The Executive and the Elephant

Lessons for leaders on resolving the ongoing struggle between instinct and the creative mind

Kings, heads of government, and corporate executives lead thousands of people and manage endless resources, but may not have mastery over themselves. Often leaders know that right action is important, but have little (if any) understanding of what prevents them from acting in accordance with their intentions. In this important book, leadership expert Richard Daft portrays this dilemma as a struggle between instinct (elephant) and intention (the executive) using the most current research on the intentional vs. the habitual mind to explain how this phenomenon occurs.

• Based on current research and real-life examples
• Offers leaders a method for directing themselves more productively
• Written by an expert in leadership, organizational performance, and change management

Through real-life examples and recent studies in psychology, management and Eastern spirituality Daft provides guidance to all of us who struggle finding our own balance and cultivating the behavior of others.

Preface vii

Acknowledgments ix

Part One The Two Selves

1. The Problem of Managing Yourself 3

The Conflict Between Knowing and Doing

The Universal Failure of Willpower

The Divided Self: Executive and Elephant

Learning to Lead from Your Inner Executive

Purpose of This Book

2. Recognize Your Two Selves 15

Levels of Consciousness

Two Voices Within

Why Your Mind is Filled with Automatic Thoughts

Unfocused Elephant Mind Versus Focused Executive Presence

Small Box Versus Large Mind

Part Two Ways You May Mislead or Delude Yourself

3. Three Tendencies That Distort Your Reality 37

Your Internal Judge

Your Internal Magician

Your Internal Attorney

4. Every Leader’s Six Mental Mistakes 52

Reacting Too Quickly

Inflexible Thinking

Wanting Control

Emotional Avoidance and Attraction

Exaggerating the Future

Chasing the Wrong Gratifications

Part Three How to Start Leading Yourself

5. Engage Your Intention 71

Visualize Your Intention

Verbalize Your Intention

6. Follow Through on Your Intentions 90

Write Down Your Intentions

Set Deadlines

Design Tangible Mechanisms

7. Calm Down to Speed Up 107

Get Connected

Let ItHappen

Sit by Your Problem

Relax Your Body

Calm Your Elephant by Acting the Part or Making

a Gentle Request

8. Slow Down to Stop Your Reactions 125

Stop and Think

Stop Interrupting

Detach from Your Emotions and Impulses

Just Say No

Employ Punishment

Part Four Become Aware of Your Inner Resources

9. Get to Know Your Inner Elephant 147

Know Yourself

Solicit Feedback

Take Advantage of a Setback

10. Expand Your Awareness 162

Review the Day

Contemplate Creatively

Part Five Reach for the Heights

11. Sharpen Your Concentration 177

Focus Your Attention

Focus on Means, Not Ends

Slow Down, Look, and Listen

Focus on People

12. Develop Your Witness 192

Turn Inward to Develop Your Witness

Use Radical Self-Inquiry

Who Am I?

13. Reprogram Yourself 209

Repeat a Mantra

Prayer May Help, but Not the Way You Think

14. Mend Your Mind with Meditation 223

Why Meditate?

An Easy Way to Start

Two Essentials

Mindfulness Meditation

Try Visual Rather Than Verbal

Contemplative Meditation

Part Six Can You Lead from a People Frame of Reference?

15. Change Your Frame to See People 243

What is Your Frame?

From Leading Objects to Leading Humans

How to Change Your Frame

16. Change Your Frame to Ask Questions 261

From Answering Questions to Asking Questions

In All Things, Consult

17. Living and Leading from Your Inner Executive 275

Higher Consciousness Revisited

When Her Mind Went Quiet

Answers to Individual Questions

Final Thoughts

Notes 294

About the Author 311

Exercise Index 313

Index 317

"The book is terrific – it identifies an important issue for leaders, and tackles it in a very practical way, with plenty of techniques to choose from and many examples of them being used successfully. We all struggle with our inner elephant, and if you want to help get more control by your inner executive, this book would definitely help." (Globe and Mail, September 2010)

RICHARD L. DAFT holds the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Chair in the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, where he specializes in the study and teaching of leadership. Professor Daft is the author or co-author of thirteen books, including his best selling texts, and dozens of scholarly articles. He has consulted and lectured widely and practices this book’s concepts in his work and personal life. Write to dick.daft@owen.vanderbilt.edu.

“Kings, heads of government, and corporate executives have control over thousands of people and endless resources, but often do not have mastery over themselves. From a distance, larger-than-life leaders may look firmly in control of their businesses and their personal behavior. What about up close? Personal mastery is a difficult thing.”

—FROM CHAPTER ONE

LEADERS KNOW WHAT they should be doing, so why aren’t they doing it? When a leader knows the preferable behavior, why stick to an old pattern and fail to perform as desired? The answer is that each of us has two selves: one self is thoughtful, circumspect, and rational (the inner executive), and the other self is habit bound, impulsive, and emotion driven (the inner elephant). In this groundbreaking book, leadership expert Richard Daft reveals how leaders can recognize the two parts of themselves and learn to calm down, train, and guide their inner elephant toward the desired successful behavior.

Inner excellence means removing the personal flaw that is holding you back as a leader—such as procrastination, avoiding confrontation, a short attention span, perfectionism, tactless remarks, weak resolve, overreacting, criticizing, chasing the wrong gratifications, or not following though. This important book is filled with lessons for leaders on resolving the inner struggle between impulse and self-discipline, between blind reaction and big picture wisdom.

Dozens of proven exercises will empower you to direct yourself and others more productively. With a little practice, your inner executive will learn to choose correct actions rather than let your unwanted behaviors have their way.

Through compelling real-life coaching examples of dramatic personal changes, along with recent findings in psychology, management, neuroscience, and Eastern spirituality, Richard Daft provides guidance to all of us who want to follow our best intentions when leading ourselves and others.