by Pat Schally
Leaders possessing a high degree of Emotional Intelligence (EI) lead the way to greater influence in relationships, adaption to change, management of conflict, effective negotiation and cultural sensitivity. Here’s what subject experts are saying about the role that emotional intelligence plays in leadership.
According to the Institute of Sales and Marketing, "EI is being hailed as one of the greatest breakthroughs in management and leadership theory of all time. Ninety percent of leadership effectiveness is directly attributable to a person’s emotional intelligence.”
In The EQ Edge, Drs. Stein and Book emphasize that EI is critical to effective functioning of leaders and their constituents in the workplace and in their personal lives. The authors were intrigued by questions posed by Dr. Bar-On, an early pioneer in this work. “Why do some people possess greater emotional well-being? Why are some better able to achieve success in life? And—most important—why do some people who are blessed with superior intellectual abilities seem to fail in life while others with more modest gifts succeed?”
These are intriguing questions that we may ponder as we make observations about ourselves as leaders, our associates, and others in leadership roles. As providers of The Leadership Challenge®, we believe that one of the biggest challenges for leaders today is to lead with EI. How do we bring EI into our leadership experience? Our contributors have more to say about that in this month’s topic, “Leadership and the Emotional Edge.”
The Leadership Challenge® facilitators and executive coaches, Holly Seaton and Gil Jardine, bring fresh perspectives to the topic of EI and share their thoughts and observations in this issue.
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