On Leadership

1. The Five Components of EQ:

a. Self-Awareness – Know about weaknesses but are not afraid to talk about them. Plans to work around and alleviate negative effects of weakness. Knows where he/she is headed and why. E.g. won’t take on a job simply due to financial rewards. Know their limitations and can openly talk about them. Thirst for constructive criticism. Play to strengths.

b. Self-Regulation – Frees us from being prisoners of our own feelings. Reflective. Not showing emotions doesn’t mean lack of passion.

c. Motivation – A passion for achievement for its own sake. Commitment to the organization. Love their jobs for the work itself. Set the performance bar high.

d. Empathy

e. Social Skill – Friendliness with a purpose. Building rapport with people.

Daniel Goleman: “It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter but mainly as “threshold capabilities; that is, they are entry level requirements for executive positions.”

2. “EQ played an increasingly important role at the highest levels of the company where differences in technical skills were of negligible importance.”

3. EQ vs. Cognitive abilities.

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John P. Kotter:

1. Managers promote stability, while leaders press for change. This is a managerial paradox. Organizations that embrace both sides of that contradiction can thrive in “turbulent” times.

2. “They don’t make plans, they don’t solve problems; they don’t even organize people. What leaders really do is prepare organizations for change and help them cope as they struggle through it.”

3. Management is about coping with complexity, leadership is about