Matthew Dolan
Module 4
Optional Paper
What Makes a Leader?
“I have found, however, that the 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”. This is the
surrounding main idea that appears throughout the essay. The author argues that companies and
businesses alike will only succeed with the presence of this characteristic. Obviously different
areas of business call for varying leadership roles and qualities. The approaches may also be
different taking employees and subordinates down different roads compared to other companies.
Environments and business approach has a wide scope however without emotional intelligence it
is useless.
Good leaders are able to train employees appropriately, given each business. Leadership
lies within someone’s ability to establish and maintain good mindsets and create motivation.
The author suggests however that these skills remain on the backburner if subordinates are not
treated and directed with some emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence, as described by the author, contains a variety of traits. These traits might
include good social skills, empathy, understanding, and self-awareness. I often hear horror
stories of people in the business world describing their bosses emotional makeup, and therefore
personality. Have you ever heard the traits heartless, or robot like? These simple terms may
sound immature but I have certainly heard them time again from parents, friends, and colleagues
alike. This is a more dumbed down description of what the author is suggesting. If a leader is
unable to connect to his subordinates on an emotional level then there is little hope for great
success in the business or organization.
I feel the author is even going as far to suggest that leaders may sometimes need to take
themselves out of the leadership or “boss” role at times in order to maintain positive direction
and environments within a workplace. It may provide easier transitions if the emotional
intelligence shows itself in sensitive situations. I am not suggesting that employees need to be
coddled nor do leaders/bosses need to disregard their duties, but there are different approaches
that can benefit more than others.
Self-regulation is an important topic that the author discusses. Impulse drives our
emotions as he points out in the text. It is our responsibility as a good leader to control these
impulses and regulate them in a form that provides for good business and leadership. The author
uses two words that stuck out in my mind, channel and reasonable. He suggests that any leader
with emotional self-regulation is reasonable and that these people channel their emotions, good
or bad, in a productive fashion. The example he discusses involves a leader who refrains from
screaming at his subordinates who gave a poor demonstration to a board in the work place.
Emotional intelligence benefits not only the employees being led but the leaders
themselves as well. The author describes a ripple effect in the workplace. If leaders have poor
emotional skills and are constantly in negative confrontations and states of mind, it is more likely
the employees below will behave in similar fashions. On the contrary the emotional mindset
established at the top of companies will more likely trickle down and set the tone for the rest of
an organization. Seems simple but the author suggests this emotional trait must sometimes be
learned and developed. Again regulation is important, almost as if practice is needed.
A final topic the author suggests for emotional intelligence involves our ever changing
economy and business outlook. Technology and globalization are constantly creating change
within business. Anything from relocation, software update/change, downsizing, and mergers
can create emotional disturbance for a leader. These people must be able to cope with the often
changing dimensions of the business world. This allows for easier transitioning and in some
cases may create new opportunities, or at least keep the ones previously established.
This essay was very interesting. Goleman’s research identifies areas of concern within
leadership roles that some, including me prior to this read, might expect or take for granted. An
idea as simple as emotional trend setting in the workplace denotes how important leadership
traits are.