Travis Bradberry is the author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and in a recent blog in Inc.com explained the counter-intuitive situation of CEOs having the lowest level of emotional intelligence (EQ). You can find the article here.
Through his organisation TalentSmart, Bradberry analysed over one mission EQ profiles across the spectrum of roles to find out who has the highest level of EQ. Surprisingly, it is middle managers, probably because people in these positions have been put there because of their ability to work with people and general level-headedness.
After this though, the scores drop continually until ending up with the CEO, who typically had the lowest EQ scores. However, Bradberry also notes that the best-performing CEOs will have the highest EQs. Bradberry proposes that KPIs and knowledge form a significant part of the appointment process for these roles, which focus on short-term results. Instead, he suggests that the key criteria should be their skill in inspiring others to excel. It is this new environment of leadership where leaders find themselves getting out of touch with people and their EQ levels dropping.
Listed below are a few of Bradberry’s strategies for boosting your EQ:
- Acknowledge other people’s feelings
- When you care, show it
- Watch your emotions like a hawk
- Sleep
- Quash negative self-talk
In the coming week, why not give at least one of these strategies a try, and see if your EQ gets a boost. The Avondale Business School can help you and your team develop leadership skills – find out how by contacting Warrick Long at the Avondale Business School.
P: 02 4980 2168