The Emotionally Intelligent Leader
Barry is CEO of a tourism business. He is highly regarded, very intelligent, sharp-witted and knows the national and international tourism industry better than anyone else in the country. He is hard working, demanding and very critical of anyone who doesn’t live up to his expectations. When James, his Marketing Director, raised a new tourism initiative that was ill-conceived, Barry tore him to shreds in front of all other managers, saying that it was a ‘stupid-ass idea’. When he was asked why he was so angry at James, in front of everyone he said, “If he can’t stand the heat, he should get out of the kitchen!” Barry has a high IQ, exceptional knowledge and experience…and very low emotional intelligence. James left three months later. Low EQ skills cost this organisation time and money.
High EQ is an important quality for leaders and managers to have. Daniel Goleman says that
“No matter what leaders set out to do—whether it’s creating strategy or mobilizing teams to action—their success depends on how they do it. Even if they get everything else just right, if leaders fail in this primal task of driving emotions in the right direction, nothing they do will work as well as it could or should”.
Research on emotional and social intelligence combined with managers and professionals’ perceptions of leaders suggests that successful leaders show an ability to be aware and manage their own emotions while being responsive to other people’s feelings. They have an ability to not react or get caught up in their own or other people’s negative emotions such as anger, impatience, negative judgments or anxiety.
The successful leader therefore, has an ability to be in the present and see a situation free from pre-conceived ideas. While the leader may have previous experience and personal views or values, they do not cloud his or her ability to discover what is the best action in the situation.
Two hundred managers and professionals were asked to list who they considered leaders, internationally and in Australia, and then to vote on who they considered the most successful leaders. People such as Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, John F Kennedy, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Gough Whitlam and Janet Holmes a Court scored well as successful leaders across several groups. When asked why they rated these people as successful leaders the following list emerged:
They –
Have vision
Inspire and motivate
Communicate and clarify the vision
Stay focused
Take risks
Persevere
Have the ability to overcome adversity and handle difficult situations
Are concerned for people’s welfare
Are highly sensitive to social cues
Are the right person, at the right time and know the right action
When the group was asked to rate these leaders in general intelligence and emotional intelligence, they were generally considered to be only moderate to high in IQ but very high in EQ. While Paul Keating was recognised as a leader high in IQ, he was considered lower in EQ. A number of participants suggested that his poor emotional intelligence skills cost him re-election as Australian Prime Minister.
How is your Emotional Intelligence impacting your ability to lead?