Leadership and Intelligence

Leadership and Intelligence

Leadership and Intelligence

Introduction

Many believe that leadership is an art rather than a science. Why? Because '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.' Goleman believes that whilst IQ and technical skills are not irrelevant (they are 'threshold capabilities') but what is much more important is emotional intelligence. Indeed, Goleman asserts that his research shows that this is twice as important as a driver of outstanding performance compared to the other two factors.

Intelligence and Leadership

In the early years of studying leadership, the so-called “trait theory” took the view that there is a set of traits that marks leaders from non-leaders. Early traits claimed to be characteristic of leaders included intelligence, a drive to dominate others, being extroverted and having charisma. Today, people often point to the importance of emotional intelligence, facilitative skills and integrity. The trait theory implies that certain personal characteristics are necessary conditions for leadership, or at least, effective leadership. In later thinking about leadership, this approach was abandoned because it was felt that leadership effectiveness varied too much across situations and types of people being led. The feeling was that there were no universally necessary traits to be a leader.

More recently, trait thinking has been making a comeback. In particular, numerous studies associate intelligence with leadership effectiveness. Some thinkers feel that the more senior the executive the more important are general cognitive skills, the ability to grasp more and more complex information to make informed decisions (Riff Henry B; Hatzes Nanette M. Bramel; Michael H, 2008).

Emotional intelligence theory (EQ - Emotional Quotient)

Emotional Intelligence - EQ - is a relatively recent behavioural model, rising to prominence with Daniel Goleman's 1995 Book called 'Emotional Intelligence'. The early Emotional Intelligence theory was originally developed during the 1970s and 80s by the work and writings of psychologists Howard Gardner (Harvard), Peter Salovey (Yale) and John 'Jack' Mayer (New Hampshire). Emotional Intelligence is increasingly relevant to organizational development and developing people, because the EQ principles provide a new way to understand and assess people's behaviours, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential (Mayer John D, 1997). Emotional Intelligence is an important consideration in human resources planning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing and selection, management development, customer relations and customer service, and more.

Emotional Intelligence links strongly with concepts of love and spirituality: bringing compassion and humanity to work, and also to 'Multiple Intelligence' theory which illustrates and measures the range of capabilities people possess, and the fact that everybody has a value. The EQ concept argues that IQ, or conventional intelligence, is too narrow; that there are wider areas of Emotional Intelligence that dictate and enable how successful we are. Success requires more than IQ (Intelligence Quotient), which has tended to be the traditional measure of intelligence, ignoring eseential behavioural and character elements. We've all met people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially and inter-personally ...