Empowering the Individual navigating work/life transitions
“The Ultimate Leadership Challenge:
Shifting to Candor & Accountability”
October 6, 2014
By Drs. Carolien Moors MSc
Your “Mini-MBA”
With a focus on Candor and Accountability
All Behavior Serves/Served a Purpose
Philosopher & Psychiatrist Alfred Adler
Stressed the need to understand individuals
within their social context.
When we feel encouraged 
We feel capable and appreciated,
acting in a connected and cooperative way.
When we feel discouraged 
We may act in unhealthy ways by competing,
withdrawing, giving up.
Two main motivators
Behind human behavior
Biological Needs
Carrot and Stick Approach
Harry Harlow, Psych at U of Wisconsin
Intrinsic Motivation
Turned into Daniel Pink’s PAM model
What’s missing/should be emphasized?
We are driven by the need to protect our Self-Esteem
(A judgment of yourself)
(Overall emotional evaluation of your worth)
Some of our Basic Human Tendencies
• We react automatically to the things we are
not paying close attention to.
Some of our Basic Human Tendencies
• We rely on labels and categories in making
judgments about ourselves and others.
Some of our Basic Human Tendencies
• We depend on those around us for our own
interpretations of what’s going on.
Some of our Basic Human Tendencies
• We seek acceptance and avoid rejection.
And this gets in the way of
and
CANDOR
Which leads to
Some of our Basic Human Tendencies
• We assume that certain aspects of ourselves
and others can’t be changed.
Prof. Robert Feldman
Why do we Lie and Deceive Ourselves
To protect against (perceived) threat to self-esteem
And to prevent social conflict
That’s why we lie
That’s why deceive ourselves
Epictetus
Greek Stoic Philosopher
Born a slave
“We are not disturbed by
People or by Events,
But by the view
Which we take of them.”
Viktor Frankl
The Last Freedom
That no one can take away from you
Is the freedom to choose
Your own response
To whatever situation,
No matter the circumstances.
Albert Ellis
Founder of the Rational Effectiveness Training
 Meet Your Thinking Distortions
Six Main Irrational Thoughts
1. Fanatic Perfectionism
2. Disaster Thinking
3. Love Addiction
4. Low Frustration Tolerance
5. Wishes – Turned – Demands
6. Blame Game
Recognize any of these
Thinking Distortions?
• Taking things too personal
• Drawing premature conclusions
• “Should”- thoughts
• Generalizing
• Exaggerating the negative
• Black-and-white thinking
5 Qs from Gestalt Psychology
• What am I doing right now, in here & now?
• What do I feel, what do I experience, now?
• What do I want right now?
• What do I expect, of self & others?
• What am I avoiding/ what do I FEAR?
Closely related to EI
Seek to understand
Before you seek to be understood
Take it from this wise guy
Can We Conclude…
Without Self-Candor and Personal Accountability
There will be little real Leadership
Of any kind!
So please ask yourself …
A different type of questions
To consider thoughtfully
And to answer candidly!
If you ask better questions, you get better answers
American Author, Speaker, Pastor
“A good leader is a person
who takes a little more than his share of the blame,
and a little less than his share of the credit.”
You and Your Leadership are …
… A Work in Progress. Wishing you successful Construction!