Tom Talks about the Biology of Leadership—part 3
New research finds that being in a good mood helps people to absorb information effectively and to respond in creative and flexible ways. In other words, G/B (see June post #1 for full citation) write, “Laughter is serious business.”
How do business leaders keep it light while still communicating the need for strong performance and positive outcomes? G/B came up with a behavioral assessment tool: the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory, which is a 360-degree evaluation by which bosses, peers, direct reports, clients and even family members assess a leader according to seven social intelligence qualities. Their tool might be helpful as you think about this challenge. Here are some of the qualities they measure, along with questions used to assess them.:
Empathy: do you understand what motivates other people, even those with different background?
Attunement: do you listen attentively and think about how others feel? Are you attuned to others’ moods?
Organizational Awareness: Do you appreciate the culture and values of the group or organization? Do you understand social networks and know their unspoken norms?
Influence: Do you persuade others by engaging them in discussion and appealing to their self-interests? Do you get support from key people?
Developing Others: do you coach and mentor others with compassion and personally invest time and energy in mentoring? Do you provide feedback that people find helpful for their professional development?
Inspiration: Do you articulate a compelling vision, build group pride and foster a positive emotional tone? Do you lead by bringing out the best in people?
Teamwork: Do you solicit input from everyone on your team? Do you support all team members and encourage cooperation?
Take some time to determine how you or your leadership team measures up. In the blog posts that follow this one I will delve into how Intertech measures up on these counts and, I hope, share some ideas that might be useful in your organization.