XIX) EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

I have dozens of books and many more magazines on the subject of leadership in my library. Most of them are written from the Christian/Biblical perspective, but many are secular and come from the business world. In my humble opinion one of the best secular books written on leadership is entitled Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee (Harvard Business School Press, 2002). Their argument, and it is compelling, is that a leader’s ability to positively affect the emotions of those around them is as important to leadership as having a high IQ. In short, the leader will either be able to instill a sense of goodwill and confidence in the organization, which the authors call resonance, or they will create a negative climate, which they call dissonance.

My wife has worked in the retail business for several years for one of the major retail giants. During this time she has worked in several different stores and with many different store managers. I’ve listened to her describe the working climate in these stores under various managers and what she has observed is what Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee have studied and documented, namely, that the emotional intelligence (EQ) of the leadership will either have a positive (resonance) or negative (dissonance) effect that will filter throughout the organization. This effect will flow from the highest levels of leadership down to the cart pusher in the parking-lot.

Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee list four elements of healthy emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Briefly, these four areas relate to the following:

SELF-AWARENESS: awareness of one’s own emotions and their impact; knowing one’s own strengths and limits; and, a sound sense of one’s self-worth and capabilities.

SELF-MANAGEMENT: keeping disruptive emotions under control; displaying honesty and integrity; being flexible and adaptable; a drive to improve; readiness to seize opportunities; and, seeing the upside in events.

SOCIAL AWARENESS: sensing others’ emotions and understanding their perspective; reading the currents, networks and politics of the organization; and, recognizing and meeting client or customer needs.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT: guiding and motivating with a compelling vision; utilizing the power of persuasion; provide feedback and guidance to bolster the abilities of others; initiating, managing and leading in a new direction; resolving disagreements; cultivating and maintaining a web of relationships; and, cooperation and team building. (p. 39)

Unlike intelligence and personality traits, which many believe are genetically predetermined, EQ can be developed and improved. With these four “Emotional Intelligence Domains” one can be effective in creating resonance and thereby creating a positive work environment with people who are willing to work together to accomplish the goal and vision of the organization.

I realize I began this series with a discussion of the leadership lessons we gain from Jesus, and it may seem that I have deviated, but as I looked at the four EQ domains it occurs to me that Jesus exemplified each of these. Jesus had an acute sense of “self-awareness.” He knew exactly who He was, who had sent Him, and what His mission was.

Jesus was a master at “self-management.” He knew what He had to do to accomplish His mission and He able to exemplify honesty and integrity while He pressed toward that goal.

Jesus had a keen sense of “social awareness.” He knew the thoughts of people and understood their inner turmoil. He could clearly see the needs of the people, even if they were only focused on their wants.

And finally, Jesus was an expert at “relationship management.” He initiated, managed and led the world in a new direction. And He built a team around Him who would continue the mission even after He ascended to the Father.

There is a difference between leading people and manipulating people. Great leaders utilize EQ to positively affect the emotions of others so that they can see, believe in, and pursue the vision and mission of the organization. The opposite is to create a climate of distrust, frustration, cynicism and discouragement. An organization can only remain static for so long; it must either move forward or it will move backward. A positive attitude that filters throughout the organization can empower the people to overcome obstacles, create innovative approaches, and work together as a team for the health of the organization.