Leading with Feeling
Nine Strategies of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
-
- £19.99
-
- £19.99
Publisher Description
For many decades, the conventional wisdom was that emotion has no place in the work world, and the ideal leader is one who approaches problems rationally and unemotionally. However, the reality is that emotion is inevitable when a group of people come together for an extended period of time to work on challenging tasks, and if used effectively, a leader's moods and emotions can be a plus rather than a minus.
This book describes how 25 outstanding leaders used emotional intelligence to deal with critical challenges and opportunities. Featuring commentary from the leaders themselves describing how they handled each situation, it helps managers better understand not just what emotional intelligence is, or how to measure it, or how it is linked to bottom-line results: it also shows how real leaders used their emotional intelligence to deal with real situations. The book distills the leaders' experiences into nine strategies that can help any leader or potential leader to be more effective. Each chapter concludes with activities that help readers to apply immediately each of those strategies.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Cherniss (Beyond Burnout), professor of applied psychology at Rutgers, and Roche, a corporate management consultant, argue that emotional intelligence is important in the workplace in this shrewd yet surface-level study. The authors use case studies from fields including private business, social work, and education to illustrate their findings that expressing feelings and concentrating on "underlying emotional dynamics" improves a work environment. They suggest that effective leaders focus on their impact on others, "change perspectives" to understand the viewpoint of coworkers, and respect clear boundaries. While hands-on exercises are offered (such as storytelling prompts and "emotional fingerprint" self-assessments), many of the strategies are simplistic ("consider how your feelings influence others") or too diffuse ("express emotion but maintain control"). Also lacking is an analysis of how these strategies intersect with organizational norms in different professions, or with cultural biases around race or gender. Readers looking for an introduction to navigating emotions in the workplace may find this helpful, but those looking for a more nuanced take on the complexities of leadership should look elsewhere.
