According to Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence distinguishes great leaders from merely good ones. He says that when a group of senior managers had the following key capabilities of emotional intelligence, their divisions outperformed earnings goals by 20%. These capabilities include:

• Self-awareness - the ability to know one’s own strengths, weaknesses, values and impacts on others
  
• Self-regulation - the ability to control or redirect disruptive moods or impulses
  
• Motivation - wanting to achieve something for its own sake
  
• Empathy - the ability to understand other people’s emotions
  
• Social Skills - building rapport and relationships with others to be able to move them in desired directions
  

Goleman says we are all born with certain levels of emotional intelligence, but we can strengthen these abilities through practice and persistence. The first three skills in emotional intelligence are self-management tools, while the last two are how people interact with others.

Goleman says that out of leaders with similar technical skills emotional intelligence was the skill that set them apart. It was their ability to deal and manage people, relate to them, create rapport with them, and motivate themselves as well as their employees that really created success. 

It was also their knowledge of themselves, their values and what makes them tick as well as their ability to regulate strong emotions in a way that balances things out.

I do agree with the author that people skills are a key component of the effectiveness of a leader as I believe the hallmark of a good leader is drawing people into your vision.

So where are you on the emotional intelligence scale? Are there any of the five skills listed above that you need to work on? If so what steps can you take in order to enhance that skill?

“You have got to love your people more than your position.” - John Maxwell

According to John Maxwell in “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” servanthood is an attitude - one of putting other people first and wanting to serve others more than yourself.

John Maxwell says there are a few key components of servanthood:
-Putting others ahead of your own agenda - this means truly understanding other people’s needs and accepting their desires as important.
-Possessing the confidence to serve - we treat others as we treat ourselves. If you are secure in yourself then we can treat others with respect and serve them with love.
-Initiates service to others - great leaders see a need and serve without anyone seeing it or without expecting anything in return.
-Is not position-conscious - true servant leaders focus on being human and helping another person.
-Serves out of love - the extent of your influence depends on the depth of a your concern for others.

The best leaders I have worked with and been around are ones who truly are looking out for your best interest, who want to serve you in your own growth and want you to grow into your greatest potential. That is true servanthood where they want what is best for you and can truly understand your desires. 

Are you a servant leader? What acts of kindness and service can you add in to your organization and/or to your life? What action can you begin taking today to serve?