Vol. #23, 11/16/04
Deanne G. Bryce, editor
Andrea E. Sullivan, copy editor
LeaderStrength Systems, Inc. 2004

 

Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, Harvard Business School Press; (March, 2002) Hardcover, $26.95

ReaderStrength Rating:
Focus 3
Build 2
Adapt 4
Overall Rating as a leadership resource 3
(Please see "How Do We Evaluate Resources?" in right column)

How do real leaders define leadership? This month we check in with Ross Born, co-president of a family-owned company called Just Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

If you were a child who celebrated Easter in the United States, you probably know Just Born from one of their well- known candy products called “Peeps.” They are those chick-shaped marshmallows covered with yellow sugar. Just Born is named after Ross’s grandfather, Sam Born, who started the company in 1917 as a retail store in Brooklyn, New York.

When watching Ross Born at work, it is easy to tell that he has a passion for leadership. He speaks easily about the subject of leadership whether he is in a one-on-one conversation or addressing a group of employees. When we asked him about leadership, he was clear in his determination that a leader is " most certainly, one who inspires."

In a recent panel discussion with other business leaders from his community, Mr. Born was asked what challenges he finds when it comes to leadership. Again with clarity, he explained that leadership is different from management and that it takes something different to lead. He then referred to a 1998 article published in the Harvard Business Review authored by Daniel Goleman. The article points out this difference that Mr. Born notices and calls it emotional intelligence. Mr. Born referred to the article because he recognizes the value of the actually selecting leaders with a high degree of emotional intelligence.

After interviewing and observing Mr. Born, we were inspired to look again at a book we reviewed for another publication in 2002. The book is Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Goleman and his colleagues Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee. We selected this book to highlight here because we agree with Mr. Born that emotional intelligence is something to understand and seek out when selecting leaders and when growing your own leadership capabilities. Emotional Intelligence is now becoming a foundation for understanding leadership. Primal Leadership is an updated perspective on emotional intelligence from the earlier article.

The authors say:

"Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through our emotions."

Whether you are new to the concept of EI (emotional intelligence) or seeking more information from Goleman's other works, this book will meet both needs. There is an updated EI competency model, which has been streamlined after statistical analysis to four (instead of five) domains:
Self Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Management

The book also winnows the competencies from 25 to 18 and changes some competency names to align more with the desired feature. The competency "trustworthiness" for example, is now called "transparency."

Recommendation
If you, like Mr. Born, recognize that emotional intelligence is the foundation for good leadership, it is worth your time to read and reflect on this book. It will give you a new picture of what to look for in leaders. This book is short on information on how to apply new skills, but there is much information to assist you in reflecting about yourself as an emotionally intelligent leader. That is why we it rated lower in the "BUILD" category than the "ADAPT" category.
 

Copyright 2004, LeaderStrength Systems, Inc. 630 Freedom Business Center , Suite 300
King of Prussia , PA 19406

dbryce@leaderstrength.com • LeaderStrength Systems