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Business
in the 21st Century is characterized by change and di - versity
due to rapidly changing technologies, global competition,
and shifts from controlled to open economies. Leadership models
must also change to sustain organizational and business growth.
Leading an organization in such a complex and dynamic environment,
calls for special skills and abilities that go beyond academic
excellence and technical know-how. Psychologists and authors,
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee conducted
research for decades to study leaders and leadership in high
performing companies. Their findings revealed that what set
the high impact leaders apart from mediocre leaders were their
outstanding communication skills and people skills, the ability
to build relationships, flexibility in managing constant change,
skill in building teams and leveraging the strengths of the
diverse workforce. These competencies could be clustered under
the umbrella term "Emotional Intelligence" (EI).
This
article explores the link between emotional intelligence and
leadership in contemporary organizations. The four dimensions
of Emotional Intelligence are: self-awareness, self-management,
social awareness, and relationship management. Their associated
competencies are also discussed. It also shows how EI dimensions
integrate with the six different leadership styles (visionary,
coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and commanding
styles) that resonant leaders skillfully employ to ultimately
produce business results.
The
article emphasizes the need for organizations to encourage
emotional intelligence competencies by making them the underlying
premise for hiring, for training and in performance appraisals
so as to maximize potential for high performance and productivity. |
