Recently at the Bronx Zoo in New York, researchers discovered that elephants join humans, chimpanzees and some dolphins in demonstrating a very complex behaviour: self-awareness. In the "mirror test," Happy, the elephant in the experiment, reacted to a mark placed above her eye by touching her own forehead while looking in the mirror. Researchers are suggesting that this seemingly simple act of self-recognition is what underlies elephants' social complexity, and could be linked to empathy and altruism in all big-brained animals.
The Bronx Zoo research, and the insight it provides into more sophisticated social dynamics, underscores what it is at the heart of the human experience and, it turns out, at the core of outstanding leadership: empathy. And empathy is an essential element of emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions in oneself and others. Competencies related to emotional intelligence include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management, and it is these abilities that separate the great leaders from the rest.
Rapid growth in technology and communications has, in many ways, created unprecedented opportunities and brought people closer together. While it is technically easier to interface globally, enormous challenges exist in managing cultural, social and organisational differences across complicated boundaries. Clearly, organisations benefit when they can tap into the vast potential of this cultural potpourri.
But the challenges can be daunting, especially for leaders. A Hay Group study showed that 30 percent of the time, poor leadership is cited by people as a reason for leaving an organisation, and that organisations with superior leadership capability outperform annual earnings goals by 20 percent. Given that leaders shoulder the very real burden of making sense of it all for themselves and for the rest of the people in their organisations, it's worth asking: How have the most successful leaders done it?
Emotion in Motion
Research continues to show that there is a correlation between emotional intelligence, resonant work cultures and positive business results. The Hay Group also found that in a study of 15 global companies, 85 percent to 90 percent of leadership success is attributed to emotional intelligence. At the highest leadership levels, emotional intelligence accounts for virtually the entire advantage.
Why is it that leaders who are proficient in some of the more concrete aspects of leadership, such as strategy development and financial management, are often less able to engage people and build positive, resonant work cultures? The answer is that these leaders have not developed their emotional intelligence to a degree that will support them in leading and inspiring others.
While leaders certainly must have the technical competence to drive the business and to establish their own legitimacy within their fields, it is ability to drive emotions in the right direction and sustain excellent relationships through competencies such as emotional self-control, positive outlook, organisational awareness, deft conflict management and emotional self-awareness that most directly impact organisational performance.
In Tune
Our research and experience working with leaders has taught us that what may have worked in the past - for instance, relentless focus on the bottom line - is not sufficient for today's complex business environments. This new global reality demands "resonant" leaders, people who not only understand the technical aspects of their organisations, but who have highly developed emotional intelligence.
Resonant leaders are attuned to themselves, the people in their organisations and the external environments in which they operate. They face the uncertainty of today's world with a sense of hope, inspiring their people to believe that challenges can be met and ambitious visions can be realised. By noticing others' emotional realities, they are able to tap into the energy and passion of those around them to raise everyone's game and bring out the best in their teams and organisations.
Resonant leaders move people. They capture people's imagination and help them to mobilise energy and act on a shared vision. This sounds easy, but it's not. Ask Roberto Nicastro, general manager of the Retail Division of the Unicredit Group in Italy. It seems that success follows Roberto; over the past few years, he has helped build UniCredit's New Europe Division to the point that results, organisational culture and customer service are soaring. He also managed to integrate the retail divisions of Hypo Vereinsbank and Bank Austria Creditanstalt after a notable merger in 2006.
In each of these situations, Roberto started with people. His goals: to build a resonant culture and a cadre of managers who shared commitment to emotionally intelligent leadership. He didn't take the task lightly. In fact, he committed significant personal time and energy to ensuring that he could and would model resonance and emotional intelligence. Then, person by person and group by group, he built commitment to his vision of an aligned and attuned leadership group. Finally, he worked to create systems to engage people in learning how to lead, and learning to be part of his vibrant organisation. The end result? Even in the early days of UniCredit Group becoming an important player in the European financial services sector, Roberto is seen as a visionary and inspiring leader. And the banks are seeing results.
Like Roberto Nicastro, the best leaders are those who are able to paint a compelling picture for their organisation and are able to reach people on an emotional level in a way that moves them to offer more of themselves. Their passion for their organisation, work and people is apparent to others. This passion captures people in ways that generate positive energy, energy that is directed towards meeting goals that are embraced by everyone.
Staying in the Game
Even those who "get" that effective leadership requires being attuned, self-aware and empathetic; aren't always able to keep it up day after day. Why? Leading can be a lonely, stressful and seemingly thankless job. Research has shown that leaders who are able to sustain resonance over time in the face of tremendous challenges do it through three deliberate and consistent practices: mindfulness, hope and compassion.
Mindfulness
This is conscious attention to yourself and the world around you wherein you are awake, alert and sharp. It is based on the belief that people must attend to themselves on multiple levels: mind, heart, body and spirit. By practicing mindfulness, leaders are more intellectually agile and more prepared for the kinds of "predictable surprises" that are a given for anyone at the helm of an organisation.
Hope
Hope allows us to feel inspired, and to inspire others, through the belief that our collective goals are attainable and that a desired and exciting future is possible. Hope is not simply a state of mind. It also triggers a physiological response in the brain that leaves us feeling invigorated and renewed. Hope's partner, optimism, keeps us going in the face of sometimes overwhelming obstacles, driving us to look for pathways to overcome obstacles and reach for our goals.
Compassion
Compassion means we pay attention to the hopes, dreams, challenges and experiences of the people around us. Even more, it is about caring deeply enough about what we see to actually do something about it. In short, compassion is empathy in action, and it is a tremendously powerful leadership practice.
Combined, mindfulness, hope and compassion play critical roles over time in the life of resonant leaders. When faced with burnout, feeling misunderstood or overworked, leaders must ground themselves in something bigger and more meaningful than quarterly financial goals or the pressures of demanding stakeholders. Leaders must tap into their own positive practices to renew themselves and inspire others to be the best they can be.
Whether operating an organisation based in Europe, Asia, Africa or North America, creating a resonant work environment where people feel seen and valued is the secret to today's competitive advantage. Leading through self-awareness, mindfulness, hope, and compassion directly contributes to more inspired workforce, and ultimately, to a higher-performing organisation.
Annie McKee, Ph.D., is co-chair of the Teleos Leadership Institute, where she advises and works collaboratively with senior executives to design and create innovative approaches to leadership development and organisational transformation. Annie recently co-authored the book Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others through Mindfulness, Hope and Compassion with Richard Boyatzis and she is also co-author of the international bestseller Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence with Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis. Suzanne Rotondo, MPA. is the senior director of strategic business development at Teleos Leadership Institute. Suzanne's expertise is in strategic planning, negotiation, communications and the transfer of best practices between the private, not-for-profit and public sectors.
By Annie McKee, Ph.D., and Suzanne Rotondo, MPA
Capital ME 2007
