Leadership and intelligent emotions

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin says with great pride, “I am the wealthiest man, not just in Europe, but in the whole world. I collect emotions. I am wealthy in that the people of Russia have twice entrusted me with the leadership of a great nation such as Russia - I believe that is my greatest wealth.” Emotions and how we manage them determines our success at work and in life, this also happens to be the singular differentiator between good and great leaders. There is no doubt that high performance leaders do possess certain personal qualities and attributes that enable them to reach those positions, but evidence also suggests that they have high levels of emotional intelligence,  Daniel Goleman states in his article, “What makes a leader” that his research “very clearly indicates 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 it as a great leader.”


So what are these qualities that sets them apart or makes them great leaders? The first, basic and most important is self-regard. High self-regard can be described as a realistic assessment of strengths and weaknesses combined with a healthy sense of acceptance, equanimity and capability.


The next EI quality which is significant for effective leadership is empathy. The high performance leader is not only in regular touch with his own feelings but has the ability to readily empathise and understand the feelings of those around them. In other words, this ability of a leader to step into the shoes of the other person, helps him gain perspective and a deeper understanding of others, improve communication and identify problems before they escalate.


Another factor that high performing leaders exhibit in large measure is a significantly high level of optimism. Having a positive attitude and outlook in spite of setbacks and being resilient is what optimism is all about. Leaders who are optimistic have a supreme belief in their abilities, of course too much optimism is as detrimental as too little. Research results till date indicate that nearly 90 per cent of high performance leaders have high emotional intelligence when tested. While poorly performing or borderline leaders have relatively low levels of emotional intelligence. A lack of emotional intelligence is what limits some people in their ability to manage themselves, manage others, or manage situations. Leaders with strong emotional intelligence skills rise above any situation. They don’t let other people push their buttons, and they connect with others more effectively.

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