What Makes a Leader?

Every businessperson knows a story about a highly intelligent, highly skilled executive who was promoted into a leadership position only to fail at the job. And they also know a story about someone with solid—but not extraordinary—intellectual abilities and technical skills who was promoted into a similar position and then soared.

I have found, however, that the most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way:

They all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but mainly as “threshold(n.门槛) capabilities”; that is, they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions. But my research, along with other recent studies, clearly shows that emotional intelligence is the sine qua non（必要条件） of leadership. Without it, a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive, analytical mind, and an endless supply of smart ideas, but he still won’t make a great leader.

The Five Components of Emotional Intelligence at Work
Self-Awareness
Definition: the ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others
Hallmarks（n.特点）: self-confidence, realistic self-assessment, self-deprecating（adj.自我贬低的）sense of humor

Self-Regulation
Definition: the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods; the propensity(n.倾向) to suspend judgment—to think before acting
Hallmarks: trustworthiness and integrity, comfort with ambiguity; openness to change

Motivation
Definition: a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money or status; a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence
Hallmarks: strong drive to achieve, optimism, even in the face of failure; organizational commitment

Empathy(n.移情，理解他人感受)
Definition: the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people; skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions
Hallmarks: expertise in building and retaining talent; cross-cultural sensitivity; service to clients and customers

Social Skills
Definition: proficiency in managing relationships and building artworks; an ability to find common ground and build rapport(n.友好，和谐)
Hallmarks: effectiveness in leading change; persuasiveness; expertise in building leading teams

form Harvard Business Review