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What it argues
Resonant Leadership is a follow-up to Primal Leadership, the 2002 book where Boyatzis and McKee (with Daniel Goleman) introduced the concept of resonant and dissonant leadership. This book goes deeper into what sustains resonance over time — why some leaders remain energized and emotionally connected to their work and teams while others burn out, become cynical, or lose the qualities that made them effective in the first place.
The central concept is the "sacrifice syndrome." High-achieving leaders often succeed by giving a great deal of themselves over extended periods. Over time, the constant demands, stress, and lack of renewal produce dissonance — they become irritable, disconnected, or rigid — often without realizing it. Boyatzis and McKee argue that renewal is not optional or remedial but a continuous requirement of effective leadership. Three practices sustain it: mindfulness (developing ongoing self-awareness), hope (sustaining a compelling vision), and compassion (maintaining genuine concern for others).
What it gets right
- 1.
Resonant leaders create emotional climates where people feel engaged, motivated, and able to do their best work. Dissonant leaders produce anxiety, fear, or numbness — even when they're technically competent.
- 2.
The sacrifice syndrome is the primary threat to sustained leadership effectiveness: high achievers deplete themselves through chronic stress and sacrifice until their resonance erodes from the inside.
- 3.
Renewal is not recovery — it's not something you do after you've burned out. It's a continuous practice required to maintain the emotional and cognitive capacity effective leadership demands.
What it covers
Who wrote it
Richard Boyatzis is a professor at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management and a pioneer in the research on emotional intelligence and competency-based leadership development. He has collaborated with Daniel Goleman on several influential studies and co-authored Primal Leadership (2002). Annie McKee is a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and the author of How to Be Happy at Work. Together they have spent decades coaching senior leaders and advising global organizations on leadership development.
