Lead, Don’t Manage
Chapter 15, “Winning the Emotional Tugs-of-War,” and Chapter 27,
“Seven Habits of the Emotionally Competent,” are founded on the philos-
ophy that we manageprocesses but we leadpeople. It is dangerous to make
decisions and establish agendas without asking, “How will this idea play out
emotionally?” Emotionally intelligent people understand the import of
that question and proceed with a high regard for emotional impact and
consequences.
The topic of emotions is a complex landscape, but there are simple rules
for becoming a positive emotional force. The first and foremost of these
rules is to keep your eyes and ears open. Become an observer of yourself first.
We start this journey by looking into our personality DNA and sketching a
word portrait of how others see our strengths... and our weaknesses.
Introduction to EQ / Five Critical Levels of Awareness 9