It has been quite a contest for me to choose one of my recently-read books for a review. It is the strong link between personal, team and organisation high performance status, and EQ (emotional intelligence) that persuaded me to go for this book. Of the books I have read on the subject, none come close to this one in the depth of the research conducted, as well as the strong message that EQ is essential for 21st century leader, team or organisation, and it is directly linked to increased profitability in business. I am also convinced that it is linked to excellent public service delivery through public sector organisations led by executives who have abundance of EQ in their midst.
The definition of EQ offered by the authors is: “Emotional Intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotion as a source of human energy, information, connection and influence.”
One of the models I use for executive coaching, the leadership circle, suggests that the leader has to be excellent at two things: task achievement, and relationship building. At the nexus of these two demands on the leader, or executive, is their level of maturity, measured in very specific and deliberate ways, in a 360 degree context. On the other hand, at The Village Leadership Consulting, we look at the leader as an individual (Me), their team (We) and other relationships, through which they exercise their influence. We further examine and work with their extended area of influence (Work) which is strategic and operational in nature, which they consciously influence. Lastly, the (Work) the larger socio-economic and political space in which they and their organisation operate in, and have to comprehend, so they can respond in ways that enhance the sustainable competitiveness of self and the organisation they serve. The Leadership Circle, and the Village Leadership Consulting body of work, highlights the importance of Emotional Intelligence as the critical component of Executive Leader’s success, including that of the organisation they serve. I add, the nation, the region, and the continent they serve, as well as the earth that we all live in.
The book highlights the functional and the myriad of other competencies, and qualities that are critical for executive leadership and organisation success, which without a deliberate development, application and measurement EQ, would not be executed successfully. Cooper and Sawaf engaged a leading corporate data and measurement firm, Essi Systems, and developed a comprehensive (norm-tested, and statistically reliable) EQ Map, and Organisational EQ Profiles, the details of which can be found in the book. The brief explanation of the underpinning model, referred to as the Four Cornerstone Model, is explained below.
Executive EQ begins with:
1. The cornerstone of emotional literacy, which builds a locus of personal efficacy and confidence through emotional honesty, energy, awareness, feedback, intuition, responsibility, and connection.
2. The second cornerstone, emotional fitness, builds your authenticity, believability, and resilience, expanding your circle of trust and your capacity for listening, managing conflict, and making the most of constructive discontent.
3. In emotional depth, the third cornerstone, you explore ways to align your life and work with your unique potential and purpose, and to back this with integrity, commitment, and accountability, which, in turn, increase your influence without authority.
4. From here you advance to the fourth cornerstone, emotional alchemy, through which you extend your creative instincts and capacity to flow with problems and pressures and to compete for the future by building your capabilities to sense more readily and access the widest range of hidden solutions and emerging opportunities.
I find congruence between what the book offers on Executive EQ, and what we offer in our Executive Development programs for individuals and teams, as well as organisation-wide large scale change programs. It is my recommendation that this book forms part of required reading by all executives that seek to create highly competitive and transformed organisations. Our own socio-political, and economic challenges in South Africa, require that we have in our midst, abundance of high levels of Executive EQ, to create a highly competitive nation.
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