Business Executives Rank 'Emotional Intelligence' More Important Than Traditional Leadership Attributes, Men and Women Equal in Rating Their EI.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- New Studies Provides Valuable Data to Support Role of Emotional Intelligence In Developing Effective Leaders For Success In Today's Business World

Two ground-breaking research studies released today find that experienced business leaders rank Emotional Intelligence capabilities as critical to the success of today's leaders. The research studies titled "What Makes A Successful Leader" and "Leaders Speak Out On Emotional Intelligence," were conducted by three experts in the field of Emotional Intelligence and personality type.

The first report finds that Emotional Intelligence competencies (such as vision, building relationships and developing people) are more important to leadership success than typical leadership competencies, such as external/market orientation, financial acumen and planning. The second study is unique in describing how leaders view, value, and develop their own Emotional Intelligence. These studies, the first two in a series of three to be released this year, surveyed nearly 270 corporate executives, directors, managers, business owners, and consultants.

"This research goes a long way in explaining how leaders think about Emotional Intelligence and its development," says Beth Benjamin, PhD, a Director of the Center for Leadership Development & Research at Stanford Graduate School of Business. "Emotional intelligence is a fairly new field and we know relatively little about how best to develop the Emotional Intelligence of working adults. This study provides unique information on which aspects of EI are often overlooked by practicing leaders, and how these leaders believe EI can be developed most effectively. The findings should be useful to anyone concerned with strengthening the capabilities of their leadership talent."

Significant Findings

Research Study #1: "What Makes A Successful Leader"

Participants in this study were asked to evaluate a set of standard leadership attributes, including both Emotional Intelligence attributes, such as relationship-building and self-awareness, and non-Emotional Intelligence leadership attributes, such as execution and financial acumen. Significant findings:

--Vision topped the list of critical leadership competencies - across nearly all levels, experience, and personality types. Also ranked in the top five are Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Execution and People Development.

--Emotional Intelligence attributes are viewed as essential to successful leadership, especially the complex capabilities of Vision, Relationship Building and People Development.

--Of the remaining attributes, leaders rated all the EI competencies - including Adaptability, Optimism, Empathy, and Self-awareness - as more important than all other general leadership attributes presented.

Study results include ratings by 265 leaders of 20 core leadership attributes. The study offers tremendous depth in analyzing differences by job classification and level, leadership experience, personality differences (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(R)),and gender.

Study #2: "Leaders Speak Out on Emotional Intelligence"

--Most leaders believe Emotional Intelligence is about Reading People and Relating Effectively with them, and being Emotionally Self-Aware and Using Emotions Wisely.

--Nearly all leaders believe Emotional Intelligence can be developed. And most leaders offered recommendations for how EI can be developed.

--When leaders describe how they develop their own EI - in contrast to when they recommend in general how EI can be developed - they are far more likely to mention Training and Solo Development Activities (e.g., reading, journaling, meditation), and far less likely to mention Self-Awareness and Intention. Leaders of different personality types (MBTI) develop their EI quite differently.

--When asked to rate their own Emotional Intelligence, participants rated themselves generously: Average (19%), Above Average (54%), or Superior (25%). Leaders with the most experience and those who say they participate in coaching and training are most likely to rate their EI highly. Those who say they do nothing to develop their EI are most likely to rate themselves as Average.

--Gender does not matter, according to these research findings. Men and women provided similar answers in describing EI, how it can be developed, how they develop their own EI, and how they rate their own EI.

Implications for Leaders of Today

Business executives who participated in the survey or who've reviewed the results of the research have stated that the findings have wide-spread implications for business leaders.

"Emotional Intelligence plays a huge role in how I manage my group of more than 40 software engineers," said Dan Bernstein, director of software development for the Scientific Instruments Division of Thermo Electron Corp. "I was fascinated by the strong consensus among leaders that three of the top five leadership levers are Emotional Intelligence attributes. These studies validate my own views of what works well as a manager and leader in an organization, and I can see this research data being very useful across a wide variety of organizations."

According to one of the co-authors of the studies, this research provides valuable information that business executives can use to optimize their potential for successful leadership. "We learn from these studies the specific competencies leaders across industries can adopt to increase their potential for success in today's challenging business environment," says Julie M. Brown, a former hospital CEO and one of the study's co-authors. "These studies outline the varying strategies people with different MBTI preferences can use to enhance their own Emotional Intelligence capabilities. The study also demonstrates, for the first time, that leaders at all levels are open to developing Emotional Intelligence, but they talk about it quite differently than do many consultants and EI theorists. And, it shows us we must loosen our assumptions about gender differences in attitudes on leadership. Men and women answer questions about EI with astonishing similarity."

About This Study

For research questions or for more detailed findings and implications, you may contact any of the authors. Executive summaries are available at http://www.ideashape.com/leadership-research.htm

The third report, scheduled for release in October, will address how leaders rate themselves on various aspects of Emotional Intelligence. In addition, the report will further describe the leadership attributes that emerged from statistical analysis of the findings and how they relate to current literature on leadership and Emotional Intelligence.

Authors

This study is co-authored by three experts in the fields of Emotional Intelligence, personality type, and leadership development. Each author contributes a distinctive point of view based on nearly 20 years of experience in helping leaders and companies become more successful.

Julie M. Brown, MBA, MPH

Ms. Brown is the principal of Julie M. Brown and Associates, which provides management consulting services in the areas of operational performance improvement and leadership development. Ms. Brown uses her experience as a former hospital CEO to support clients navigating the whitewaters of organizational change. Her expertise includes strategic planning, business plan development, project implementation, team building and human resource development. Past clients include Kaiser Permanente, the Federal Home Loan Bank, UC Berkeley, ARAMARK, The Children's Health Partnership and the University Medical Center-Tucson.

Ms. Brown earned her Master's degrees in Business and Public Health, as well as Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. Contact: [e-mail], 650-571-6690.

Sharon L. Richmond, MBA

For nearly 20 years, Sharon has helped executives build the culture, structure, leadership, and capabilities crucial to their organization's success. Her firm, Richmond & Associates Consulting, specializes in building high-performance leadership teams and agile, competitive organizations. She has consulted with senior-level leaders at Cisco Systems, DHL, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Roche, and Sun Microsystems as well as with executive teams at early-stage companies and non profit organizations. Sharon is a senior facilitator in the Interpersonal Dynamics program at Stanford Business School, and has taught through their Executive Education program.

Ms. Richmond earned her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and her BA from Duke University. She currently chairs the Western Region of the Association for Psychological Type. Contact: [e-mail], 650-856-8687.

Pam Fox Rollin, MBA

Ms. Rollin specializes in helping executives and teams make the most of their strengths and differences, so they can achieve high performance. She founded IdeaShape Coaching & Consulting, which provides leadership programs, professional coaching, custom 360s, in-depth assessments, and organizational consulting. Clients include Autodesk, Accenture, Charles Schwab, and Blue Shield, and a variety of technology companies and professional service firms. She also coaches MBAs and facilitates programs at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Additionally, Ms. Rollin is frequently invited to speak on leadership, personality, and top performance at corporate events and conferences.

Ms. Rollin earned her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and her BA in Organization Studies from the University of California, Davis. Contact: [e-mail], 408-245-2600.