Is emotional intelligence – true business leadership?
Every businessperson knows a story about a highly intelligent, highly skilled executive who was promoted into a leadership position only to fail at the job. And they also know a story about someone with solid, but not extraordinary, intellectual abilities and technical skills who was promoted into a similar position and soared. Such anecdotes support the widespread belief that identifying individuals with the “right skills” to be leaders is more than an art science. After all it is said the personal styles of superb leaders vary; some leaders are subdued and analytical; others shout their manifestos from the mountaintops. And just as important, different situations call for different types of leadership. Most mergers need a sensitive negotiator at the helm, whereas many turnarounds require a more forceful authority. I have found however, that the most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way; they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. It’s
