15.2
LEQ: THE LEADERSHIP
EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT
Inspired by Daniel Goleman, Stephen Pinker, Peter Senge, David McClelland, and June Donaldson.You are bright, hardworking, and technically skilled. Although these qualities probably got you
into a leadership role, they are not enough for leadership success! Lyle Spencer, author of a
standard reference on leadership competencies, says, “What you learned in school distin-
guishes superior performers in only a handful of the five or six hundred jobs for which we’ve
done competence studies. It’s just a threshold competence; you need it to get in the field, but
it does not make you a star. It’s emotional intelligence abilities that matter more for superior
performance.” In a Time magazine article on emotional intelligence, Nancy Gibbs says,
“Researchers found that ... executives failed most often because of ‘an interpersonal flaw’
rather than a technical ability.”
The purpose of this leadership tool is to provide an overview of a leadership competence
area variously known as emotional intelligence (EI), emotional quotient (EQ), emotional liter-
acy, emotional smarts, and emotional competence.
Emotional intelligence, greatly valued in some societies, is the ability to “read” and under-
stand your own emotional competence, as well as to interact and operate effectively with peo-
ple and personalities, individually and collectively. Many leaders pride themselves on their
technical and cognitive abilities; emotional smarts also need to be recognized, practiced, and
developed, so it becomes second nature to consider the people aspect an integral part of all
business dealings.
This table illustrates the differences between the cognitive and the emotional; the second
table separates emotional competencies into two categories, one inside yourself and the other
outside, interacting with others.
SECTION 15 TOOLS FORTAKINGCARE OFYOURSELF 455
Cognitive and skills competence- Baseline competence—you need it to get in the race
- What you know and what you can do, technically and
professionally - Your expertise: knowledge and skills
- Your intellectual and skills capital
- Measured by degrees, diplomas, IQ tests, certifications
- Get results through ideas, rational processes, and skills
Emotional competence- Comparative advantage—what it takes to succeed as a
leader and a human being - How well you handle yourself and others
- Interpersonal, intrapersonal, and team skills
- Your personal and social capital
- Measured by empathy, adaptability, compassion, influ-
ence, charisma, balance - Gets results through people