LEADERSHIP

Articles Summary



Articles Summary

Daniel Goleman: What Makes a Leader?

Daniel Goleman has done analysis of 188 companies, to find out the individual skills and abilities that lead to exceptional performance. He sorted the skills into three distinct categories: technical skills, cognitive abilities and emotional intelligence demonstrating abilities and effectiveness in facilitating change. The author's research zeros in on finding the working of emotional intelligence at work place. He analyzed the kinship of performance, arising from emotional intelligence, in the fields of self-regulation, self-awareness, social skill, empathy and motivation. The analysis of performance data, points out the fact that emotional intelligence plays an important role at higher levels of company, where technical abilities of an individual are of very less importance.

Goleman defines emotional intelligence as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions” (Goleman, 1998). He suggested that emotional quotient falls into five areas: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and social skills. The first three components relates to self-management skills whereas the last two concern a person's ability to manage relationships with others. These aspects or “ingredients” have been described by Goleman, as follows:

Self-Awareness has to do with knowing oneself. The first exercise that one has to do is a reflection and analysis of their emotions, moods, strengths and weaknesses. It is important to understand the cause of our reactions, along with the impact of our behavior on others. Self-aware people will be self-confident because they know what their capabilities are and why they are worth them.

Self-regulation is the ability of controlling one's feelings in order to keep them from driving one's behavior. In other words, biological impulses can be transformed into logical and consistent behavior; and therefore, one can avoid being expressly upset in difficult situations. Leaders who self-regulate are able to create an environment of trust, they are able to step-back and think before acting. Therefore, they can easily deal with changes because they can postpone judgments until they have the whole picture.

Self-motivation drives leaders to work for reasons beyond Money or status. A motivated worker will try to achieve their goals with energy and persistence and will perform beyond expectations. It is the passion and commitment for what she is doing and optimism what drives leaders to the success and high-performance.

Empathy is the ability to read and understand other people's emotions and concerns and treat them accordingly. It is not about being emotionally affected by others, but rather actively listening and considering their thoughts/feelings in order to understand their needs and wants. Leaders with empathy can easily create effective teams and are able to retain talents.

Social skill, the fifth component of the EI, concerns the proficiency of a person in managing relationships with others and building networks. Good social skills are the “fuel” which puts all the above mentioned skills into the practice. By definition, leaders are in charge of moving people into one direction and ...