Part One: The Power of Emotional Intelligence
The bottom line is that followers are always looking to leaders
for emotional support and empathy. When leaders drive out invisible toxic
emotions and drive in positive emotions it is called resonance in this book.
And when leaders drive emotions towards the negative it’s called dissonance.
Everyone watches the boss. People take their cues from the boss. So the boss
better be aware of the emotional tone that he or she is setting.
People want to work with leaders who have some emotional
intelligences and are able to exude upbeat feelings. Creating this positive
upbeat atmosphere is how emotionally intelligent leaders are able to retain
talented people.
One of the oldest laws of psychology is that anything
beyond a moderate level of anxiety and worry erodes mental abilities and makes
us less emotionally intelligent. Thus, leaders who spread bad moods are bad for
business because employees are likely to quit. And the ones who stay, can’t be
at their best or even think at their best. So, once again poor emotional
leaders are bad for business. But, you want to know what is good for business?
Good mood spreaders who are emotionally intelligent leaders. They are good for
business because of many reasons. However, here is just one of those reasons:
every 1% increase in the service climate creates a 2% increase in revenue.
We can no longer afford to believe that just because a
very intelligent person was put into a leadership position that it will
automatically make everything okay. Einstein once said, “We should take care
not to make the intellect our God. It has, of course, powerful muscles, but no
personality. It cannot lead, it can only serve.” Good intellect can serve. Good
emotional intelligence can lead. Now imagine what the two of them can do
together.
There is no fixed formula for great leadership and it’s
not innate. We aren’t born with it. That really is good news, and so is this
next part too. The emotional intelligence necessary for great leadership can be
learned. Furthermore, there is no one set path to great leadership. As the old
maxim goes, there are many roads to Rome.
However, if one hopes to become a great leader someday,
studies have shown that it helps to have at least one competency from each of
the four fundamental areas of emotional intelligence. These four domains
consist of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship
management.
Self-awareness consist of things like knowing one’s
strengths and weaknesses. People who are self-aware have a ‘gut-sense’ to guide
their decision-making process. They self-manage, which means they have
self-control, have integrity, are flexible and are optimistic. These people are
usually also self-starters, and achievers.
Social awareness is having empathy or understanding the perspectives
of others. It’s having the ability to read the currents and the politics of a particular
situation and environment. As well as, recognizing and meeting customer needs.
Relationship management is being able to motivate people
with a compelling vision and then being able to persuade them to move forward
and do it. It’s developing others. It’s resolving conflict. And it’s also being
able to go in a new direction while maintaining friendships, and being a good
team player.
So as this book, Primal
Leadership mentioned earlier, if you have at least one competency from each
of the four domains of emotional intelligence you’re in a pretty good place to
be a good leader someday.
Dan Blanchard is an award-winning author, speaker and educator. To
learn more about Dan please visit his website at: www.DanBlanchard.net. Thanks.
