So You Think You're Smart? How's Your EQ?

I will never forget the smartest student on my Masters Degree course. He was the person who sailed through his course-work and exams whilst the rest of us struggled until the early hours, burning the midnight oil, looking for inspiration and the perfect answer to our essay title. That, however, is not the reason why I will never forget him. The straight-A Psychology student was renowned for his short temper and lack of empathy, and I remember one particular occasion when he blew up at a member of our project team who had failed to deliver, shouting 'I can't believe you haven't done it! How could you! How stupid you are, how lazy you are, what is wrong with you?!'

Although she was incredibly distressed at the time, the project member got over her upset and moved on to bigger and better things. The straight-A student, although one of the most 'intelligent' people I have ever met also moved on to different things, but as yet has not made his mark, or made it to a position of leadership, and unless he learns to control his emotions, I'm pretty sure that he never will.

The behaviour shocked me then; today I would muse over his lack of 'emotional intelligence', his lack of appreciation of just how important relationships are, and the way his emotions hijacked his behaviour and damaged his credibility. Emotional Intelligence is emerging as a key competency for leaders today - without self-awareness, self-management and empathy for others, leaders aren't likely to inspire or motivate their teams, and will certainly find it difficult to build constructive relationships and networks. A lack of control creates a poor and unproductive work environment, as employees are often likely to adopt the mood of their leader.

A recent piece of research in an accounting firm found that while strengths in analytical reasoning added 50 percent more to a partner's incremental profit, a strength in self-management added an amazing 390 percent more incremental profit, or about $1.5 million per year (Goleman, Boyatzis, and Mckee)

Unfortunately today, most of the money spent learning leadership is wasted, because traditional leadership education focuses upon neocortex (or intellectual) learning, while true leadership is based upon emotions and resides in the more primitive, limbic brain. Great leaders have been found to acquire their leadership skills, not through formal study, but through feedback, coaching, experience, practice, real work projects and reflection. Most of us are imperfect leaders, because we learn leadership haphazardly. But, there is hope - consider the following;

• Ask a trusted colleague or friend to give you feedback on your self- management and empathy with others - or use a more formal feedback process Consciously practice a more appropriate way of responding when you feel emotional, and rehearse new behaviors at every opportunity until they becomes automatic
• Next time an interaction with a colleague or a group of colleagues does not go as planned try to put yourself in their shoes - how will they be thinking/feeling?
• Whether you are a leader yourself, or responsible for leadership development within your organisation, consider the current level of emotional intelligence in your leaders, what impact does this have on your culture?
• Think about your leadership interventions - do they contain an element of feedback, practice and coaching and do they include emotional intelligence? If not, have a look at the Kaizen Transformational Leadership programmes! Use your new behaviours to build and prosper from new, stronger relationships!

There is still hope for my straight-A student, managing your emotions is certainly something that can be learned, and who knows, he may just be doing that right now!