Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

By Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee

For every suicide bomber on September 11th or executive at Enron, there are hundreds of leaders like Rudi Guiliani, Oprah Winfrey, Niall Fitzgerald, Keki Dadiseth, and Antony Burgmans of Unilever, Monica Sharma of the United Nations, James Staley of Roadway, and John Lauer of Oglebay Norton. They help us elevate the human spirit and make society, our organizations, our families, and lives better. They do it by using their emotional intelligence to create an atmosphere in which people want to do and be their best.

We wrote this book to help reverse the alarming trend of only seeing the examples of the lack of emotional intelligence and the havoc it imposes in our lives and society that bombard us daily. Based on decades of research and consulting to executives and organizations, we sought to explain the links between outstanding leaders and their emotional intelligence.

There are three major points in this book. First, great leaders move us. They do it by creating a resonance with our emotions and a shared desire to be a part of something effective and meaningful. They are emotionally intelligent, and their emotional intelligence is driven by neural circuits and emerges in clearly observable actions. It is through leadership styles based on emotional intelligent acts that enable them to establish this resonance with others. Second, people can develop these competencies. Based on a series of longitudinal studies, the process by which adults can significantly improve their emotional intelligence is described with many examples. These are exciting results. People have not only been shown to sustain these improvement seven years later, but also continue to grow and develop years after beginning the process. Third, leaders at all levels in organizations can create resonant teams and cultures that breed emotional intelligence and the best in others.

We hope you find the story as exciting as it has been for us in working with others and making these discoveries. Being a part of the creative and energizing process of people becoming leaders is a source of hope. And we all need more of that these days.

Now, here is a concept that every new (and old) boss should take to heart: The duty of a leader is to prime positive feelings in workers..... clear, concise writing style is helpful in explaining complex processes in easy-to-understand language....Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee have turned a difficult trick: attacking a tired subject in an invigorating way.

Categories:

• Health, Fitness & Dieting
  
  
  • Mental Health
    • Emotions