What Makes a Leader? (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition)

"... most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence." Thankfully, according to the author, people can develop their emotional intelligence. In this article the author discusses the five components of emotional intelligence: (1) self-awareness, (2) self-regulation, (3) motivation, (4) empathy, and (5) social skill. Each of these components are discussed in detail and complemented with examples. In addition, the author complements this with a discussion on whether you can learn emotional intelligence: "It's important to emphasize that building one's emotional intelligence cannot - will not - happen without sincere desire and concerted effort."

Nice, clear article on the softer side of leadership. The author explains that leadership is not just built on IQ and technical ability, but needs a healthy proportion of emotional skills. Readers have the choice to continue with Daniel Goleman's books or his 2000-article 'Leadership that Gets Results'. The author has a understandable US-English writing style.


The impact of emotional intelligence on leadership   July 21, 2001
Gerard Kroese (The Netherlands)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Daniel Goleman is co-chairman of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Piscataway, New Jersey, and author of 'Emotional Intelligence' (1995) and 'Working with Emotional Intelligence' (1998).

This 1998 Harvard Business Review article is based on research into effective leadership at 188 companies. According to the author IQ and technical skills are important, but emotional intelligence is the sine qua non (= ultimate requirement) of leadership. Chief characteristic of someone with a high EI is that he/she is aware of emotions and able to regulate them - and this awareness and regulation are directed both inward, to one's self, and outward, to others. The author describes in detail the five components of emotional intelligence at work, which are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. He explains how to recognize EI in potential leaders, how and why it leads to measurable business results, and, most importantly, how it can be learned ("It's important to emphasize that building one's emotional intelligence cannot - will not - happen without sincere desire and concerted effort.").

I did like this interesting article from Daniel Goleman. It is surprisingly clear in the explanation of emotional intelligence. On this subject, I recommend the 2001 Harvard Business Review article 'Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups' by Vanessa Urch Druskat and Steven Wolff, and the various books by David McClelland. (Please note that I have not (yet) read Daniel Goleman's books 'Emotional Intelligence' and 'Working with Emotional Intelligence'.) The article is written in understandable US-English.