Dr. Melonie Boone combines her research and inspiration from her mother in writing the recently released book, HEROic Leadership: The Secret to Developing High Performing Teams for business leaders.
CHICAGO, Nov. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Melonie Boone, Ph.D., an organizational psychologist and leadership development expert, is helping managers develop their leadership using the principles of psychological capital (PsyCap) in her recently released book, HEROic Leadership: The Secret to Developing High-Performing Teams. The book was inspired by Dr. Boone's research and dissertation on PsyCap, but most importantly, by her relationship with her entrepreneurial role model, her mother.
"My mother started a cleaning service and unknowingly practiced the principles of HEROic leadership with her team," said Dr. Boone, a human resources veteran and organizational consultant who is also an entrepreneur. "I coined the term HEROic Leadership as an acronym for the four competencies-- Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism—that make up a great leader. My mother possessed all four of HEROic leader competencies and was an excellent manager who developed these competencies in those around her, including me."
Dr. Boone asserts that the hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism inherent in HEROic leadership are measurable and can be developed with the right interventions. In her book, Dr. Boone shares research on how managers with higher PsyCap are proven to be happier, higher-performing leaders who can develop similar traits in their employees and teammates. "The book is helpful for positive-thinking people managers who want to harness HERO competencies to strengthen their leadership and develop higher-performing teams," she said.
The four qualities within HEROic Leadership are well known to the average person but manifest differently in the workplace, explains Dr. Boone. For example, in the workplace, hope means persevering toward goals. Efficacy, the "E" in HEROic leadership, involves the manager's confidence in their ability to complete any tasks. Resilience, or the "R" in HERO, involves the managers' ability to regroup after a failure and adapt to a different solution. Finally, the optimism in HERO refers to the manager's expectation of success, regardless of the circumstances.
Dr. Boone discovered PsyCap in 2019 during her doctoral program. She immediately identified it as her mother's leadership style and became interested in the HERO competencies. Throughout the pandemic, she researched a sample of business leaders to measure their level of PsyCap and its effect on their teams. Dr. Boone dedicated her research to her mother, who unfortunately died just months before her work was completed.
Dr. Boone said having the right amount of each HERO competency is the key to being a HEROic leader. "People managers can have too much of a good thing; it's important to have the right mix," she said. As an example in the book, she talks about the overly-optimistic leader who may lose their team's trust if they regularly set unrealistic goals.
HEROic Leadership encapsulates Dr. Boone's research and conclusions about leading with the HERO competencies in mind, and the significant findings of pioneers in PsyCap in the workplace. She also includes based in reality examples of her experiences as a management consultant and leadership development trainer. The book also includes one assessment to help managers determine their level of HERO and another to assess the level of HERO in a team. Based on the results, Dr. Boone offers suggestions and ideas for managers to develop their own PsyCap and also develop it in their team.
HEROic Leadership is currently available on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and Apple Books. For information on the book or to arrange for Dr. Boone to speak to your group, please visit heroicleadershipbook.com.
ABOUT DR. MELONIE BOONE
Dr. Melonie Boone has had a dynamic career as a leader and trusted advisor to executives on strategy, operations, P&L management, leadership development, and human resources for organizations from startups to large global companies. She is an author, speaker, and consultant, who currently serves as partner at RHR International, the preeminent leadership consulting firm. She works side by side with leaders to illuminate a behavioral science point of view to achieve business results. Dr. Boone has successfully started more than ten businesses. She currently serves as CEO of Blue Havana Chicago Inc., Blue Havana Clothing, Inc., and is president of B Ana Studios, Inc. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, a MJ in Business Law and Corporate Governance from Loyola University Law School, an MBA from Florida Metropolitan University, and a BBA in HR Management from Loyola University of Chicago School of Business. To contact Dr. Boone visit melonieboonephd.com.
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SOURCE Dr. Melonie Boone
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