Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Leadership

Working Resources is a San Francisco Bay Area  Executive Coaching Firm Helping Innovative Companies and Law Firms Assess, Select, Coach, Engage  and Retain Emotionally Intelligent Leaders; Executive Coaching; Leadership Development; Performance-Based Interviewing; Competency Modeling; Succession Management; Culture Change; Career Coaching and Leadership Retreats

Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach
Trusted Advisor to Senior Leadership Teams

 

Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Leadership

I recently spoke with the VP of Human Resources of a San Francisco Bay Area company regarding providing executive coaching for several of the company’s high performing leaders. The VP of HR asked some very powerful questions to determine whether we were a good fit. She specifically wanted to know how I worked with different personality styles, and my methods for initiating behavior change. She was very interested in my executive coaching work with emotional intelligence and the link to leadership.

The VP of HR and I spoke about my approach to coaching, and my belief that possessing a psychological understanding of human behavior and business acumen are important competencies for coaching executives. We also spoke of the need for her organization to create a culture where innovation thrives.

The VP of Human Resources is interested in partnering with me in helping their leaders become more emotionally intelligent and inspirational. We further discussed how company executives can benefit by working with a seasoned executive coach.

EI and Leadership

As a leader, you set the emotional tone that others follow. Our brains are hardwired to cue in (both consciously and unconsciously) to others’ emotional states. This is particularly true for leaders. People want to know how a leader feels and will synchronize with authorities they trust.

The emotional tone that permeates your organization starts with you as a leader, and it depends entirely on your EI. When employees feel upbeat, they’ll go the extra mile to please customers. There’s a predictable business result: For every 1% improvement in the service climate, there’s a 2% increase in revenue.

The table that follows, provided by TalentSmart’s Dr. Travis Bradbury, contrasts the behaviors of high-EI vs. low-EI leaders:

 

Leaders with Low EI	Leaders with High EI
Sound off even when it won’t help	Only speak out when doing so helps the situation
Brush off people when bothered	Keep lines of communication open, even when frustrated
Deny that emotions impact their thinking	Recognize when other people are affecting their emotional state
Get defensive when challenged	Are open to feedback
Focus only on tasks and ignore the person	Show others they care about them
Are oblivious to unspoken tension	Accurately pick up on the room’s mood

 

Are you working in a professional services firm or other organization where executive coaches provide leadership development to grow emotionally intelligent leaders? Does your organization provide executive coaching for leaders who need to increase their emotional intelligence and social intelligence? Enlightened leaders tap into their emotional intelligence and social intelligence skills to create a more fulfilling future.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself is “How does emotional intelligence improve my leadership capability?” Emotionally intelligent and socially intelligent organizations provide executive coaching as part of their transformational peak performance leadership development program.

Working with a seasoned executive coach and leadership consultant trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-I, CPI 260 and Denison Culture Survey can help you enhance your emotional intelligence skills. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and social intelligence, and who inspires people to become fully engaged with the vision, mission and strategy of your company or law firm.

About Dr. Maynard Brusman

Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted advisor to senior leadership teams. He is the president of Working Resources, a leadership consulting and executive coaching firm. We specialize in helping San Francisco Bay Area companies and law firms assess, select, coach, and retain emotionally intelligent leaders.  Maynard is a highly sought-after speaker and workshop leader. He facilitates leadership retreats in Northern California and Costa Rica. The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded Dr. Maynard Brusman "Board Approved" designations in the specialties of Executive Coaching and Leadership Development.

For more information, please go to http://www.workingresources.com, write to [email protected], or call 415-546-1252.

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Comments

[Devrim]

I lived and worked in Shanghai, China bteween 1994 and 2009, where I co-established a number of successful entities in the field of training and learning.Hi Ken,Having read your blog here , you like me are interested in coaching and leadership programmes. Having used the Chinese-Pod system it has improved my Mandarin vastly .Being an individual who looks at solutions rather than problems , I tend to draw on the experience of others in any particular field of expertise. Having moved from the corporate financial sphere into direct management consultancy . I tend to focus when entering a particular market on corporate entities that may have due to a number of variables been put in a situation whereby they are no longer viable.It would appear from your track record that like many of my business associates, including myself that, we are great niche finders and in turn instigators of entrepreneurial endeavor. Before I commit myself to any venture I research and look at understanding the cultural matrix that surrounds any business. What would your suggestions be to prevent the difficulties you encountered in Shanghai having achieved so much there initially?Yours SincerelyMike.