BEST OF
1998
HBR
It wa5 Daniel Goleman who first brought the term "emotiona! intelligence"to
a wide audience with his 1995 book of that name, and it was Coleman who first
applied the concept to business with his 1998 HBR article, reprinted here. In
his research at nearly 200 large, global companies, Coleman found that while the
qualities traditionally associated with leadership-such as intelligence, toughness,
determination, and vision-are required for success, they are insuffi- cient. Truly
effective leaders are also distinguished by a high degree of emo - tional
intelligence, which includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy,
and social skill.
These qualities may sound "soft" and unbusinesslike, but Coleman found direct
ties between emotional intelligence and measurable business results. While
emotional intelligence's relevance to business has continued to spark debate
over the past six years, Coleman's article remains the definitive reference on the
subject, with a description of each component of emotional intelligence and a
detailed discussion of how to recognize it in potential leaders, how and why it
connects to performance, and how it can be learned.
What Makes a Leader?
by Daniel Goleman
E
,VERY BUSINESSPERSON knOWS a
need a sensitive negotiator at the helm,
Story about a highly intelligent, highly
whereas many turnarounds require a
skilled executive who was promoted more forceful authority.
IQ and technical skills
are important, but
emotional intelligence
is the sine qua non
of leadership.
82
into a ieadership position only to fail
1 have found, however, that the most
at the job. And they also know a story effective leaders are alike in one crucial
about someone with solid-but not ex- way: They all have a high degree of what
traordinary-intellectual abilities and has come to be known as emotional Intechnical skills who was promoted into telligence. It's not that iQ and technical
a similar position and then soared.
skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but
Such anecdotes support the wide- mainly as "threshold capabilities"; that
spread belief that identifying individu- is, they are the entry-level requirements
als with the "right stuff" to be leaders for executive positions. But my research,
is more art than science. After all, the along with other recent studies, clearly
personal styles of superb leaders vary: shows that emotional intelligence is the
Some leaders are subdued and analyti* sine qua non of leadership. Without it,
cal; others shout their manifestos from
a person can have the best training in
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
the mountaintops. And just as impor- the world, an incisive, analytical mind,
tant, different situations call for differ- and an endless supply of smart ideas,
ent types of leadership. IVIost mergers but he still won't make a great leader.
83
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in the course of the past year, my col- organizations from the average ones. the renowned researcher in human and
leagues and I have focused on how emo- Those individuals were then extensively organizational behavior, are a good
ex- tional intelligence operates at work. interviewed and tested, and their capa- ample. In a 1996 study of a global
food We have examined the relationship bebilities were compared. This process reand beverage company,
McClelland tween emotional intelligence and effec- sulted in the creation of lists of ingredi- found that when senior
managers had tive performance, especially in leaders. ents for highly effective leaders. The lists a critical mass of
emotional intelligence And we have observed how emotional
ranged in length from seven to 15 items
capabilities,their divisions outperformed intelligence shows itseif on the job. How and included such ingredients as
initiayearly earnings goals by 20%. Mean- can you tell if someone has high emotive and strategic vision.
while, division leaders without that crit- tional intelligence, for example, and
When I analyzed all this data, I found
ical mass underperfomied by almost the how can you recognize it in yourself? In dramatic results. To be sure, intellect
was same amount. McClelland's findings, the following pages, we'll explore these
a driver of outstanding
performance. interestingly, held as true in the com- questions, taking each of the compo- Cognitive skills such as
big-picture think- pany's U.S. divisions as in its divisions in nents of emotional intelligence-self- ing and long-term
vision were particu- Asia and Europe.
awareness, self-regulation, motivation, larly important. But when I calculated
In short, the numbers are beginning
empathy, and social skill-in turn.
the ratio of technical skills, iQ,and emo- to tell us a persuasive story about the
tional intelligence as ingredients of ex- iink between a company's success and
Evaluating Emotional
ceilent performance, emotional intelli- the emotional inteiligence of its leadIntelligence
gence proved to be twice as important ers. And just as important, research is
Most large companies today have em- as the others for jobs at ail levels.
aiso demonstrating that people can, if
ployed trained psychologists to develop
Moreover, my analysis showed that they take the right approach, develop
what are known as "competency mod- emotional intelligence played an in- their emotional intelligence. (See the
els"to aid them in identifying, training, creasingly important role at the high- sidebar "Can Emotional intelligence
Be and promoting likely stars in the lead- est levels of the company, where differ- Learned?")
ership firmament. The psychologists ences in technical skills are of negiigible
Self-Awareness
have also developed such models for
lower-level positions. And in recent
Self-awareness is thefirstcomponent
of years, i have analyzed competency modemotional inteliigence-which
makes eis from i88 companies, most of which
sense when one considers that
the Del- were large and global and included the
phic oracle gave the advice to
"know likesof Lucent Technologies, British Airthyself" thousands of years
ago. Self- ways, and Credit Suisse.
awareness means having a
deep underin carrying out this work, my objecstanding of one's emotions, strengths,
tive was to determine which personal
weaknesses, needs, and drives. People
capabilities drove outstanding perforwith strong self-awareness are neither
mance within these organizations, and
overly criticai nor unrealistically hopeto what degree they did so. I grouped caful. Rather, they are honest - with
them- pabilities into three categories: purely importance, in other words, the higher selves and with others.
technical skills like accounting and busi- the rank of a person considered to be
People who have a high degree of
self- ness planning; cognitive abilities like an- a star performer, the more emotional awareness recognize how their
feelings alyticai reasoning; and competencies inteliigence capabilities showed up as affect them, other people,
and their job demonstrating emotional intelligence, the reason for his or her effectiveness. performance. Thus, a
self-aware person such as the ability to work with others When I compared star performers with who knows that
tight deadlines bring and effectiveness in leading change.
average ones in senior leadership posi- out the worst
in him plans his time To create some of the competency tions, nearly 90% of the difference in carefuliy and
gets his work done well models, psychologists asked senior man- their profiles was attributable to emo- in advance.
Another person with high agers at the companies to identify the tional intelligence factors rather than seif-a ware
ness wiil be able to work with capabilities that typified the organiza- cognitive abilities.
a
demanding client. She will under- tion's most outstanding leaders. To creOther researchers have confirmed that
stand the client's impact on her moods ate other models,the psychologists used emotional intelligence not only distinand the deeper reasons for her frustra- objective criteria, such as a division's guishes outstanding leaders but can also
84
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BEST OF HBR
tion. "Their trivial demands take us profitability, to differentiate the star per- be linked to strong performance. The
away from the real work that needs to formers at senior levels within their findings of the late David McClelland,
be done," she might expiain. And she
84
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
What Makes a Leader?
Despite tbe value of having selfaware people in the workplace, my
will go one step further and turn her
feelings; a week later, she was support- research
anger into something constructive.
ing the project fully.
Self-awareness extends to a person's Such self-knowledge often shows itunderstanding of bis or her values and self in the hiring process. Ask a candigoals. Someone who is highly self-aware date to describe a time he got carried
knows where he is beaded and wby; so, away by bis feelings and did something
for example, he will be able to befirmin he later regretted. Self-aware canditurning down a job offer that is tempt- dates will be frank in admitting to failing financially but does not fit with his ure - and will often tell their tales with a
principles or long-term goals. A person smile. One of the hallmarks of seifwho lacks self-awareness is apt to make awareness is a self-deprecating sense of
decisions that bring on inner turmoil by humor.
treading on buried values. "The money Self-awareness can also be identitied
looked good so I signed on," someone during performance reviews. Selfmight say two years into a job,"but the aware people know-and are comwork means so little to me that I'm con- fortable talking about-their
stantly bored." The decisions of self- limitations and strengths,
aware people mesh with their values; and they often demonconsequently, they often find work to strate a thirst for conbe energizing.
structive criticism. By
How can one recognize self-aware- contrast, people with low
ness? First and foremost, it shows itself self-awareness interpret
as candor and an ability to assess one- the message that they
self realistically. People witb bigh self- need to improve as a
awareness are able to speak accurately threat or a sign of failure.
and openly-altbough not necessarily
Self-aware people can
effusively or confessionally-about their also be recognized by their
emotions and the impact they have on self-confidence. Tbey have
their work. For instance, one manager I a firm grasp of their capabiliknow of was skeptical about a new per- ties and are less likely to set
sonal-shopper service that her company,
themselves up to fail by, for example,
a major department-store chain, was
overstretching on assignments. They
about to introduce. Without prompting
know, too, when to ask for help. And
from her team or her boss, she offered
the risks they take on the job are
them an explanation: "It's hard for me to
calculated. They won't ask for a
get behind the rollout of this service," challenge that they know they can't
she admitted, "because I really wanted to handle alone. They'll play to their
run the project, but I wasn't selected.
strengths.
Bear with me while I deal with tbat."
Consider the actions of a midlevel
Tbe manager did indeed examine her
em- ployee who was invited to sit in on
a strategy meeting with her company's
Daniel Goleman is the author of Emo- top executives. Although she was the
tional Intelligence (Bantam. 1995) and amost junior person in tbe room, she did
coauthor of Primal Leadership: Realiz- not sit there quietly, listening in aweing the Power of Emotional Intelligence struck or fearful silence. Sbe knew she
(Harvard Business School, 2002). He is the had a head for clear logic and the skill
cochairman of the Consortium for Researchto present ideas persuasively, and she
on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations,of- fered cogent suggestions about the
which is based at Rutgers University's
com- pany's strategy. At the same time,
Graduate School of Applied and
her self-awareness stopped her from
Professional Psychology in Piscat- away.
wan- dering into territory where she
New Jersey. He can be reached at
knew she was weak.
Daniel.Goleman@verizon.net.
INSIDE THE MIND OF THE LEADER (ANUARY 2004
85
What Makes a Leader?
indicates that senior executives don't
often give self-awareness the credit it
deserves when they look for potential
leaders. Many executives mistake candor about feelings for "wimpiness" and
fail to give due respect to employees
who
openly
acknowledge
tbeir
shortcomings. Such people are too
readily dismissed as "not tough enough"
to lead others.
In fact, the opposite is true. In the
first place, people generally admire
and respect candor. Furthermore,
leaders are constantly required to
make judg- ment calls that require a
candid assessment of capabilitiestheir own and those
of others. Do we have
the management
expertise to acquire
a competitor? Can
we launch a new
product within six
months? People who
assess
themselves
honestly-that is,
self aware peopleare well suited to do
the same for the organizations they run.
Self-Regulation
Biological impulses drive our emotions.
We cannot do away with them -but we
can do much to manage them. Selfregulation, which is like an ongoing
inner conversation, is the component of
emotional intelligence that frees us
from being prisoners of our feelings.
People engaged in such a conversation
fee! bad moods and emotional impulses
just as everyone else does, but they find
ways to control them and even to channel them in useful ways.
Imagine an executive who has just
watched a team of bis employees
present a botched analysis to the company's board of directors. In the gloom
that follows, tbe executive might find
himsetf tempted to pound on the table in
anger or kick over a chair. He could leap
up and scream at the group. Or he might
maintain a grim silence, glaring at
everyone before stalking off.
INSIDE THE MIND OF THE LEADER (ANUARY 2004
85
BEST OF HBR
But if he had a gift for self-regulation,
he would choose a different approach.
He would pick his words carefully,
acknowledging the team's poor performance without rushing to any hasty
judgment. He would then step back to
consider the reasons for the failure. Are
they personal-a lack of effort? Are there
any mitigating factors? What was his
role in the debacle? After consider- ing
these questions, he would call the team
together, lay out the incident's consequences, and offer his feeiings about
it He wouid then present his analysis of
the probiem and a well considered
soiution.
program drove how she collected and reported
Why does self-regulation matter so
much for leaders? First of all, people
who are in control of their feeiings and
impulses-that is, people who are reasonable - are able to create an environment of trust and fairness. In such an
environment, politics and infighting
are sharply reduced and productivity is
high. Talented people flock to the
organization and aren't tempted to
leave. And self-regulation has a trickledown effect. No one wants to be known
as a hothead when the boss is known for
her calm approach. Fewer bad moods at
the top mean fewer throughout the
organization.
Second, self-regulation is important
for competitive reasons. Everyone
knows that business today is rife with
ambigu- ity and change. Companies
merge and break apart regularly.
Technology trans- forms work at a
dizzying pace. People who have
mastered their emotions are able to roll
with the changes. When a new program
is announced, they don't panic; instead,
they are able to suspend judgment, seek
out information, and lis- ten to the
executives as they explain the new
program. As the initiative moves
forward, these people are able to move
with it.
Sometimes they even lead the way.
Consider the case of a manager at a
large manufacturing company. Like her
col- leagues, she had used a certain
software program for five years. The
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
What Makes a Leader?
clearly demonstrate that emotJonat intelligence can
Can
Emotional
Intelligence
Be
Learned?
be learned.
One thing is certain: Emotional intelligence increases with age.
There is an old-fashioned word for the phenomenon: matu - rity. Yet
even with maturity, some people stiil need training to enhance their
emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, far too many training
programs that intend to build ieadership skills- including
emotional jntelligence-are a waste o f time and money. The
For ages, people have
debated if leaders are born
or made. So
problem is simple: They focus on the wrong part of the brain.
Emotional intelligence is born largely in the neurotransmitters of
too goes the debate
the brain's limbic system, which governs feelings, impulses, and
about emotional
drives. Research indicates that the limbic system teams best through
inteliigence. Are
motivation, extended practice, and feedback. Compare this with the
people born with
kind o f learning that goes on in the neocortex, which governs
certain levels o f
analytical and technical ability The neocortex grasps concepts and
empathy, for
logic. It is the part of the brain that figures out how to use a
example, or do they
computer or make a sales call by reading a
acquire empathy as
book. Not surprisingly-but mistakenly-it is also the part o f the
a resuttof life's
brain targeted by most training programs aimed at enhancing
experiences? The
emotional inteliigence. When such programs take, in effect.
answer is both.
Scientific inquiry
strongly suggests
that there is a
genetic component
to emotiona!
intelligence.
Psychological and
develop - mental
research indicates
that nurture plays a
role as well. How
much of each
perhaps will never
be known, but
research and practice
data and how she thought about the eventually promoted to run several dicompany's strategy. One day, senior ex- visions, in part because she used the
ecutives announced that a new program new technology so effectively.
was to be installed that would radically i want to push the importance of selfchange how information was gathered regulation to leadership even further and
assessed within the organization. and make tbe case that it enhances in- While
many people in the company tegrity, which is not only a personal vircomplained bitterly about how disrup- tue but also an organizational strength.
tive the change would be, the manager Many of the bad things that happen in
mulled over the reasons for the new pro- companies are a function of impulsive
gram and was convinced of its potential behavior. People rarely plan to exaggerto improve performance. She eagerly ate profits, pad expense accounts, dip
attended training sessions - some of her into the till, or abuse power for selfish
colleagues refused to do so-and was ends, instead, an opportunity presents
imagine a n executive who is thought to be low on empathy by her
colleagues. Part o f that deficit shows itself as an inability to listen; she
interrupts people and doesn't pay close attention to what they're saying.
To fix the problem, the executive needs to be motivated to change, and
a neocortical approach, my research with the Consortium for
then she needs practice and feed - back from others in the company. A
Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations has
colleague or coach could be tapped to let the executive know when she
shown they can even have a negative impact on people's job
has been observed failing to listen. She would then have to replay the
performance.
incident and give a betterresponse; that is, demonstrate her ability to
To enhance emotional intelligence, organizations must refo- cus
their training to include the limbic system. They must help people
break old behavioral habits and establish new ones. That not only
absorb what others are saying. And the executive could be directed to
observe certain executives who listen well and to mimic their behavior.
With persistence and practice, such a process can lead to
takes much more time than conventional training pro- grams, it also
results, I know one Wall Street executive who sought to
requires a n individualized approach.
empathy-specifically his ability to read people's
lasting
improve his
reactions and see
their perspectives. Before beginning his quest,
INSIDE THE MIND OF THE LEADER JANUARY 2004
87
BEST OF HBR
theexecutive'ssubordinates were terrified o f working with him.
People even went so far as to hide bad news from him. Natu -
rally,
he was shocked when finally confronted with these facts. He went
home and told his family-but they only confirmed
what he had heard at work. When their opinions on any given
subject did not mesh with his,they, too, were frightened o f him.
Enlisting the help of a coach, the executive went to work to
heighten his empathy through practice and feedback. His first
stepwastotakea vacation to a foreign country where he did
not speak the language. While there, he monitored his reactions to
the unfamiliar and his openness to people who were differ- ent from
him. When he returned home, humbled by his week abroad, the
executive asked his coach to shadow him for parts ofthe day, several
times a week, to critique how he treated peo - ple with new or
different perspectives. At the same time, he con- sciously used onthe-job interactions as opportunities to prac - tice "hearing" ideas
that differed from his. Finally, the executive had himseif videotaped
in meetings and asked those who
worked for and with him to critique his ability to acknowledge and
understand the feelings o f others. It took several months,
but the executive's emotional intelligence did ultimately rise, and
the improvement was reflected in his overall performance on the
job.
It's important to emphasize that building one's emotional
intelligence can not-will not-happe n without sincere desire and
concerted effort. A brief seminar won't help; nor can one
buy a how-to manual. It is much harder to learn to empathize - to
internalize empathy as a natural response to people-tha n
it is to become adept at regression analysis. But it can be done,
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm," wrote
Ralph Waldo Emerson. If your goal is to become a real leader, these
words can serve as a guidepost in your efforts to develop high
emotional intelligence.
itself, and people with low impulse con- about the company's costs. But he chal- Like self-awareness, self-regulation
trol just say yes.
lenged that impulse - he saw that it often does not get its due. People who
By contrast, consider the behavior of made more sense in the long run to can master their emotions are somethe senior executive at a large food com- counter- act it. His emotional self- times seen as cold fish-their considered
pany. The executive was scrupulously regulation paid off in strong, lasting responses are taken as a lack of passion.
honest in his negotiations with local relationships with distributors that People with fiery temperaments are fredistributors. He would routinely lay out benefited the company more than any quently thought of as "classic" leadershis cost structure in detail, thereby giv- short-term financial gains would have. their outbursts are considered halling the distributors a realistic under- The signs of emotional self-regulation, marks of charisma and power. But when
standing ofthe company's pricing. This therefore, are easy to see: a propensity such people make it to the top, their imapproach meant the executive couldn't for reflection and thoughtful ness; com- pulsiveness often works against them.
always drive a hard bargain. Now, on fort with ambiguity and change; and in- In my research, extreme displays of negoccasion, he felt the urge to increase tegrity-an ability to say no to impul- ative emotion have never emerged as a
profits by withholding information
driver of good leadership.
sive urges.
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
BEST OF HBR
numbers-how many calls and sales
Motivation
they had made that day. The system
If there is one trait that virtually all
shortened the feedback time on saies
effective leaders have, it is motivation.
results from weeks to hours.
They are driven to achieve beyond exThat story illustrates two other compectations-their own and everyone
mon traits of people who are driven to
else's. The key word here is achieve.
achieve. They are forever raising the
Plenty of people are motivated by exper- formance bar, and they like to
ternal factors, such as a big salary or the
keep
status that comes from having an imscore. Take the performance bar first.
pressive title or being part of a prestiDuring performance reviews, people
gious company. By contrast, those with
with high levels of motivation might ask
leadership potential are motivated by a
to be "stretched" by their superiors. Of
deeply embedded desire to achieve for
the sake of achievement.
course, an employee who combines
If you are looking for leaders, how self- their questions about why things are awareness with internal motivation
can you identify people who are will done one way rather than another; they recognize her limits-but she won't
tle for objectives that seem too
motivated by the drive to achieve rather set- are eager to explore new approaches to
fulfill.
than by external rewards? The first sign easy to their work.
And it follows naturally that people
is a pas- sion for the work itself-such A cosmetics company manager, for
people seek out creative challenges, example, was frustrated that he had to who are driven to do better also want
love to leam, and take great pride in a wait two weeks to get sales results from a way of tracking progress-their own,
job well done. They also display an people in the field. He finally tracked their team's, and their company's.
Whereas people with low achievement
unflagging energy to do things better. down an automated phone system that
People with such energy often seem wouid beep each of his salespeople at motivation are often fuzzy about re- 5
restless with the status quo. They are PM every day. An automated message sults, those with high achievement mothen prompted them to punch in their tivation often keep score by tracking
persistent with
The Five Components of Emotional Intelligence at Work
Definition
Self-Awarenes
Self-Requlatio n
Motivation
Empath y
Social Skill
s ^^^ ability to recognize and understand your
moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their
effect on others
Hallmarks
self-confidence
realistic self-assessment selfdeprecating sense o f humor
^^^ ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and
moods
the propensity to suspend judgment-t o think
before acting
trustworthiness and integrity
comfort with ambiguity
^ passion to work for reasons that go beyond
money or status
strong d rive to ach ieve optimism,even
a propensity to pursue goals with energy and
persistence
commitment
openness to change
in the face o f failure organizational
^^^ ability to understand the emotional makeup of
other people
expertise in building and retaining talent
skill in treating people according to their emotional
reactions
service to clients and customers
proficiency in managing relationships and building
networks
an ability to find common ground and build rapport
cross-cultural sensitivity
effectiveness in leading change
persuasiveness
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
What Makes a Leader?
such hard measures as profitability or optimism and organizational commitmarket share. I know of a money man- ment are fundamental to leadershipager who starts and ends his day on the just try to imagine running a company
Internet, gauging the performance of without them.
his stock fund against four industry-set
benchmarks.
Empathy
Interestingly, people with high moti- Of all the dimensions of emotional invation remain optimistic even when the telligence, empathy is the most easily
score is against them. In such cases, self- recognized. We have al! felt the emparegulation combines with achievement thy of a sensitive teacher or friend; we
motivation to overcome the frustration have all been struck by its absence in an
and depression that come after a setunfeeling coach or boss. But when it
back or failure. Take the case of an an- comes to business, we rarely hear people
other portfolio manager at a large invest- praised, let alone rewarded, for their emment company. After several successful pathy. The very word seems unbusi- trast, the second manager continued
years, her fund tumbled for three con- nesslike, out of place amid the tough
to be a strong leader, his best people
secutive quarters, leading three large in- realities of the marketplace.
stayed, and his division remained as
stitutional clients to shift their business proelsewhere.
But empathy doesn't mean a kind of ductive as ever.
Some executives would have blamed "I'm OK, you're OK" mushiness. For a
Empathy is particularly important
the nosedive on circumstances outside leader, that is, it doesn't mean adopting today as a component of leadership for
their control; others might have seen the other people's emotions as one's own
at least three reasons: the increasing
setback as evidence of personal failure. and trying to please everybody. That
use of teams; the rapid pace of globalThis portfolio manager, however, saw would be a nightmare-it would make ization; and the growing need to retain
an opportunity to prove she could lead a action impossible. Rather, empathy talent.
turnaround. Two years later, when she means thoughtfully considering emConsider the challenge of leading a
was promoted to a very senior level in ployees'feelings-along with other fac- team. As anyone who has ever been
the company, she described the extors-in the process of making intelli- a part of one can attest, teams are caulperience as "the best thing that ever
gent decisions.
drons of bubbling emotions. They are
happened to me; I learned so much
For an example of empathy in action, often charged with reaching a consenfrom it."
consider what happened when two
sus-which is hard enough with two
Executives trying to recognize high giant brokerage companies merged,cre- people and much more difficult as the
levels of achievement motivation in ating redundant jobs in all their divi- numbers increase. Fven in groups with
their people can look for one last piece sions. One division manager called his
as few as four orfivemembers,
of evidence: commitment to the orga- alliances people together and gave a gloomy form and clashing agendas get
nization. When people love their jobs set. A speech that emphasized the number of
team's leader must be able to
for the work itself, they often feel com- sense and people who would soon befired. The understand the viewpoints of
mitted to the organizations that make everyone manager of another division gave his around the table.
that work possible. Committed employpeople a different kind of speech. He
That's exactly what a marketing manees are likely to stay with an organizawas up-front about his own worry and ager at a large information technology
tion even when they are pursued by
confusion, and he promised to keep peo- company was able to do when she
headhunters waving money.
was ple informed and to treat everyone appointed to lead a troubled team.
It's not difficult to understand how
The fairly.
group was in turmoil, overloaded
and why a motivation to achieve transby
lates into strong leadership. If you set
The difference between these two work and missing deadlines. Tensions
the performance bar high for yourself,
managers was empathy. Thefirst man- were high amongthe members.Tinkeryou will do the same for the organizaager was too worried about his own fate ing with procedures was not enough
tion when you are in a position to do so.
to to consider the feelings of his anxiety- bring the group together and make it
Likewise, a drive to surpass goals and an
an stricken colleagues. The second knew effective part of the company.
interest in keeping score can be conintuitively what his people were feelSo the manager took several steps. In
tagious. Leaders with these traits can
and
he
ing,
acknowledged their fears a series of one-on-one sessions, she took
often build a team of managers around
with his words. Is it any surprise that the time to listen to everyone in the
them with the same traits. And of course.
thefirstmanager saw his division sink as group - what was frustrating them,
INSIDE THE MIND OF THE LEADER JANUARY 3004
89
What Makes a Leader?
how many demoralized people,
especially they rated their colleagues,
whether the most talented, departed?
By con- they felt they had been
ignored. And
INSIDE THE MIND OF THE LEADER JANUARY 3004
89
BEST OF HBR
then she directed the team in a way that off not just in better performance but Socially skilled people tend to have a
brought it together: She encouraged also in increased job satisfaction and wide circle of acquaintances, and they
people to speak more openly about decreased turnover. But what makes have a knack forfindingcommon ground
their ftristrations, and she helped people coaching and mentoring work best is the with people of all kinds-a knack for
raise constructive complaints during nature of the relationship. Out- building rapport. That doesn't mean
meetings. In short, her empathy allowed standing coaches and mentors get in- they socialize continually; it means they
her to understand her team's emotional side the heads of the people they are work according to the assumption tbat
makeup. The result was not just height- helping. They sense how to give effec- nothing important gets done alone.
ened collaboration among members but tive feedback. They know when to push Such people have a network in place
also added business, as the team was for better performance and when to when the time for action comes.
called on for help by a wider range of hold back. In the way they motivate Social skill is the culmination of the
their proteges, they demonstrate empa- other dimensions of emotional intelliinternal clients.
gence. People tend to be very effective
Globalization is another reason for thy in action.
at managing relationships when they
In
what
is
probably
sounding
like
a
the rising importance of empathy for
busi- ness leaders. Cross-cultural refrain, let me repeat that empathy can understand and control their own
dialogue can easily lead to miscues and doesn't get much respect in business. emotions and can empathize with the
misunder- standings. Empathy is an People wonder how leaders can make feelings of others. Even motivation conantidote. Peo- ple who have it are hard decisions if they are "feeling" for tributes to social skill. Remember that
attuned to subtleties in body language; all the people who will be affected. But people who are driven to achieve tend to
they can hear the message beneath the leaders with empathy do more than be optimistic, even in the face of setwords being spo- ken. Beyond that, sympathize with people around tbem: backs or failure. When people are upthey have a deep understandingofboth They use their knowledge to improve beat, their "glow" is cast upon conversathe existence and the importance of their companies in subtle but impor- tions and other social encounters. They
are popular, and for good reason.
tant ways.
cultural and ethnic differences.
Because it is the outcome of the other
Consider the case of an American condimensions
of emotional intelligence,
sultant whose team had just pitched a
social
skill
is
recognizable on the job in
project to a potential Japanese client. In
many
ways
tbat
will by now sound faits dealings with Americans, the team
miliar.
Socially
skilled
people, for inwas accustomed to being bombarded
stance,
are
adept
at
managing
teamswith questions after such a proposal, but
that's
their
empathy
at
work.
Likewise,
this time it was greeted with a long
they are expert persuaders-a manifessilence. Other members of the team, taktation of self-awareness, self-regulation,
ing the silence as disapproval, were
and empathy combined. Given those
ready to pack and leave. The lead conskills, good persuaders know when to
sultant gestured them to stop. Although
make an emotional plea, for instance,
be was not particularly familiar witb
and when an appeal to reason will work
Japanese culture, he read the client's face
better. And motivation, when publicly
and posture and sensed not rejec- tion
Social Skill
but interest-even deep consider- ation. The first three components of emotional visible, makes such people excellent
He was right: When the client fi- nally intelligence are self-management skills. col- laborators; their passion for tbe
spoke, it was to give the consulting tirm The last two, empathy and social skill, work spreads to others, and they are
the job.
concern a person's ability to manage driven to find solutions.
Finally, empathy plays a key role in relationships with others. As a compo- But sometimes social skill sbows
the retention of talent, particularly in to- nent of emotional intelligence, social itself in ways the other emotional
day's information economy. Leaders skill is not as simple as it sounds. It's not intelligence components do not. For
have always needed empathy to develop just a matter of friendliness, although instance, socially skilled people may at
people with high levels of social skill times appear not to be working while at
and keep good people, but today the
are rarely mean-spirited. Social skill, work. They seem to be idly
stakes are higher. When good people
leave, they take the company's knowl- rath- er, is friendliness with a purpose: schmoozing-chatting in the hall- ways
mov- ing people in the direction you with colleagues or joking around with
edge with them.
That's where coaching and mentor- desire, whether that's agreement on a people wbo are not even connected to
ing come in. It has repeatedly been new marketing strategy or enthusiasm their "real" jobs. Socially skilled people, however, don't think it makes sense
shown that coaching and mentoring pay about a new product.
to arbitrarily limit the scope of their re-
BEST OF HBR
90
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
What Makes a Leader?
lationships. They build bonds widely be- Management took notice: Within a ers to put their emotional intelligence to
cause they know that in these fluid times,year of the conference, the executive's work.
they may need help someday from peo- team formed the basis for the com- It would be foolish to assert that
ple they are just getting to knovy today pany'sfirstInternet division, and he was good-old-fashioned IQ and technical
For example, consider the case of an formally put in charge of it. To get there, ability are not important ingredients in
executive in the strategy department of a the executive had ignored conventional strong leadership. But the recipe would
global computer manufacturer. By 1993,boundaries, forging and maintaining not be complete without emotional inhe was convinced that the com- pany's connections with people in every cor- telligence. It was once thought that the
future lay with the Internet. Over the
components of emotional intelligence
ner of the organization.
course of the next year, he found
Is social skill considered a key leader- were "nice to have" in business leaders.
kindred spirits and used his social skill to ship capability in most companies? The But now we know that, for the sake of
stitch together a virtual community that answer is yes, especially when compared performance, these are ingredients that
cut across levels, divisions, and nations. with the other components of emo- leaders "need to have."
He then used this de facto team to put up tional intelligence. People seem to know It is fortunate, then, that emotional
a corporate Web site, among the first by intuitively that leaders need to manage intelligence can be learned. The process
a major company. And, on his own
relationships effectively; no leader is an is not easy. It takes time and, most of all,
initiative, with no budget or formal sta- island. After all, the leader's task is to commitment. But the benefits that come
tus, he signed up the company to par- get work done through other people, and from having a well-developed emoticipate in an annual internet industry
social skill makes that possible. A tional intelligence, both for the individconvention. Calling on his allies and per- leader who cannot express her empa- thy ual and for the organization, make it
suading various divisions to donate may as well not have it at all. And a worth the effort. ^
funds, he recruited more than 50 people leader's motivation will be useless if he
from a dozen different units to repre- cannot communicate his passion to the
Reprint R0401H; HBR OnPoint 3790
sent the company at the convention.
organization. Social skill allows lead- To order, see page 115.