Out of control emotions make smart people stupid. ~Daniel Goleman
Remember, good leaders operate from a positive emotional state the majority of the time but great leaders go beyond that and intentionally leverage it. Simply put, great leaders are also resonate leaders who know how to intentionally drive and sustain positive emotions in themselves and others.
I’ve already stated that the difference between good leadership and bad is this: Good leadership does not violate the individual or lead them contrary to the beneficial and/or transcendent purpose which they desire. But great leaders take it to the next level. They not only accomplish great things, they make the people and organizations they lead better.
But what does “better” really mean? What’s the practical difference between good and great leaders and how do they make those they lead better? The difference is their level of S+EI. Here are some tangible, practical ways it translates:
- Can improve yearly earning goals by 20%
- Able to speak more accurately and openly about emotions and the impact they have on work.
- Manage their emotions internally and in interactions with others
- Are more humble and candid
- Make fewer excuses and take ownership of their work
- Have a self-deprecating sense of humor
- Are more comfortable talking about their strengths and limitations
- Eagerly seek and receive constructive criticism
- Have higher levels of self-confidence that is noticed by others
- Exhibit higher levels of self-regulation: More comfortable with ambiguity and change; Are less impulsive; Propensity for reflection and thoughtfulness
- Are better able to create an environment of trust and fairness
- Are internally motivated to achieve vs reward driven: Keep score; increasingly high standards; Remain optimistic in the face of adversity
- Are more empathetic with others
- Experience improved employee retention and job satisfaction
- Have widened social networks and influences
- Are better able to persuade others
What are other ways being better at “soft skills” translates into hard results that are meaningful? Well, here are the results for a couple of organizations following efforts to improve S+EI in their people:
- Sheraton Hotels and Resorts increased market share by 24%
- Pepsi Coal realized over $55K a month in sales for each trained sales rep (over $2M total!)
In addition, people with positive emotions earn ~33% more in the course of their lifetime, are healthier (fewer acute and chronic illness with less sever symptoms), live longer and have more satisfying relationships!!!
I could reference all vs just a few of the statements above, but this is a blog post not a research paper. If you want more, check out The Business Case For Emotional Intelligence by Joshua Freedman (downloadable pdf). Dan Goleman’s book “Primal Leadership” and “Resonant Leadership” by Richard Boyatzis are also good places to start. For those wanting to take a deeper dive and dig a little more on your own, I’ve already Googled S+EI just for you.
S+EI: it does a body good, literally…as well as your organization and those that follow you.
At this point I am thinking of the old milk commercial……”Got S+EI”? If not, get some. If you do, get more. How? More about that next week.