Taken off of his wildly successful work Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman has teamed up with Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee to address leadership concerns in the rapidly changing global world of business.
"Increasingly, the best of breed lead not by virtue of power alone, but by excelling in the art of relationship, the singular expertise that the changing business climate renders indispensable. Leadership excellence is being redfined in interpersonal terms as companies strip out layers of managers, as corporations merge across national boundaries, and as customers and suppliers redefine the web of connection" (p. 248).
The authors capture a telling comparison of two people in leadership, both having the responsibility of communicating to their employees the inevitable layoff looming in the future. The first leader failed to connect with the latent emotions in the room, and nearly had a riot on his hand. The second leader not only connected with the latent emotions in the room but channeled them in a direction of successful post-employment. The difference was skill in relationship.
The authors take the reader into the latest (as of the book's printing) neurological research and explain how the brain functions under stress and peace. They relate many anecdotes and go out of their way to make complex ideas more understandable. The authors describe the latest (as of the book's printing) research into other areas of leadership but which are nonetheless related to emotional intelligence.
Overall the book accomplishes that which it set out to do. I would caution readers unfamiliar with social science research to "count the cost" before attempting this book. The research element can be overwhelming and cumbersome for those unfamiliar with social science research. The other complaint is that I am walking away from having read the book and have not really come closer to understanding how to apply emotional intelligence to leadership endeavors. I only am impressed that I should do so. Well, after reading Goleman's Emotional Intelligence I came to the stark realization that emotional intelligence was vital to observe and practice religiously.
2 comments:
there is an interesting dialogue series recently published at www.morethansound.net where Daniel Goleman speaks to a number of leading thinkers about the applications of social intelligence. really worth a listen to, i think. there are free samples of the conversations on the website.
Thanks, Lewis. I'll try to check it out.
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