Case Study 4

What Makes a Leader?

By Daniel Goleman

WHAT IS A LEADER?

 A person or thing that holds a dominant or superior position within its field, and is able to
exercise a high degree of control or influence over others.
 Somebody whom people follow.
 Somebody who guides or directs others.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI):

 Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions,
to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use
emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour.

The Five Components of Emotional Intelligence at Work

Definition
Self-Awareness The ability to recognise and
understand your moods,
emotions, and drives, as well
as their effect on others.
Self-Regulation The ability to control or
redirect disruptive impulses
and moods the propensity to
suspend judgement to think
before acting.
Motivation A passion to work for reasons
that go beyond money or
status a propensity to pursue
goals with energy and
persistence.
Empathy The ability to understand the
emotional makeup of other
people skill in treating people
according to their emotional
reactions.
Social Skill Proficiency in managing
relationships and building
networks an ability to find
common ground and build
rapport.
Hallmarks
Self-confidence
Realistic self-assessment
Self-depreciating sense of
humour
Trustworthiness and integrity
Comfort with ambiguity
Openness to change
Strong drive to achieve
optimism, even in the face of
failure
Organisational commitment
Expertise in building and
retaining talent
Cross-cultural sensitivity
Service to clients and
customers
Effectiveness in leading change
Persuasiveness
Expertise in building and
leading teams.
Can emotional intelligence be learned?

 Although some people naturally have many of the traits of an emotionally intelligent leader
that doesn’t mean that these traits cannot be learned. Goleman does warn that this kind of
development is not something that just happens overnight. It takes a lot of work to become
more self-aware, empathetic, or any of the other components of an emotional intelligence
leader.

Conclusion

 To be a great leader you need to have a high “emotional intelligence”

 As a leader you are expected to produce results from the people you lead. There are many
different ways that leaders go about achieving this goal. Some demand results and are very
direct, while others try to teach and develop their employees. The main point is that
whatever you do, it must produce the desired results.
 Important to emphasize that building once emotional intelligence cannot - will not – happen
without sincere desire & concerted effort. If your goal is to become a real leader, these
words can serve as a guidepost in your efforts to develop high Emotional Intelligence.
 Narcissistic leaders are good in that they are visionaries that can lead their employees
through times of change. They also are not afraid to take risks in order to get the job done.
These traits could benefit a company, but they could also cause damage if the narcissist does
not have a realistic vision of where the company should go.