Leadership and Social Intelligence
(excerpt from my new book 33 Million People in the Room, Financial Times Press)
A recently published article in the Harvard Business Review discusses the social and emotional intelligence wielded by effective leaders. Unsurprisingly, they discovered that the best leaders are the ones who exhibit not only influence and inspiration, but also empathy, attunement, and a genuine desire to help develop others. In conjunction with the Hay Group, the article presented a battery of questions aimed at assessing, “Are You a Socially Intelligent Leader?”
Many of the questions listed proved to be a far cry from typical leadership surveys:
- Are you sensitive to others’ needs?
- Are you attuned to others’ moods?
- Do you provide feedback that people find helpful for their professional development?
- Do you understand social networks and know their unspoken norms?
While traditional understanding of leadership structures stressed the need for power and stern guidance, new measures of leadership are increasingly reliant on empathy and understanding. The unspoken message is clear: be real and be compassionate. To be a truly effective leader, you need to have a team that supports you and is willing to work hard not only on your behalf, but on their own as well.
The same principles apply online. From Obama to microcelebrities like Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales or WineLibrarytv founder, Gary Vaynerchuk, each are the equivalent of socially intelligent organizational leaders. They are tuned in to their participatory audience and keep the channels of feedback wide open, demonstrating their compassion and sincerity. Their community trusts them and understands that even if they do make mistakes, they will own up to them through their honest feedback and reactions. That trust translates to loyalty, and it is that loyalty that builds a dedicated community.
Calling all Leaders:
Speaking of community, with all of the talk around the economic stimulus package, what are your thoughts on your top 5 tips for bailing yourself out of tough times, before you ever have to.
