Primal Leadership; Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

Coleman, Daniel; and Richard Boyatzis and Annie Mckee; Primal Leadership; Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence; Boston, Mass. Harvard Business School Press. 2002. pp.306 price 42.95 The Centre 1-800-804-0777.
Daniel Coleman; author of Emotional Intelligence, Psychologist faculty- Harvard University.

Preface.
The purpose of this book is to explore the role of emotional intelligence in leadership. E I is a factor of importance in leadership in the workplace, in education and in life in general.
Part One- The Power Of E.I.
Ch. 1. Primal Leadership.
"Great leadership works through emotions." p.3. Effective leaders drive emotions positively. This is called "resonance".p.5. E.I. gives a leader an advantage. Emotions are described as an "open loop" p.6 system that is impacted by outside factors. i.e. emotions of others. Leaders lead emotionally as well as verbally. Emotional leaders may not be the designated leaders. Positive emotions demonstrated by smiles and laughter spread more easily than negative emotions. Productivity and work quality are effected by emotions positively and negatively.
Ch.2. Resonant Leadership.
Resonance has to do with "synchronous vibrations".p.20 and in leadership resonance has to do with being in touch with and capitalizing on the emotions of those being led. Dissonance is very counterproductive. It can come in various forms from abusiveness to manipulation. Effective leadership involves "heart and head-feeling and thought".p.26. E.I. is about "self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relational management".p.30 and its competencies.
Ch. 3. The Neuroanatomy of Leadership.
E.I. competencies are cross cultural. "Effective leaders typically demonstrate strengths in at least one competence from each of the four fundamental areas of emotional intelligence".p.40. Effective leaders make decisions based on both data and intuition (smart guess). Without self-management a leader will not manage the emotions of other people well. Self-management is basic to integrity and transparency. The E.I. competency of social awareness (empathy) "is crucial for the leader’s primal task of driving resonance". p.49. Relational management is a combination of self-awareness, self-management and empathy.
Ch. 4. The Leadership Repertoire.
Six leadership styles are identified-"visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and commsnding".p.55. The strengths and weaknesses of each are discussed. Different styles should be used at different times when needs warrant them. The first four styles build resonance.
Ch. 5. The Dissonant Styles.
The downsides of pacesetting as a leadership style are presented. It should be used sparingly. It can work well when combined with other styles. The command style of leadership, sometimes called the "coercive"p.76 style, is very common. It is a style that has its place in times of crisis or emergency when it is used for a limited time. It requires great self control to be successful.
Part Two. Making Leaders.
Ch. 6. Becoming a Resonant Leader.
It is crucial that leaders are getting continuous authentic feedback from those whom they are leading, 360-degree evaluation. This is a real challenge for a leader. A lack of feedback results in "CEO disease".p.93. It is most common in women and minority groups. The perceived inability to change is a real hindrance to leaders who need ongoing feedback. E.I. can be learned and retained. Leadership is both inherent and learned. "Five discoveries"p.110 are involved in effective "self-directed learning".p.109.
Ch. 7. The Motivation to Change.
The beginning of change is the acknowledgment of a dream or unfulfilled passion. This dream or passion is referred to as the "ideal self"p.115. There are many obstacles that keep us from realizing our ideal self. e.g. commitments to life-styles, choice of career, etc. Furthermore dreams and aspirations can change. It is very important to be aware of your "real self".p.126. Recognize and deal with self-delusion. Being nice is a poor substitute for accurate observations and results in neutered feedback. Effective leaders place a premium on getting the truth about their leadership. Negative feedback is part of this truth and has value. An indicator of readiness for change is an understanding about yourself of what you like and want to keep and what you don’t like and know that it must go. Most leaders need help getting to this point.
Ch.8. Metamorphosis- Sustaining Leadership Change.
A learning agenda is a better environment for sustained change then a performance agenda. Goal setting and planning are examined as they relate to sustained change. A fairly involved discussion is presented about learning and the psychological processes involved. The power of relationships and how this relates to leadership is presented. "Positive groups (relationships) help people make positive changes."p.163. Change is easier with the help of mentors and coaches.
Part Three. Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations.
Ch. 9. The Emotionally Reality Teams.
Team leadership has become the way to lead in the last few decades. E.I. is key with this kind of leadership also. Norms, "long-established and deeply embedded ground rules"p.173, have a significant effect on how a team functions. Self-awareness, self-management, etc., have to be applied to the team.
Ch. 10. Reality and the Real Vision.- Giving Life to the Organization’s Future.
Organizational dissonance makes positive change difficult if not impossible. "Dynamic inquiry- focused conversations and open-ended questions intended to get at people’s feelings"p.199 is helpful in finding out what is working and what is not working in an organization. Moving from dissonance to resonance involves vision,"attunement"p.206 and mission. Three "rules of engagement"p.218 are presented that will create resonance.
Ch. 11. Creating Sustainable Change.
"Organizations (like most individuals) thrive on routine and the status quo."p.226. Sustainable change is a huge challenge. The power of culture may be a hindrance to change. Leadership development should be viewed as a process not a program. This calls for a safe environment of learning. "People can and will change when they find a good reason to do so." p.245. "Resonance is the key to primal leadership."p.248.
Comment HD
A very scholarly treatment of the topic. Many examples are given when the specifics of E.I. are discussed. These examples are primarily from business organizations. This material would be valuable to leaders leading in any environment, e.g.church leaders. It would be especially relevant to those who are leaders of leaders. Cutting edge stuff!