None of us is perfect. In our roles as leaders, most of us are reminded of our imperfections on a daily basis. To make matters worse, we are confounded by the extraordinary levels of stress that frustrate us in today’s environment. There have been numerous theories and models of leadership developed over the last 50 or 60 years and until recently none of them comprehended the stress that leaders deal with. There is quite a bit in the literature over the past 15 years that suggests that the number one inhibitor of superior executive performance is stress. What is even more important is the growing realization that leaders typically lack the skills to cope with it.

Significant research has emerged to deal with this lack of skill. Most of it has developed into a variety of stress management and stress reduction techniques. Most of these have treated the symptom but not the cause of stress. Interestingly, many of these draw freely from Eastern traditions like meditation, yoga, and deep breathing but stop short of embracing them as an approach to a holistic lifestyle. Lasting stress management and reduction must deal with the causes of stress. This is where an approach called Paradox Theory comes into play. 

Dan Harrison, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Harrison Assessments International, developed Paradox Theory. This theory holds that there are 12 behavioral paradoxes, each of which has a pair of traits. One trait is the dynamic or active trait of the pair and the other is the gentle or supporting trait. Within each paradox, the two traits, at first glance, seem oppositional and contradictory while, as Dr. Harrison articulates, they are in actuality interdependent and synergistic. When both traits are of strong intensity (which means their strengths complement and balance each other) you have real behavioral strength which can help create strong personal effectiveness.