Précis – What Makes A Leader?
13 July 2009
The most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way in which they all have a high degree of what has come to be and this is known as the emotional intelligence. There are five dimensions of emotional intelligence at work – self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill. Self-awareness has a deep understanding of one’s emotions, strengths, weakness, needs and drives. It can be identified during performance reviews. Three hallmarks in self-awareness – self-confidence, realistic self-assessment and self-deprecating sense of humor. Next is self-regulation. It is like an ongoing inner conversation and important for competitive reasons. It also enhances integrity. Three hallmarks in self-regulation – trustworthiness and integrity, comfort with ambiguity and openness to change. Third is motivation. It is driven to achieve beyond expectations. It combines with achievement motivation to overcome frustration and depression. Three hallmarks in motivation – strong drive to achieve, optimism, even in the face of failure and organizational commitment. Empathy is the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. It is important in leadership for the increasing use of teams, rapid pace of globalization and the growing need to retain talent. Three hallmarks in empathy – expertise in building and retaining talent, cross-cultural sensitivity and service to clients and customers. Lastly is the social skill. It is the proficiency in managing relationships and building networks. It allows leaders to put their emotional intelligence to work. Three hallmarks of social skill – effectiveness in leading change, persuasiveness and expertise in building and leading teams. In conclusion, benefits from having a well-developed emotional intelligence are worth.