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Spotlight on emotional intelligence
by The Editor * Comment *
Made your New Year’s resolutions? Did you decide to really work on developing your emotional intelligence? If not, you may need to look at that list one more time. According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, without emotional intelligence (EI) you will never become the leader you aspire to be. IQ and technical skills are important, but EI is the sine qua non of leadership. Without it, a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive, analytical mind and an endless supply of innovative ideas, but they still won’t make a great leader.
 
In a recent re-cap in Harvard Business Review OnPoint (Winter 2009), Goleman asserts that in his “analysis emotional intelligence played an increasingly important role at the highest levels of a company, where differences in technical skills are of negligible importance. Researchers have confirmed that emotional intelligence not only distinguishes outstanding leaders, it is also linked to strong performance. The numbers are beginning to tell us a persuasive story about the link between a company’s success and the emotional intelligence of its leaders. Research is also demonstrating that people can, if they take the right approach, develop their emotional intelligence.”
 
Goleman defines EI as having five components.
 
EI Skill & Definition
Characteristics
Example
Self-awareness
 
The ability to recognise and understand your moods, emotions and drives as well as their effect on others
  • Self confidence
  • Realistic self-assessment
  • Self deprecating sense of humour
  • Thirst for constructive criticism
A manager knows that tight deadlines bring out the worst in him. So he plans his time to get work done well in advance.
 
Self-regulation
 
The ability to control or re-direct disruptive impulses and moods; the propensity to suspend judgement i.e. to think before acting
  • Trustworthiness
  • Integrity
  • Comfort with ambiguity and change
When a team botches a presentation, its leader resists the urge to re-act negatively. Instead he considers possible reasons for the failure, explains the consequences to his team, and explores solutions with them.
Motivation
 
A passion to work that go beyond money or status and a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence
  • A passion for the work itself and for new challenges
  • Unflagging energy to improve
  • Optimism in the face of failure
  • Organisational commitment
A portfolio manager at an investment company sees her fund tumble for three consecutive quarters. Major clients defect. Instead of blaming external circumstances, she decides to learn from the experience – and engineers a turnaround.
Empathy
 
The ability to understand the emotional make-up of other people and the skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions
  • Expertise in attracting and retaining talent
  • Ability to develop others
  • Sensitivity to cross-cultural differences
  • Service to clients and customers
An Australian consultant and his team pitch a project to a potential in China. His team interprets the client’s silence as disapproval and prepares to leave. The consultant reads the client’s body language and senses interest. He continues the meeting and the team gets the job.
Social Skill
 
Proficiency in managing relationships and building networks; an ability to find common ground and build rapport
  • Effectiveness in leading change
  • Persuasiveness
  • Extensive networking
  • Expertise in building and leading teams
A manager wants his company to adopt a better Internet strategy. He finds kindred spirits and assembles a defacto team to create a prototype Web site. He persuades allies in other divisions to fund the company’s participation in a relevant convention. His company forms an Internet division – and puts him in charge of it.
 
 
So, how do you go about developing your emotional intelligence?
 
“Emotional intelligence is born largely in the neurotransmitters of the brain’s limbic system which governs feelings, impulses and drives. Research indicates that the limbic system learns best through motivation, extended practice and feedback. 
 
Compare this with the kind of learning that goes on in the neocortex, which governs analytical and technical ability. The neocortex grasps concepts and logic. Not surprisingly, but mistakenly, most programs aimed at enhancing emotional intelligence, are targeted at this area of the brain.
 
To enhance emotional intelligence, organisations must re-focus their training efforts on the limbic system. They must help people break old behavioural habits and establish new ones. That not only takes more time than conventional training programmes, it also requires an individualised approach that centres on practice and feedback.”

  
 

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