Emotional Intelligence for Leaders

What is it that makes a great leader?Is it intelligence,analytical ability,capability to motivate others or is it the ability to see far ahead? While all these attributes are essential in some degree or another, an important facet of an individual's personality that distinguishes an outstanding performer from just another guy is Emotional Intelligence.According to Daniel Goleman, there are five attributes to this holy grail,namely

• Self Awareness
• Self Regulation
• Motivation
• Empathy
• Social Skill

People with a high degree of self awareness know their weeknesses, and more importantly, they are not afraid to talk about them.Remember Patton , the great general! He was aware of his weekness of not being able to keep his mouth shut when required, and was not ashamed of it. We also must know that self awareness is the first step to change. Most of us generally amble along a lifetime without actually developing this essential trait.
Self regulation flows from the above trait.If a person is not able to regulate his behaviour, then self awarenesss is of hardly any use.If you know that an arguement with your wife may force you into saying things that you may later regret, then in that case quietly slipping out of the house for a peaceful walk wouldn't be a bad idea.Patton was low on this trait and that is why he lost out to Bradley and Montgomery.
Motivation for its own sake, that is, desire to acheive excellence,without an eye for the rewards that may follow is the kind of motivation that true leaders possess in abundance.If you are able to find such a man around you, hold on to him because you have for sure struck gold.
I am sure that all of you know that it is important to empathise with other people.You must put yourself in their shoes and then take a decision that is likely to affect them. In my many years with an organisation, I have come across people who forget this tenet conveniently.They have one set of rules for themselves and another set for the rest of the world."It is good to help when asked , but it is better to help unasked-through understanding",is what was said by that great philospher, Khalil Gibran.
And Finally, a word about social skills.The ability to build rapport with others, get them to cooperate, and make them move willingly in a direction that you desire is the hallmark of a person who possesses social skills. It is also known as networking. Networking is often seen in a negative light by people who are self made, but let me tell you that it works wonders. Your work gets done in minutes. Being sociable is not the same as having social skills. Social skills comprise of friendliness with a purpose.You can only frown at these skills at the cost of delaying your work.
So , is it then possible to develop these traits? Oh yes, very much!It requires a deliberate effort, regular practice and a feedback from your sounding board.