We’re sorely in need of a new definition of leadership.
While vision, strategy and team performance are part of leading
others, there must first be a firm grasp of self-leadership.
I was speaking to a marketing expert a couple of weeks back, as well as a PR person, and both were stating that to teach leadership to others, I needed to “focus more on team performance, marketing, and sales skills.”
Primarily more “business-related” topics
Interesting.
For what is business besides people coming together and performing for a common cause?
The fact is that emotional intelligence (EQ) is the single most important predictor of both monetary and business success. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/emotional-intelligence-quotient-eq/
Technological Intelligence (TI), Digital Intelligence (DQ), or Intellectual Intelligence (IQ) are trumped in both life and business by EQ.
This is proven by vast research by psychologist Daniel Goleman, Yale University, and many other esteemed sources.
Why is it that we continually focus on the other areas and degrade emotions as “soft-skills”? Particularly in business.
To have a high EQ you not only must have a high degree of self-awareness (intrapersonal intelligence), but you must also have a high degree of understanding, empathy, and compassion for others (interpersonal intelligence).
According to researchers at Yale and elsewhere,
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the single most predictive factor
in both financial and business success.
Furthermore, the most recent studies prove that millennials, the potential leaders of the future, have a high degree of digital intelligence (DQ), and technical intelligence (TI) but have very little EQ.
True Leaders Have Emotional Strength
EQ can and must be developed for the leader of the future. Walk into a conference room in any business today, and you can be 99% certain that while all members of the team are waiting for the meeting to start, they’re on their devices.
NOT connecting and communicating with each other.
A text or email exchange is NOT a “conversation.”
A conversation is talking and connecting voice to voice
and hopefully face to face.
Call me “Old School” but this is a HUGE problem; and unless we address it head on it will negatively impact every-single-thing we do in both our personal and business lives.
Research from UCSD proves that 55% of the message conveyed in a conversation is conveyed non-verbally.
Therefore, more than half the message is lost in text, email and even in a phone call exchange.
38% of the message conveyed is communicated through tonality. Obviously, fully 93% of the message being communicated is lost in a text or email.
That leaves 7% of the message for words.
Not much out of 100%.
Yet this is the communication of choice. Particularly for the younger generation.
How many times have you completely misconstrued and misunderstood an email message?
Now you know why.
I was recently speaking to a millennial about the importance of body language and how it was 55% of the message.
His response, “But we have emoticons.”
Excuse me, but emoticons are not body language!
Research from UCSD proves that 55% of the message conveyed
in any true conversation is conveyed through body language, 38% through tonality.
How much of the real message are you getting in a text or email?
While technology is helpful, and it saves time at some level, what’s the price we’re paying for that time?
I don’t like meetings any more than the next person. Particularly non-productive ones.
I’ve issued edicts to my team to limit them and to ensure they’re less frequent and more effective and efficient. But they’re still necessary.
If for nothing else than to connect and build community.
True leaders have an EQ that tells them first about themselves, and then about the necessity for others to truly connect.
What’s going on in your world?
When would NOW be the time to take action?
Be a Leader. Live Your Purpose; and Take Your Power Back!
James
