet the demands of reality. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Dubrin, A. J. (2010). Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills Sixth Edition. Mason, OH: SouthWestern Cengage Learning.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing the power of Emotional
Intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.