What Makes a Leader?

It was Daniel Goleman who first brought the term "emotional
                  intelligence" to a wide audience with his 1995 book of that
                  name, and it was Goleman who first applied the concept to
                  business with his 1998 HBR article, reprinted here. In his
                  research at nearly 200 large, global companies, Goleman found
                  that while the qualities traditionally associated with
                  leadership—such as intelligence, toughness, determination, and
                  vision—are required for success, they are insufficient. Truly
                  effective leaders are also distinguished by a high degree of
                  emotional intelligence, which includes self-awareness,
                  self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill.

                  These qualities may sound "soft" and unbusinesslike, but
                  Goleman found direct ties between emotional intelligence and
                  measurable business results. While emotional intelligence's
                  relevance to business has continued to spark debate over the
                  past six years, Goleman's article remains the definitive
                  reference on the subject, with a description of each component
                  of emotional intelligence and a detailed discussion of how to
                  recognize it in potential leaders, how and why it connects to
                  performance, and how it can be learned.

                  Every businessperson knows a story about a highly
                  intelligent, highly skilled executive who was promoted into a
                  leadership position only to fail at the job. And they also
                  know a story about someone with solid—but not
                  extraordinary—intellectual abilities and technical skills who
                  was promoted into a similar position and... [continues]

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