E before I

What do Bill Clinton, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos and Ursula Burns have in common? Not only are they hugely successful leaders, they are all said to boast high levels of emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence (EI) has often been thought of as the less important, little sibling of IQ. However, it is far from a new concept and, many would argue, is a leadership quality that is equally (if not more) important to that of IQ.

Jody Goldsworthy, Director of Consulting at CEB believes that EI is essential in a leader, she says: “Emotional Intelligence is a critical predictor of executive performance. To get to the top and to be successful at this level, leaders need to be able to differentiate between their emotions, be able to read social situations and manage their emotions according to the circumstances.

“In these positions, everything leaders do affects people; their success is achieved with and through others, so interpersonal skills are a primary component of EI. Great leaders have the ability to communicate with and motivate others – they are aware of their own strengths and build teams around them with diverse skillsets to balance team capability.”