Back in 1998, Daniel Goleman wrote an article called What Makes a Leader? This article began a big discussion on a term that many had not heard before called Emotional Intelligence. Goleman also wrote some books on this topic. Years later, one of my mentors introduced the concept to me. The simplest way to explain it is the ability to perceive and manage your emotions and the emotions of others. One of the quotes from the article summarizes the importance of emotional intelligence in terms of leadership:
“The most effective leaders are all alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but…they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions. My research, along with other recent studies, clearly shows that emotional intelligence 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 smart ideas, but he still won’t make a great leader.”
Before this terminology came out, people may have described these leaders as lacking in “people skills.” They may have been promoted because they were good at getting things done. Now they are leading teams and they need to motivate and lead their teams to get the work done. If they are only focused on the work and not the people, it creates conflict.
These leaders may not have a lot of exposure to emotional intelligence before, but it is possible to build awareness of it in themselves and others. A leader who wants to succeed in an employee engaged culture, will either need to develop Emotional Intelligence or they will need to surround themselves with leaders who have it.