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At our Presidential Leadership Scholars weekend in College Station, Texas, John Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire and George H.W. Bush's chief of staff, recounted President Bush's first meeting with French president Francois Mitterrand upon assuming office in 1989. U.S. relations with France were strained, and while there was no immediate need for joint U.S. and French action at the time, President Bush knew that sometime he would need America's old ally and wanted to repair relations with its leader.

As recorded in Sununu's The Quiet Man, President Bush invited Mitterrand to his home in Kennebunkport, and over two days he began to win over the veteran statesman, developing a lasting friendship and professional partnership. This relationship, authentically cultivated, paid extraordinary dividends when President Bush was able to use his partnership with Mitterrand to negotiate financial assistance to Poland and Hungary in 1989 and the eventual reunification of East and West Germany.

This "relational" approach to leadership was core to President Bush's values and personality. And in the broader world, relational leadership-the longstanding and almost instinctive cultivation of close personal and professional relationships as an entre to building alliances and partnerships-is common. It's prevalent in politics, where relationships among legislators and community members often lead to compromise, and in business, where trust is such an essential component of partnership.

So, how is relational leadership cultivated?

It starts with a genuine interest in others. President Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff and Transportation Secretary Andy Card said of the President, "President George H.W. Bush created personal relationships with everyone he could. That personal connection could become a strategic partnership when it needed to be. It was universal but sincere." I've seen the same in my career. When I was a new business analyst at McKinsey, for example, a senior director in the office took an interest in me and counseled me, even though I would never be useful to him. And most of us have benefited from peers or mentors who have befriended us and then aided us in the cultivation of our careers. These friendships aren't purely instrumental but authentic, sincere and driven by a genuine interest in others.

Relational leadership is further predicated on empathy-understanding others and meeting them where they are. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, President Bush was criticized for his subdued response. Some wanted the president to celebrate more visibly. But President Bush knew how tense a political moment the event was for Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, and sensitive to his relationship with Gorbachev and the fragility of the moment, the American president avoided the kind of gloating that may have made the situation more challenging for the general secretary to manage. This was an important gesture and one for which President Bush was misunderstood and criticized. But, as Sununu notes in The Quiet Man, it displayed empathy for Gorbachev and strengthened their partnership. Similarly, we're experiencing a heightened cultural appreciation now for former television host Fred Rogers based at least partially on his remarkable empathy. Mr. Rogers is the subject of a new documentary and a forthcoming feature film -and much of what makes him so unique and so compelling is the deep empathy he so regularly displayed for everyone he met, particularly children and the vulnerable. This empathy and kindness left even casual acquaintances transformed by their interactions with him and was a critical foundation of his leadership. It's similarly essential for each of us.

Further, this authentic and empathetic relational leadership is nurtured by small and large gestures of friendship. As I've written elsewhere, I once worked with a woman at a DC-area organization who was exceptional about spending time with even the most junior members of her organization and making them feel special. She took me to lunch and subsequently mailed me a book about which we'd spoken and a handwritten note-a kindness I appreciate to this day. Similarly, President Bush frequently wrote handwritten notes to friends and partners around the world. And while his subdued reaction to the fall of the Berlin wall was a grand gesture, he also made small gestures to reinforce relationships. Genuine interest in and excitement for others manifests in gestures and signals that you value and understand them.

Finally, while relational leadership is personal by nature, it can be powerfully embedded in the culture of an organization or team. Speaking of the Bush White House, Governor Sununu said, "President George H.W. Bush's commitment to collegiality was contagious. We all worked hard to maintain that." A culture that prioritizes authentic relationships starts at the top and cascades through an organization. In my time as a management consultant, I worked for several partners who prioritized collegiality among their teams-hosting kick-off dinners for us to get to know each other, planning team events to encourage bonding and insisting on respectful treatment of all colleagues-and that top-down leadership transformed the groups with which they worked.

Relational leadership can be incredibly successful, particularly when it is authentic, empathetic, reinforced through gestures of friendship and embedded in the culture of a team. It's not the only style of leadership, but can be powerful and personally fulfilling.
This article is part of a six-part series on leadership lessons from presidents that includes "Searching For The Right Leadership Style," "The Power Of Relational Leadership," "The Simple Power Of Connected Communication," "How A President Makes A Decision That Matters," "The Johnson Treatment: Pushing and Persuading Like LBJ" and "Life Is Worth Living In Three Dimensions."

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At our Presidential Leadership Scholars weekend in College Station, Texas, John Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire and George H.W. Bush's chief of staff, recounted President Bush's first meeting with French president Francois Mitterrand upon assuming office in 1989. U.S. relations with France were strained, and while there was no immediate need for joint U.S.

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Executive Search | Executive Recruiters * Y Scouts

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Charismatic leadership involves a sense of style, flair, and confidence.

These charismatic leaders have a quality which is hard to pin down, but which attracts followers and inspires people to action. Transformational leaders are often highly charismatic because they are capable of initiating and maintaining a significant level of change in the organization.

The following are some of the most prominent characteristics of charismatic leadership.

1. Communication

Charismatic leaders have extraordinary skills in communication. This helps to motivate employees through tough times and also help them stay grounded when things are good. The leaders are equally comfortable communicating one-to-one or in a group setting.

2. Maturity

Though they have a very powerful personality, a charismatic leader also has maturity and character. They don't believe in empty showmanship, but they draw on their wisdom and knowledge which they have accumulated over the years of life and business experiences. They behave in a mature and responsible manner on all occasions.

3. Humility

Charismatic leaders also have a sense of humility. They place a lot of value on each employee, and have the ability to truly listen to their concerns. The charismatic leader is able to convince the employee of the value that they bring to the organization, and show them how their contributions impact the strategic interests of the company. They inspire great loyalty from their employees.

4. Compassion

Successful charismatic leaders are also compassionate. Charisma alone may not be enough, because there's a very real possibility that it can disintegrate into mere hero worship. Compassion, integrity, honesty, and fortitude are also qualities that successful charismatic leaders exhibit.

5. Substance

Charisma can exist without substance, but only for a very short time. Flashy and glitzy behavior may capture the attention of people, but eventually they will want something substantial beneath the facade. A charismatic leader must not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk. Charm gets him the face time, and substance closes the deal.

6. Confidence

It goes without saying that charismatic leaders are truly confident. They are the glass half full kind of people, and are comfortable with who they are. They understand themselves well and do not try to be anyone else. Charismatic leaders are secure and confident enough to be comfortable in their own skin.

7. Positive body language

One of the first things that you'd notice about a charismatic leader is their warm, open, and positive body language. They make eye contact with were that they are talking to, smile, and introduce themselves to strangers with the genuine joy of making a new contact. They have an endearing swagger, and they are authentic.

8. Listening skills

Charismatic leaders are extremely good listeners. When they listen to you, they don't fidget or look distracted. A charismatic leader pays attention to what is being said, and listens with interest. They are engaged in the conversation and act with empathy.

9. Self-monitoring

One of the attributes of charismatic leaders is that they often tend to watch themselves. They are aware of their powerful personality, and the fact that their followers are watching them constantly. For this reason, they consider it important to portray a good image of themselves to their followers. This can be achieved only with self-monitoring.

10. Self-improvement

A charismatic leader understands that he has certain qualities that make him different from others, and that these are the qualities that get him attention and make him charismatic. So he also knows how important it is to continually improve himself.

Additional Resources:
Curious about your characteristics? These resources will assist on your journey to self-discovery:

Contact us if you are looking to find your next leader!
Y Scouts is an executive search firm that helps nonprofits and social enterprises find exceptional leaders. We believe the right leaders make all the difference. We have pioneered a revolutionary approach to identify exceptional leaders and match them to the positions you need. We're passionate about the power of the right connections. Contact us if you are looking to find an exceptional leader. Or, to be considered for exceptional leadership opportunities with our clients, please take the first step by joining the Y Scouts Leadership Community.

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These charismatic leaders have a quality which is hard to pin down, but which attracts followers and inspires people to action. Transformational leaders are often highly charismatic because they are capable of initiating and maintaining a significant level of change in the organization. The following are some of the most prominent characteristics of charismatic leadership.

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What is Charismatic Leadership? Leading Through Personal Conviction

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What is Charismatic Leadership? Leading Through Personal Conviction

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The charismatic leadership style relies on the charm and persuasiveness of the leader. Charismatic leaders are driven by their convictions and commitment to their cause.

Charismatic leaders also are sometimes called transformational leaders because they share multiple similarities. Their main difference is focus and audience. Charismatic leaders often try to make the status quo better, while transformational leaders focus on transforming organizations into the leader's vision.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a charismatic leader who used powerful oratory, an engaging personality, and unwavering commitment to positive change in the lives of millions of people.

Read on to discover more about charismatic leadership:

What sets charismatic leaders apart is that they are "essentially very skilled communicators, individuals who are both verbally eloquent, but also able to communicate to followers on a deep, emotional level," said Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., professor of leadership and organizational psychology at Claremont McKenna College, in his Psychology Today article "What is Charisma and Charismatic Leadership?"

Charismatic leaders are often identified in times of crisis and exhibit exceptional devotion to and expertise in their fields. They are often people with a clear vision in business or politics and the ability to engage with a large audience.

A charismatic leadership definition is incomplete if it does not focus on the leader personally. More than other popular leadership styles, charismatic leadership depends on the personality and actions of the leader - not the process or structure.

Differences between charismatic leadership and other styles

"Charismatic leadership is a leadership style that is recognizable but may be perceived with less tangibility than other leadership styles," writes Mar Bell in "Charismatic Leadership Case Study with Ronald Reagan as Exemplar."

Charismatic leadership is similar to other styles. Both it and transformational leadership rely on the ability of the leader to influence and inspire followers. Transformational and charismatic leaders motivate the individual or those around them to be better and to work for the greater good of an organization or society. Other similarities include:

Leaders rally those around them in service of a common goal

Initiative and boldness are encouraged

The differences between charismatic and transformational leadership styles lie primarily in how the individual is viewed.

The personal vision of a charismatic leader has a great deal of influence over his or her audience

Charismatic leaders speak about their moral compass or passion rather than an existing method of doing business

Democratic and charismatic leaders compared

When compared to democratic leadership, similarities to the charismatic style include:

They both place considerable responsibility on the leader

Leaders guide employees, team members or volunteers in a particular direction

There is often a spirit of collaboration

The differences between charismatic leadership and democratic leadership include:

In democratic leadership, workers must have high-level skills in addition to the desire to work

Democratic leaders are highly rational and deliberate in their style

Charismatic leaders appeal to the emotions of the audience

In the charismatic leadership style, working toward a greater good is emphasized

Comparing autocratic and charismatic leadership

Likewise, charismatic and autocratic leadership styles share some traits. Both leaders often increase employee productivity. The key difference: The charismatic leader typically inspires employees to perform. The autocratic leader uses their authority to demand high performance. The short-term result is identical, although the long-term consequences may differ.

Charismatic leaders structure their organizations as they see fit. This is another example of a crossover between charismatic and autocratic leadership styles. The intensity of both styles may also generate early burnout of their leaders (and followers).

History of charismatic leadership

German sociologist Max Weber first published his book "The Three Types of Legitimate Rule" in 1958. In it, he sets forth a tripartite classification of authority for organizations and governments:

Two forms of order: authority and norms

Weber suggests that there are two fundamental forms of order: norms and authority. In organizations with authoritative order, people follow rules set by their leader. Transactional and bureaucratic leadership styles fit into this form of order.

Institutions that use norms depend on the appeal of their mission and vision to inspire allegiance in employees or followers. Charismatic leaders use norms to build a strong emotional relationship with the people who work for them.

Charismatic leaders are from all walks of life. In addition to business, this leadership style can be found in religious institutions and political and social movements.

Religious examples of charismatic leadership

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Born in 1929, Dr. King followed in the footsteps of his father as a Baptist minister. He started his civil rights career as the leader of the bus boycott the night that Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama. Dr. King's powerful speeches and belief in peaceful protest put energy into the civil rights movement. In January 1957, he and several others founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1960, Dr. King gained national notoriety for his arrest at a lunch counter sit-in, which came to the attention of presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. He was soon released and went on to have even greater influence in the fight for civil rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches ignited smaller movements for equal rights through the American South and beyond. Dr. King is best known for the August 28, 1963, march on Washington that drew more than 200,000 people. At that march, he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The following year, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.

Mother Teresa

Born in Macedonia (now Yugoslavia) as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910, Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun best known for her work with the poor. Mother Teresa joined the Sisters of Loreto when she was 18 and moved to India in 1929. As a novitiate, she was sent to Calcutta and taught at St. Mary's School for Girls.

In 1946, Mother Teresa abandoned teaching to follow what she considered her calling, founding the Missionaries of Charity to live and serve in the slums of Calcutta. Over the course of the 1950s and '60s, she established a leper colony, an orphanage, a nursing home, a family clinic and a string of mobile clinics.

In 1971, she traveled to New York to open her first U.S.-based house of charity. In 1985, she spoke at the 40th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly. By the time of her death, the Missionaries of Charity numbered over 4,000 sisters with 610 foundations in 123 countries. Her inspiring, devout persona and devotion to a singular idea make her a good example of a charismatic leader.

Pope John Paul II

In 1920, Pope John Paul ll was born in Poland as Karol Józef Wojtyla. Under Nazi occupation, he began his theological studies in a secret seminary in 1938 and was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1946. John Paul became the bishop of Ombi in 1958.

Well regarded for his work in the church, John Paul was made a cardinal in 1967. In 1978, he was elected pope, a role he occupied until his death in 2005. Pope John Paul II was instrumental in examining the Roman Catholic Church's role in the modern world. He traveled to more than 100 countries and was a vocal advocate for human rights.

Political examples of charismatic leadership

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in 1911. He gained fame as an actor after signing a seven-year movie contract with Warner Brothers in 1937. During World War ll, he made training films for the military. Although he served as president of the Screen Actors Guild, a labor union, Reagan's political views shifted from liberal to conservative in the 1950s.

He began giving motivational talks to businesses and moved to the national stage in 1964, when he gave a well-received televised speech for Barry Goldwater. He ran for president beginning in 1968 and won in 1980. President Reagan was able to articulate his political vision in ways that appealed to his followers. Along with Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, Reagan is recognized as one of the most charismatic American presidents of the 20th century.

Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born in 1874. Although he is best known for being the prime minister of England during World War ll, he honed his communication skills as a war correspondent in World War l and crafted legislation for Parliament as a member. He was a powerful orator who used radio speeches to buoy the British people's resilience during Germany's World War II bombing of England.

Lee Iacocca

Lido Anthony Iacocca was brought to Chrysler in the late 1970s to rescue the automaker from impending bankruptcy. Those who saw Iacocca "work the room," ultimately persuading Congress to guarantee a huge loan to Chrysler, observed a charismatic leader working his magic.

Iacocca, an automotive executive with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering, was not blessed with natural charisma, but he developed the talent. A memorable example of his charismatic style is his signature slogan, "If you can find a better car, buy it!"

Jack Welch

John Francis Welch was born in 1935 in Peabody, Massachusetts. He grew up playing sports and used lessons he learned as an athlete throughout his life. After college, Welch went to work at General Electric as a chemical engineer in 1960. He rose through the ranks to become the youngest CEO in GE's history in 1981.

As a CEO, Welch went out of his way to develop positive relationships with GE employees and customers. He talked informally with workers, making them feel as if they might receive a note or a visit from him at any time. Although Welch didn't hesitate to cut costs and lay off employees he viewed as poor performers, his leadership style engendered a sense of value and pride in the company.

Mother Teresa: "Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."

Martin Luther King: "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable...every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals."

Pope John Paul ll: "Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought."

Ronald Reagan: "We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone."

Winston Churchill: "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

Lee Iacocca: "Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people."

Jack Welsh: "The essence of competitiveness is liberated when we make people believe that what they think and do is important - and then get out of their way while they do it."

Common characteristics of leaders with charisma identified by Jay Alden Conger, leadership expert at the University of Southern California, and Henry Kravis, professor of leadership at Claremont McKenna College, include:

Sensitivity to their environment and the needs of their employees or followers

Articulate and visionary

Inclined toward personal risk taking

Adept at using unconventional behavior

There are many advantages to this leadership style. Charismatic leaders are often a catalyst for social change. They are, however, not a fit for organizations that depend on rigid structures and processes to function.

Charismatic leadership pros

Charismatic leaders inspire people to work together for a common cause

Organizations are committed to a central mission

Management prioritizes learning from mistakes in an effort to succeed in their mission

Charismatic-led companies tend to be cohesive because their workers have a clear purpose

Charismatic leadership cons

Leaders may develop tunnel vision or arrogance, undoing their previous good deeds

Organizations can become dependent on charismatic leaders and may suffer if he or she retires, leaves the company, or dies suddenly

Charismatic leaders sometimes become unresponsive to their subordinates or constituents

These leaders may not learn from their mistakes, compounding them

Charismatic leaders may believe they are above the law, committing financial or ethical violations

The world needs charismatic leaders because they fight for quality of life and a better world. Charismatic leaders have the courage of their convictions. They are willing to stand up to people who have a differing view of society or the organization.

Charismatic leaders tend to be able to see the gaps between what an organization delivers to its workers and what the workers need from the organization. They create visions that their supporters can readily see, and in return the supporters are motivated to contribute to a common goal.

Sources:

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., " What Is Charisma and Charismatic Leadership?," Psychology Today

John C. Welch IV, "Insights on Charismatic Leadership from the Heroes and Villains"

Brian Evje, " 3 Dangers of Charismatic Leadership," Inc.
Have a question or concern about this article? Please contact us.

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What is Charismatic Leadership? Leading Through Personal Conviction

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The charismatic leadership style relies on the charm and persuasiveness of the leader. Charismatic leaders are driven by their convictions and commitment to their cause. Charismatic leaders also are sometimes called transformational leaders because they share multiple similarities. Their main difference is focus and audience.

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John Maxwell: The 5 Levels of Leadership

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John Maxwell: The 5 Levels of Leadership

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How to Determine Your Personal Leadership Philosophy

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How to Determine Your Personal Leadership Philosophy

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Take the needed time to thoughtfully answer some pertinent questions and begin to design the kind of leader you would like to be. One ship sails east and another sails west,
With the selfsame winds that blow;
'Tis the set of the sails and not the gales
That tells them where to go. Like the winds of the sea are the winds of time,
As we journey along through life;
'Tis the set of the soul that determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.
If our sails are set correctly, our personal leadership philosophy - not the gales we encounter every day - will tell us where to go.

To develop an effective leadership philosophy, we first need to look at what we mean by the term, "transformational leader." No matter whether our title is leader or manager, we need to be transformational. A transformational leader is one who is capable of leading the organization from one paradigm to the next.

A paradigm is the way we think. The way we do things. The way we approach things. In health care today we need a new model. We need to think differently. We need to do things differently. We need a new paradigm. The paradigm of the past will not work in the future. Our leaders need to be able to lead us from the paradigm of the past to the paradigm of the future. Transformational leaders lead to the next paradigm.

For a transformational leader to be successful, three things are necessary:

1. The transformational leader must choose the correct next paradigm. It is clear to the transformational leader that something must change. The organization needs a new paradigm to thrive in the future. But what should that paradigm be?

In the 1980s, IBM was a mainframe computer company. IBM was also in trouble because, as urban commentator David Stein has pointed out, the "past was gone, and the present was full of confusion." The leaders of IBM made the decision that the company needed to change paradigms, and needed to do it quickly. IBM decided to make laptops, and the Think Pad was born. It was a very successful move from the paradigm of the past to an effective paradigm for the future.

As leaders and managers, you must be alert to the symptoms of instability while the organization is between paradigms. Watch out for the little things. Stay focused on what you must do and take care of each other.

2. The transformational leader must motivate the organization to make the paradigm leap along with him or her. We all prefer things the way we are used to. Changing to a new paradigm is scary. Every organization will resist change. A transformational leader is able to motivate the organization to take a deep breath and make the big leap, believing that the new paradigm, chosen by its leaders, is the right thing to do and, in fact, is the only thing to do.

3. A transformational leader must inspire the organization to hold together while in the very dangerous transition phase between paradigms. We have left the security of doing things the way we did in the past. We have not yet settled into the new way to respond to the future. People get uncomfortable. Things can blow up. Life in the organization is not stable. People get emotional and tense. Actions or comments are easily misinterpreted. Flare-ups occur. Little things become big.

As leaders and managers, you must be alert to the symptoms of instability while the organization is between paradigms. Watch out for the little things. Stay focused on what you must do and take care of each other.

If you are unsuccessful in making the transition between paradigms, it will be because you did not take care of each other. Leaders, managers and supervisors all play a key role in the transformation. Leaders cannot do it alone. Managers and supervisors make it happen.
Philosophical Moment
One of the most important things you can do to become effective leaders and managers is to think about, define and then articulate your own personal leadership philosophy. Here are three reasons why it can become the key to your effectiveness.

1. Your personal leadership philosophy gives you consistency. Without a leadership philosophy, your actions and your reactions will reflect the tensions of the moment. "We never know how he might respond or what she might say." The reason is that the leader does not know what his or her leadership philosophy is. With a leadership philosophy that you know and understand, your actions and responses are filtered through your philosophy. They are in context. They are predictable. There is less fear of the unknown in the organization. Your philosophy gives you consistency.

2. Your leadership philosophy becomes your true north. Everything you do, everything you say, every action, every decision, every plan is filtered through your philosophy. Your philosophy becomes your rudder. It helps you to maintain the right direction. It keeps you from straying. It is your compass. It keeps you from losing effectiveness.

3. Your leadership philosophy will connect you to your work. Your philosophy is all about your own personal mission and who you are as a leader or manager. If you are not clear on your personal mission, your role as a leader will not be clear. If you are not clear yourself on who you are, the people you lead will not be clear on what you are about. Your personal leadership philosophy must incorporate your own personal mission. It must also incorporate who you are as a human being.

But then, if your own personal mission is in sync with your organization's mission, and who you are as a person is in sync with your organization's values, your leadership philosophy will connect you to your work. And very few things are more fulfilling in life than being connected.

It is important to understand that your leadership philosophy will be a work in progress. It will evolve as you mature as a leader. It will change as you study and think about leadership. You need to be thinking about your personal philosophy, you need to grapple with it, chew on it. If you cannot articulate your leadership philosophy, your goal should be to get started creating one.

First, you need to spend some time (months, not minutes) thinking about who you are and what you believe. Think about your relationship with those you lead. Think about how you get things done.

More accurately, for each of these, think not about who you are now or how you do things now, but rather who you want to be and what you want your relationship with your employees to be, and how you want to go about getting things done.

When you are creating your personal philosophy, it is not necessarily a description of who and what you are now, but rather an opportunity to design who and what you want to be as a leader. Then you can start moving in that direction.

Your leadership philosophy should be encompassing enough that it can be applied to every aspect of your daily activity as a leader. You should be able to filter every action, every decision, every response through your philosophy. You should be able to apply your philosophy to every issue, every problem and every opportunity.

For your philosophy to meet these criteria, it needs to consist of three essential components:

1. A philosophy is defined as a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs. This first and overarching component consists of a description of the basic principles that guide you in your practical affairs of leadership, principles upon which your actions, decisions and responses are based.

Principles are a guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct. They provide a personal and specific basis for conduct and/or management. These principles derive from your values, from whom you want to be as a person, a leader and a mentor. These principles could be called your mental model.

You must have thought through and be able to clearly articulate the principles upon which your philosophy is based. Always be asking yourself the question, "Is this particular decision, this particular action, firmly rooted in my principles of leadership?

2. Your leadership philosophy also should address the desired results or outcomes you are striving for as a leader. Here we are not talking about your annual objectives or particular projects or even the level in the organizational hierarchy that you hope to achieve. Rather, at a higher and more encompassing level, what do you, as a leader, hope to accomplish throughout your career as a result of your leadership. What drives your leadership activities? What is your personal mission for your career? The question then becomes, "Will this decision or action move my organization in the direction of my desired results?"

3. The third component is a description of what you envision your leadership style, your method of operation (M.O.) to be. Not necessarily what it is right now. It is a description of the process and approach that you would like to be using consistently, based upon your principles, to achieve the desired outcomes described in component two. Ask the question, "Will this process or approach move my people in the direction of my desired results?"
The Bottom Line
The bottom line regarding your personal leadership philosophy is: Will it enable you to consistently make the right decisions (principle-based), the right responses and the right actions for every issue, problem or opportunity that you encounter as a leader? If so, does it have transformative potential? Your leadership philosophy should be clear, concise and principle-based. It should have transformational potential.

Here are the kinds of questions you should be asking yourself as you think through your leadership philosophy:

Can you define your critical principles and beliefs that impact your ability as a leader?

What do you stand for that becomes important as a leader?

How do you define your role in your organization?

What are your goals? Not programmatic, but personal, as a leader.

What is your personal leadership vision?

As a leader, how can you contribute to transforming your organization?

Other questions to think about deal with your relationship to those you lead:

How do you motivate your people?

How do your people know how well they have done when they go home at night?

How do you encourage your people?

How do you affirm your people?

How much autonomy do you give your people?

Do you demonstrate respect and compassion toward your people every day?

The final questions have to do with your leadership style. How you do things:

How do you approach problem solving?

How do you approach conflict?

How do you respond to employee mistakes?

How do you prioritize your activities?

How do you teach your people?

Take some time and begin to write out your real-world responses to each of these categories. Your responses need to be something that can get traction, not some pie-in-the-sky generality. You can begin to design the kind of leader you would like to be.

We began with Ella Wilcox's poem, which asserts that it is the set of the soul that decides the goal, and not the calm nor the strife. I am suggesting that for each of us as leaders and managers, it is the internal set of our own personal leadership philosophy that decides the goal, and not the day-to-day events that confront us.

I encourage you to take the development of your leadership philosophy very seriously. It is an important key to your personal effectiveness.

Dale Benson, MD, CPE, FAAPL, is the former vice president of innovation, quality and practice management, and director of the leadership development institute at AltaMed Health Services in Los Angeles, California. He was the founder, and for 30 years, the CEO of HealthNet, a community health center network in Indianapolis, Indiana.
REFERENCE
Ella Wheeler Wilcox. In the Best Loved Poems of the American People. New York, NY: Knoph Doubleday Publishing Group, 1936

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How to Determine Your Personal Leadership Philosophy

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Take the needed time to thoughtfully answer some pertinent questions and begin to design the kind of leader you would like to be. One ship sails east and another sails west, With the selfsame winds that blow;'Tis the set of the sails and not the galesThat tells them where to go.

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Change Leadership in Higher Education: A Practical Guide to Academic Transformation

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Change Leadership in Higher Education: A Practical Guide to Academic Transformation

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Good to Great (Jim Collins)

How Remarkable Women Lead (Joanna Barsh)

Leaders Make the Future (Bob Johansen)

Leadership on the Line (Linsky & Heifetz)

Reframing Academic Leadership (Bolman & Gallos)

Reframing the Path to School Leadership (Bolman & Deal)

Shackleton's Way (Morrell & Capparell)

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Emotional Intelligence - A Minute With John Maxwell

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Emotional Intelligence - A Minute With John Maxwell

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Emotional Inteligence - A Minute With John Maxwell, Free Coaching Video

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On Becoming a Servant Leader (Greenleaf)

Making Change Happen in Student Affairs (Barr, McClellan, Sandeen)

Creating Multicultural Change on Campus (Pope, Reynolds, Mueller)

How Colleges Work (Birnbaum)

Changing on the Job: Developing Leaders for a Complex World (Berger)

Do Good Well: Your Guide to Leadership, Action, and Social Innovation (Vasan & Przybylo)

Enhancing Campus Capacity for Leadership: An Examination of Grassroots Leaders in Higher Education (Kezar & Lester)

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Developing an Effective Command Philosophy

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Developing an Effective Command Philosophy

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Why Emotionally Intelligent People Are More Successful

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Why Emotionally Intelligent People Are More Successful

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. It says the three main reasons for failure are difficulty in handling change, inability to work well in a team, and poor interpersonal relations.

International search firm Egon Zehnder International analyzed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience. Research that has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and IQ has shown only a weak correlation between the two.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology carried out research that showed that 85% of our financial success was due to skills in "human engineering", personality, and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. They found that only 15% was due to technical ability. In other words people skills or skills highly related to emotional intelligence were crucial skills. Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that people would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

People would rather do business with a person they like and trust rather than someone they don't, even if that that person is offering a better product at a lower price.

To test out his findings, think of the last time you purchased a major item, a home, automobile, or large appliance where you had to dealings with a salesperson. Was the person someone who you liked and trusted? In my talks, I have found that whenever I asked that question, inevitably the entire audience answered that, yes, the person they bought a large item from was someone they liked and trusted. This theory about why salespeople with the right people skills do better than those who lack them is borne out by a study carried out by the Hay/McBer Research and Innovation Group in 1997. In a study carried out in a large national insurance company in 1997, they found that sales agents weak in emotional areas such as self-confidence, initiative, and empathy sold policies with an average premium of $54,000, while those strong in 5 of 8 emotional competencies sold policies on the average worth $114,000.

Much of the research that has been done on emotional intelligence has been at the executive leadership level. The higher up the organization, the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization. There have been some studies, however, that show impacts at all levels.

The higher up the organization the more crucial emotional intelligence abilities are as the impacts are greater and felt throughout the entire organization.

For example, a study by McClelland in 1999 showed that after supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies such as how to listen better, lost-time accidents decreased by 50% and grievances went down from 15 per year to three. The plant itself exceeded productivity goals by $250,000.

The same principles apply in all areas of life, whether at work or in relationships. Everyone wants to work with people who are easy to get along with, supportive, likeable, and can be trusted. We want to be beside people that do not get upset easily and can keep their composure when things do not work out according to plan.

Self-awareness. The first thing that is essential for any degree of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. People with a high degree of self-awareness have a solid understanding of their own emotions, their strengths, weaknesses, and what drives them. Neither overly critical nor unrealistically hopeful, these people are honest with themselves and others. These people recognize how their feelings impact them, other people around them, and their performance at work. They have a good understanding of their values and goals and where they are going in life. They are confident as well as aware of their limitations and less likely to set themselves up for failure.

We can recognize self-aware people by their willingness to talk about themselves in a frank, non-defensive manner. A good interview question is to ask about a time that the interviewee got carried away by their emotions and did something they later regretted. The self-aware person will be open and frank with their answers. Self-deprecating humor is a good indicator of someone who has good self-awareness. Red flags are people who stall or try to avoid the question, seem irritated, or frustrated by the question.

Ability To Self-Regulate Emotions. We all have emotions which drive us and there is nothing we can do to avoid them. People who are good at self-regulation, however, are able to manage their emotions so that they do not control their words and actions. While they feel bad moods and impulses as much as anyone else, they do not act upon them. People who act upon their negative feelings create havoc, disruptions, and lasting bad feelings all around them. We feel before we think and people who constantly react from an emotional state never wait long enough to allow their thoughts to override their emotions.

People who self-regulate have the ability to wait until their emotions pass, allowing them to respond from a place of reason, rather than simply reacting to feelings. The signs of someone who is good at self-regulation are reflection, thoughtfulness, comfort with ambiguity, change, and not having all the answers. In an interview, look for people who take a little time to reflect and think before they answer.

Empathy. Empathy is another important aspect to look for when hiring. Someone who has empathy will have an awareness of the feelings of others and consider those feelings in their words and actions. This does not mean that they will tiptoe around or be unwilling to make tough decisions for fear of hurting someone's feelings. It simply means that they are aware of, and take into consideration the impact on others. They are willing to share their own worries and concerns and openly acknowledge other's emotions. A good way to look for empathy in an interview is to ask a candidate about a situation where a co-worker was angry with them and how they dealt with it. Look for a willingness to understand the source of the co-workers anger, even though they may not agree with the reasons for it.

Social skills. Social skill is another area of emotional intelligence that is highly important in the workplace. To have good social skills requires a high level of the other skills aforementioned as well as the ability to relate and find common ground with a wide range of people. It goes beyond just friendliness and the ability to get along with others.

People with social skills are excellent team players as they have the ability to move an agenda along and keep focus while at the same time remaining aware of the emotional climate of the group and possess the ability to respond to it. These people are excellent at making connections, networking, and bringing people together to work on projects. They are able to bring their emotional intelligence skills into play in a larger arena. To look for social skills in an interview, ask questions related to projects and difficulties encountered around varying agendas, temperaments, and getting people to buy in.

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Why Emotionally Intelligent People Are More Successful

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Research by the respected Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the U.S. found that the primary causes of executive derailment involve deficiencies in emotional competence. Each year, CCL serves more than 20,000 individuals and 2,000 organizations, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 companies.

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What is transformational leadership? A model for motivating innovation 

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What is transformational leadership? A model for motivating innovation 

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What is transformational leadership? A model for motivating innovation

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The transformational leadership style inspires workers to embrace change by fostering a company culture of accountability, ownership, and workplace autonomy.

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Shackleton's Way (Morrell & Capparell)

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Lencioni)

The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes & Posner)

The Wizard & The Warrior (Bolman & Deal)

With God on All Sides:  Leadership in a Devout and Diverse America (Hicks)

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: A Guide for Students (Shankman, Allen & Haber-Curran)

Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make A Difference (Komives, Lucas, McMahon)

Identity & Leadership (Chavez & Santo)

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Why Emotional Intelligence Is Indispensable For Leaders 

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Why Emotional Intelligence Is Indispensable For Leaders 

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When most people imagine intelligence, they picture a mathematician solving equations, a novelist writing great works of literature or a philosopher expounding on wise principles.

But brilliance takes many forms, not least of which is the ability to comprehend and manage emotions. Known as emotional intelligence, this trait is often overlooked, yet crucial for success as a business leader.

Here's what having emotional intelligence provides you with:
Acute Awareness
One of the defining features of emotional intelligence is the ability to comprehend the effects of your feelings. This is crucial for making sound, objective decisions when your pride and self-esteem are at stake. All leaders must face situations where their emotions make a decision seem better than it is.

If you previously expressed support for a certain strategy, for example, your pride will be tied up with that strategy, making it harder to recognize if it isn't working. Leaders who have emotional intelligence are more likely to realize when pride and other emotions are influencing their thinking, allowing them to make more rational, impartial choices.
Impact Interpretation
In addition to reigning in your own feelings, emotional intelligence makes it easier to anticipate and respond to others' sentiments. As much as we may want for it to be objective, business is an emotional experience.

Bad news from work can shock or dismay your employees, while good news may make them unreasonably optimistic. Emotional intelligence means you can tell ahead of time how others will react and develop a strategy to keep them grounded.
Mental Health Management
Those with emotional intelligence have an easier time assessing the emotional and psychological state of their employees. This makes it easier to determine if someone is suffering from:

* Anxiety

* Depression

* Grief

* Trauma

* Eating disorders

By recognizing threats to your employees' mental health, you can provide them with the support and professional resources they need to recover. Not only is this good for their health but it promotes a more harmonious, productive workplace.
Cultivated Communication
Leaders with emotional intelligence have an improved ability to gauge others' responses to their words and actions. This makes it easier for you to tell if your employees really understand what you are saying or are confused but unwilling to say so. You can then refine your messages accordingly, developing reliable ways of communicating with everyone who works for you.

Emotional intelligence also makes it easier for you to listen to what other people are saying clearly and without judgment, ensuring that others can always give you the information you need.
Helpful Humor
Never underestimate the value of humor in business. A good joke or clever play on words can cheer up dismayed employees, win over skeptical customers and draw positive attention to your brand. If you have emotional intelligence, it will be easier to tell what people will find funny. You can also determine in which situations humor will be appropriate, finding the proper balance between serious work and lightheartedness.

While intelligence is important, emotional intelligence is a key to success in leadership and in being able to relate to others. When dealing with others, truly try to place yourself in their situation. It will help you choose the best method to solve problems and achieve your goals.

How has emotional intelligence helped you to make sound and informed decisions?

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Why Emotional Intelligence Is Indispensable For Leaders

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When most people imagine intelligence, they picture a mathematician solving equations, a novelist writing great works of literature or a philosopher expounding on wise principles. But brilliance takes many forms, not least of which is the ability to comprehend and manage emotions.

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The more that you, as a leader, manage each of these areas, the higher your emotional intelligence. So, let's look at each element in more detail and examine how you can grow as a leader.

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

1. Self-awareness

If you're self-aware, you always know how you feel, and you know how your emotions and your actions can affect the people around you. Being self-aware when you're in a leadership position also means having a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses, and it means behaving with humility.

So, what can you do to improve your self-awareness?

Keep a journal. Journals help you improve your self-awareness. If you spend just a few minutes each day writing down your thoughts, this can move you to a higher degree of self-awareness.

2. Self-regulation

Leaders who regulate themselves effectively rarely verbally attack others, make rushed or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or compromise their values. Self-regulation is all about staying in control.

This element of emotional intelligence, according to Goleman, also covers a leader's flexibility and commitment to personal accountability.

So, how can you improve your ability to self-regulate?

Hold yourself accountable. If you tend to blame others when something goes wrong, stop. Make a commitment to admit to your mistakes and to face the consequences, whatever they are. You'll probably sleep better at night, and you'll quickly earn the respect of those around you.

Practice being calm. The next time you're in a challenging situation, be very aware of how you act. Do you relieve your stress by shouting at someone else? Practice deep-breathing exercises to calm yourself. Also, try to write down all of the negative things you want to say, and then rip it up and throw it away. Expressing these emotions on paper (and not showing them to anyone!) is better than speaking them aloud to your team. What's more, this helps you challenge your reactions to ensure that they're fair!

3. Motivation

Self-motivated leaders work consistently toward their goals, and they have extremely high standards for the quality of their work.

How can you improve your motivation?

Re-examine why you're doing your job. It's easy to forget what you really love about your career. So, take some time to remember why you wanted this job. If you're unhappy in your role and you're struggling to remember why you wanted it, try the Five Whys technique to find the root of the problem. Starting at the root often helps you look at your situation in a new way. And make sure that your goal statements are fresh and energizing. For more on this, see our article on Goal Setting.

4. Empathy

For leaders, having empathy is critical to managing a successful team or organization. Leaders with empathy have the ability to put themselves in someone else's situation. They help develop the people on their team, challenge others who are acting unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen to those who need it.

If you want to earn the respect and loyalty of your team, then show them you care by being empathic.

How can you improve your empathy?

Respond to feelings. You ask your assistant to work late - again. And although he agrees, you can hear the disappointment in his voice. So, respond by addressing his feelings. Tell him you appreciate how willing he is to work extra hours, and that you're just as frustrated about working late. If possible, figure out a way for future late nights to be less of an issue (for example, give him Monday mornings off).

5. Social Skills

Leaders who do well in the social skills element of emotional intelligence are great communicators. They're just as open to hearing bad news as good news, and they're experts at getting their team to support them and be excited about a new mission or project.

Leaders who have good social skills are also good at managing change and resolving conflicts diplomatically. They're rarely satisfied with leaving things as they are, but they don't sit back and make everyone else do the work: they set an example with their own behavior.

So, how can you build social skills?

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Emotional Intelligence in Leadership - Learning How to Be More Aware

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Relating to others is vital in today's workplace. Learn how to build your emotional intelligence (EI) with this article.

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How Emotional Intelligence Became a Key Leadership Skill

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How Emotional Intelligence Became a Key Leadership Skill

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Anyone trying to come up to speed on emotional intelligence would have a pretty easy time of it since the concept is remarkably recent, and its application to business newer still. The term was coined in 1990 in a research paper by two psychology professors, John D. Mayer of UNH and Peter Salovey of Yale. Some years later, Mayer defined it in HBR this way:

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How Emotional Intelligence Became a Key Leadership Skill

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A reading list to bring you up to speed.

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The Global Emotional Intelligence Test uses 40 questions which are derived from, the Global instrument, which contains 158 items. These are based on Goleman's four quadrant Emotional Intelligence Competency Model (2002). Click EI Capability Assessment here for more details. Short EI quizzes such as this are meant to be fun, and to give you a guide to which EI areas you are doing well in and those which perhaps you need to focus on for development.

This Test, is a forced-choice psychological test which requires you to choose Instructions for the FREE EI Test one statement in each pair of statements that describes you best. For each pair of statements, select the statement that best applies to you. Do not over-analyse the questions, or try to think of "exceptions to the rule." Be spontaneous and choose the statement that comes closest to the way you are.

Occasionally there will be questions that ask you to make a close call between two choices. This is because the Test is trying to distinguish between specific areas. If a question is very close and you can't decide which statement applies to you best, you can come back to it after you have completed the other questions.

The Test usually takes about 10 minutes to complete. At the end of the test, click on the Score Test button, and wait for the computer to generate an EI profile of your scores. If you have answered honestly and accurately, your scores will reflect your capability level within each of the EI quadrants.

We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the results of this Test - only that it can help you begin your journey of self-development!

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Emotional Intelligence Test - Global Leadership Foundation

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Free emotional intelligence test developed by Global Leadership Foundation

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17 Emotional Intelligence Tests and Assessments

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17 Emotional Intelligence Tests and Assessments

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Perhaps you may have heard that what is even more important than a person's 'IQ' is their 'EQ', or emotional intelligence, and are interested in learning more. Emotional Intelligence involves, broadly speaking, the capacity to understand and manage emotion. Can this be measured?

IQ tests are well-known assessments of cognitive capacity, however, the picture when it comes to emotional intelligence is more complicated. There are many free quizzes readily available to test EQ, but as is explained shortly, such self-report measures are not always accurate.

Ability tests of EQ fare better. In the following article, the 'ins and outs' of emotional intelligence testing are explored in some detail. Along with a rich assortment of information, this article will also provide links to some free EQ assessments and samples of questions so that you can really get a feel for EQ tests.

I hope it sparks your interest!

Should you want to learn how to professionally teach, coach, and increase emotional intelligence, be sure to check out the Emotional Intelligence Masterclass©.

What is an Emotional Intelligence Test?

So, just what is a test of emotional intelligence?

Well, put simply, as opposed to a self-report scale of EI, an EI test is developed differently. You see, EI tests are based on the premise that EI consists of a group of skills that are employed in order to solve emotional problems.

Therefore, as explained by pioneers in the research area of EI, Mayer, Caruso, Salovey & Sitarenios (2003), because it is developed from a skill-base, that EI is, therefore, a distinct ability that can be measured objectively.

What is an EQ appraisal?

Another way of looking at the assessment of EI is an EQ appraisal. One example of an EQ appraisal is the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal that features in the best-selling work ' Emotional Intelligence 2.0' (Bradberry & Su, 2006). The appraisal was created in 2001 by Dr. Travis Bradberry and Dr. Jean Greaves and it may be administered in either online form or in a booklet. You can find more emotional intelligence books here.

The EQ appraisal is a skill-based assessment based on Daniel Goleman's four-factor taxonomy (Bradberry & Su, 2006). According to Goleman, EI consists of four components:

self-awareness,

self-management,

social awareness and

relationship management.

The EQ appraisal consists of 28 items and is performance based - it is designed to assess the behavior linked to EI skills. The assessment gives an overall EQ score, and a score for each of the four EI factors (Bradberry & Su, 2006).

Research with The Emotional Intelligence Appraisal has found Cronbach alpha reliability ratings between .85 and .91 however, interestingly, a non-significant positive correlation was found between the appraisal and the popular EI test, the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test.

In the following sections of this article, you can certainly read more about the MSCEIT. Briefly, however, for the purpose of an introduction to this discussion, the MSCEIT is an ability model of EI.

Researchers have suggested that there is a distinction between the constructs that are measured by the MSCEIT and EI Appraisal (Bradberry & Su, 2006). It was reasoned that this difference in models from which the assessments were developed - the MSCEIT is an ability-based assessment, whereas the EI Appraisal was based on Daniel Goleman's 'mixed' model of EI.

It has been claimed that scores on the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal predicted job performance more than the MSCEIT, and what's more, it also takes one-fifth of the length of time to administer.

The Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Test

In this section of the article, I will be focusing on the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, Version 2.0 (MSCEIT, V 2.0). The MSCEIT is a 141 scale that measures the four branches of EI, each branch reflecting specific skills - perceiving emotions, using emotions to facilitate thought, understanding emotions and managing emotions (Mayer, Caruso, Salovey & Sitarenios, 2003).

Each of these four 'branches' is measured in the MSCEIT using two tasks, as described below:

Branch one - perceiving emotions: faces and pictures tasks

Branch two - facilitating thought: sensations and facilitation tasks

Branch three - understanding emotions: blends and changes tasks

Branch four - managing emotions: emotion management and emotional relationships tasks.

Each of these 8 tasks is measured either by a discrete, single item or a group of individual items that make up an 'item parcel' (Mayer et al., 2003). Item parcels are collections of related items - so, for example, the 'faces task' consists of four item parcels, each containing five responses. Some items only require one response per stimulus so are distinct and free-standing (Mayer et al., 2003).

Across the 8 tasks, the responses required take different forms. The test was designed this way so that the results across the response methods can be generalized, and also minimize the associated error in measurement (Mayer et al., 2003). So, some tasks use a 5-point rating scale, whereas others require a multiple-choice response.

Let's look at this test a little closer...

The 'faces' task is made up of 4 item parcels, each with 5 responses (Mayer et al., 2003). In this task, participants are presented with a group of faces, and they are required to respond with the specific emotion they can identify as portrayed in the face (Mayer et al., 2003).

The 'pictures' task consists of six parcels each with 5 responses. It is similar to the 'faces' task, except that the target stimuli are abstract designs and landscapes, and to respond, participants select from cartoon faces that show specific emotions (Mayer et al., 2003).

The 'sensations' task consists of five parcels, each with three responses. Participants match sensations to the emotions they generate - e.g. describing how 'hot' or 'cold' a feeling of envy is (Mayer et al., 2003).

The 'facilitation' task is made up of 5 item parcels, each with three responses. This task requires a decision about the moods that are most closely associated with specific behaviors and cognitive tasks, in terms of accompanying them or assisting them. The example given by Mayer, Caruso, Salovey, and Sitanerios (2003) is " whether joy may assist planning a party " (p. 99).

The 'blends' task consists of 12 free-standing items. Responders choose which emotions could be combined to produce another emotion - for example, that malice could be formed by combining envy and aggression (Mayer et al., 2003).

The 'changes' task is made up of 20 free-standing items in which individuals choose the emotion that emerges due to another emotion intensifying - e.g. that depression is most likely to result from intensification of sadness and fatigue (Mayer et al., 2003).

The 'emotion management' task consists of 5 parcels, each with 4 responses. In this task, responders are required to form a judgment about the best actions that can be taken by an individual in a story in order to result in the specified emotional outcome (Mayer et al., 2003). So, for example, the participant might read a story about a character and need to identify what this character can do to reduce their anger or prolong joy (Mayer et al., 2003).

Finally, the ' emotional relationship ' task. This task is made up of 3 item parcels, each with 3 responses. This task requires test-takers to decide what are the most effective actions an individual can take in order to manage another person's feelings (Mayer et al., 2003).

Putting this all together, it can be seen that the MSCEIT 2.0 is a comprehensive test of EI. In fact, it requires a total of 705 responses - 141 items are included, each with 5 responses (Mayer et al., 2003).

Can EI Really be Measured With a Quiz?

According to Matthews, Roberts, and Zeidner (2004), there are a number of problems and serious omissions in the area of EI as measured by a simple self-report assessment.

In actual fact, this issue is what led Mayer, Caruso, and Salovey to argue that performance-based measures are needed for EI to be understood as an actual cognitive ability (Matthews, Roberts & Zeidner, 2004).

Their argument then resulted in the development of the Multi-Factor Emotional Intelligence Scale (the MEIS) and, more recently, the MSCEIT.

To consider EI as a scientific construct, it is necessary to determine whether EI is a measurable phenomenon (Matthews et al., 2004). Self-report measures of EI have shown satisfactory internal consistency reliably across a variety of cultures, as well as more than adequate levels of test-retest reliability over 1 - and 4-month periods (Matthews et al., 2004).

On the other hand, performance-based measures of EI have been shown to present a number of problems in terms of reliability (Matthews et al., 2004). All these issues seem to suggest that EI may not be able to be measured.

Indeed. Whether or not EI tests actually measure a theoretical construct or trait is termed 'construct validity', and, in actual fact, Matthews and colleagues (2004) concluded that neither performance-based or self-report measures of EI meet the criteria for what is deemed 'construct validity'.

However, past research has found a relatively modest association between self-report measures of EI and actual ability measures (Matthews et al., 2004). What a complicated picture EI presents! What are we to make of these claims?

Well, further research into the measurement of EI is certainly warranted - particularly into validation studies of self-report measures of EI. According to Matthews et al (2004), " there are major conceptual, psychometric, and applied problems and issues to be overcome before EI can be considered a genuine, scientifically validated construct with real-life practical significance " (p. 192).

Other research, however, argues against what Matthews and colleagues presented in the 2004 paper titled ' Seven myths about emotional intelligence '. It does in actual fact support the notion that EI can be readily measured using tests, particularity self-report tests.

However, just because something is easily measured this does not mean that such measures are accurate.

The fact that EI is made up of a range of skills does mean that self-report is not the most accurate way to measure EI (Matthews et al., 2004). This also means, however, that even though self-report measures are not effective measures of EI, that because EI consists of a range of skills and abilities, in a similar vein to the measurement of other skills, these skills can be measured!

In other words, yes, EI ability tests are legitimate measures of EI.

What's in an Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire?

To show what to expect from an EI questionnaire, I will now provide an example of an EI-quiz (Mind Tools, 2019). In this quiz, 15 statements are presented and responders are asked to answer as to how they really are, rather than how they think they should be:

1. I can recognize my emotions as I experience them

2. I lose my temper when I feel frustrated

3. People have told me that I'm a good listener

4. I know how to calm myself down when I feel anxious or upset

5. I enjoy organizing groups

6. I find it hard to focus on something over the long term

7. I find it difficult to move on when I feel frustrated or unhappy

8. I know my strengths and weaknesses

9. I avoid conflict and negotiations

10. I feel that I don't enjoy my work

11. I ask people for feedback on what I do well, and how I can improve

12. I set long-term goals and review my progress regularly

13. I find it difficult to read other people's emotions

14. I struggle to build rapport with others

15. I use active listening skills when people speak to me

For each of these statements, the responders would rate themselves from not at all, rarely, sometimes, often and very often (Mind Tools, 2019).

How is EI Measured?

Generally speaking, EI is measured in three different ways:

A variety of scales, quizzes and questionnaires have been developed for each of these methods of measuring EI. There are four general types of EI tests, which are described in more detail soon!

Abilities based tests (including the MSCEIT)

Trait-based tests (such as the Bar-On EQi)

Competency-based tests - (including the ESCI)

Behavior-based tests - (for example, the Genos)

Whilst all provide measures of EI, for situations where an accurate, objective assessment of EI is wanted (such as recruitment) the consensus from the research is to use the MSCEIT (Bradberry, 2014).

The Emotional Intelligence Scale

Schutte and colleagues (1998) developed a measure of emotional intelligence based on the model that was published by Salovey and Mayer in 1990. Sixty-two items were found to be reflective of the dimensions of Salovey and Mayer's model (Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden, & Dornheim, 1998).

Then, a factor analysis of results from a study of 346 participants lead to the development of this 33-item scale:

1. I know when to speak about my personal problems to others

2. When I am faced with obstacles, I remember times I faced similar obstacles and overcame them

3. I expect that I will do well on most things I try

4. Other people find it easy to confide in me

5. I find it hard to understand the non-verbal messages of other people*

6. Some of the major events of my life have led me to re-evaluate what is important and not important

7. When my mood changes, I see new possibilities

8. Emotions are one of the things that make my life worth living

9. I am aware of my emotions as I experience them

10. I expect good things to happen

11. I like to share my emotions with others

12. When I experience a positive emotion, I know how to make it last

13. I arrange events others enjoy

14. I seek out activities that make me happy

15. I am aware of the non-verbal messages I send to others

16. I present myself in a way that makes a good impression on others

17. When I am in a positive mood, solving problems is easy for me

18. By looking at their facial expressions, I recognize the emotions people are experiencing

19. I know why my emotions change

20. When I am in a positive mood, I am able to come up with new ideas

21. I have control over my emotions

22. I easily recognize my emotions as I experience them

23. I motivate myself by imagining a good outcome to tasks I take on

24. I compliment others when they have done something well

25. I am aware of the non-verbal messages other people send

26. When another person tells me about an important event in his or her life, I almost feel as though I have experienced this event myself

27. When I feel a change in emotions, I tend to come up with new ideas

28. When I am faced with a challenge, I give up because I believe I will fail*

29. I know what other people are feeling just by looking at them

30. I help other people feel better when they are down

31. I use good moods to help myself keep trying in the face of obstacles

32. I can tell how people are feeling by listening to the tone of their voice

33. It is difficult for me to understand why people feel the way they do*

Further studies of this 33 - item measure found it to have good internal consistency and test-retest reliability.

4 Example Emotional Intelligence Tests and Questions

Are you now curious about EI tests? Perhaps the following description of four examples of EI tests can capture your interest!

1. The Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i-2.0)

This test was the first scientifically validated, and now the most extensively used, EI assessment worldwide (Australian Council for Educational Research, 2016).

It was developed from 20 years of global research. The EQ-i is a self-report measure for individuals aged 16 years and older and can be delivered online. It takes approximately 30 minutes, and participants are required to respond to questions designed to assess key aspects of emotional skills related to life and workplace performance.

Such skills have been shown to affect performance in complex areas such as conflict resolution and planning (ACER, 2016).

The results from the EQ-i can provide respondents with information about emotional skills they can improve as well as those areas that they excel in - which can then lead to individuals having the capacity to utilize their strengths to maximize performance in daily tasks (ACER, 2016).

The EQ-i 2.0 is administered from an online portal that achieves simple and efficient administration, scoring and reporting.

Once an individual completes the test, a report is produced that takes the form of an inventory. The inventory includes 15 competencies that center around 5 composite areas of EI - self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal, decision-making and stress management (ACER, 2016).

Although taking the test is free, in order to administer the test a practitioner must meet the requirements of the EQ-i qualification level.

The EQ-i is based on Bar-On's model of emotional-social intelligence, and it is accompanied by the EQ-360 (Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations - CREIO, 2018).

The EQ-360 provides a more comprehensive analysis of EQ because it also includes information provided by others. Observer ratings are then considered in conjunction with the results of an EQ-i-2.0 self-report to give a more detailed profile (CREIO, 2018).

2. Profile of Emotional Competence (PEC)

This test was developed by Brasseur & Mikolajczak and provides separate measures of intra-personal EI and inter-personal EI (CREIO, 2018). It looks at 5 core emotional competencies - identification, understanding, expression, regulation, and use of emotions - in the self and others.

It has been extensively validated in research, with results taken from a total sample of almost 22 000 individuals (CREIO, 2018). It is available free of charge for research and clinical purposes.

The full PEC consists of 50 items and takes approximately 1- 15 minutes to administer, and the short form includes 20 items and takes 5 - 10 minutes to complete. The PEC is a self-report measure, however, it needs to be administered by a psychologist who is familiar with the emotional intelligence and emotional competence research and theory (CREIO, 2018).

3. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue)

The TEIQue was developed by Dr. K. V. Petrides and is available free of charge for academic and clinical research (CREIO, 2018).

The full-form consists of 153 items, measuring 15 distinct facets, 4 factors and global trait EI. The short-form is a 30-item test that measures global trait EI which was developed from the full-form TEIQue (CREIO, 2018).

Based on correlations with corresponding total facet scores, 2 items were selected for inclusion from each of the 15 facets of the full-form TEIQue.

This questionnaire is also presented to gather ratings from observers - the TEIQue 360° and 360° Short-form (CREIO, 2018). Dr. Stella Mavroveli also designed the TEIQue Child-form that is suited to children aged 8 - 12 years.

This questionnaire consists of 75 items which are responded to on a 5-point scale and looks at the nine distinct facets of trait EI in children (CREIO, 2018).

4. Wong's Emotional Intelligence Scale (WEIS)

This is a self-report measure of EI designed to be used by Chinese respondents (CREIO, 2018). It is based on the four ability dimensions mentioned previously that make up EI. It consists of two parts:

The first part includes 20 scenarios. Respondents choose the option that most closely reflects the reaction they are likely to have in each scenario that is described (CREIO, 2018)

The second part is made up of 20 ability pairs. Respondents are required to select one of two types of abilities that best demonstrates their strength (CREIO, 2018).

Now that we have looked at EI tests, let's consider the types of questions that appear in these assessments. The following questions, from the PEC (Profile of Emotional Competence), are similar to those used in a variety of EI tests.

Hopefully they can provide you with an idea of what it may be like to do an EQ test!

Sample Questions (accessed from CREIO, 2018):

As my emotions arise I don't know where they came from

I don't always understand why I respond in the way I do

If I wanted, I could easily influence other people's emotions to achieve what I want

I know what to do to win people over to my cause

When I feel good, I can easily tell whether it is due to being proud of myself, happy or relaxed

I am good at describing my feelings

I can easily get what I want from others

I easily manage to calm myself down after a difficult experience

Most of the time I understand why people feel the way they do

When I am sad, I find it easy to cheer myself up

I find it difficult to handle my emotions

When I am angry, I find it easy to calm myself down

I am often surprised by people's responses because I was not aware they were in a bad mood

My feelings help me to focus on what is important to me

Others don't accept the way I express my emotions

When I am sad, I often don't know why

In a stressful situation I usually think in a way that helps me stay calm

Are There 'Right Answers' to EQ Assessments?

In fact, yes, there are so-called 'right answers' to EQ assessments - however, this only applies to the objective measures of EQ... obviously, there is no such thing as a 'correct' answer in a self-report assessment!

Research has included efficacious ways to identify 'correct' alternatives in EQ tests- e.g. in facial perception, or meanings of emotions terms (Mayer et al., 2003). This has been claimed due to the convergence between expert and general consensus on EI measures (Mayer et al., 2003). So-called 'right answers' are based on criteria developed from research (Mayer et al., 2003).

What Does an EQ Score Mean?

EQ is an emotional quotient score. It is found by assessing the behavioral factors that reflect EI. For example, the EQ score reflects the way in which a person reacts in a variety of situations, including:

Stressful or frustrating situations

Failures, or disappointing situations

Positions of leadership

How an individual manages the emotions of people of a range of different ages, and

Handling diversity and cultural sensitivities (My Frameworks, 2017).

EQ distinguishes emotional capacity as a distinct type of intellect. The average EQ score is in the range of 90 - 100, whilst the perfect EQ score is 160. What does an EQ score actually mean? Well, as well as contributing to success, EQ plays a role in everyday life (My Frameworks, 2017).

Six EQ Self-assessments

Maybe you are interested in testing your own EQ? Listed below are 6 readily available EQ self-assessments:

1. Emotional Intelligence Test (2019). Psychology Today. Access here.

2. Test your E.I: Free EQ quiz (2018). Institute for Health and Human Potential. Access here.

3. How Emotionally Intelligent are You? Boosting Your People Skills (2019). Mind Tools. Access here.

4. Emotional Intelligence Test (2019). Psych Tests. Access here.

5. Emotional Intelligence Test Free - EQ Test Free Online (2019). Alpha High IQ Society. Access here.

6. How Emotionally Intelligent Are You? (2017). My Frameworks. Access here.

Measuring Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace

EI is closely associated with success in the workplace (Bradberry, 2014).

TalentSmart, a worldwide leader in the provision of emotional intelligence, examined EI alongside 33 other key workplace skills. It was discovered that EI was, in this case, the strongest predictor of performance (Bradberry, 2014). Actually, EI explained 58% of success in all job types!

How, then, is EI measured in the workplace?

The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations (CREIO) have reviewed a number of tests that promise to measure EI in workplace settings, and have selected those for which there is a substantial body of research. Let's examine these different measures.

The Emotional and Social Competence Inventory (ESCI)

This is used to measure EI and enables workplaces to raise awareness of EI based on feedback (CREIO, 2018).

A multi-rater assessment, this test also encourages the coaching and development of crucial work capabilities. It takes approximately 30 - 45 minutes to administer.

It looks at the following competency scales:

emotional self-awareness,

emotional self-control,

adaptability,

achievement orientation,

positive outlook,

empathy,

organizational awareness,

coach and mentor,

inspirational leadership,

influence,

conflict management and

teamwork (CREIO, 2018).

The Emotional and Social Competence Inventory - University Edition

The ESCI-U provides universities with an emotional and social intelligence test at a much lower cost than the corporate version (CREIO, 2018).

It assesses 14 key competencies - 5 emotional intelligence, 7 social intelligence, and 2 cognitive competencies. The multi-rater version is said to be the most well validated and widely used behavioral measure of emotional and social intelligence (CREIO, 2018).

It has been used in schools. colleges and universities, and is currently used at undergraduate, Masters and doctoral levels in a number of countries (CREIO, 2018).

The ESCI-U takes approximately 30 - 45 minutes to administer.

The Genos Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Genos E.I).

This assessment was developed from a wide range of peer-reviewed research, is available in many languages and is used in approximately 500 multi-national companies (CREIO, 2018). It is delivered via an online survey system which is modern and responsive.

The Genos EI consists of 42 items and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Although it is designed to be used in workplaces, it has been claimed that it is a valid assessment for individuals aged 7 - 75 years (CREIO, 2018).

It looks into six competencies that reflect the skills and behavior that develop as a result of EI abilities:

self-awareness,

awareness of others,

authenticity,

emotional reasoning,

self-management and

positive influence.

The Group Emotional Competence (GEC) Inventory

This assessment of EI in the workplace was developed from the work of Vanessa Druskat and Steven Wolff who have led the application of emotional competence at the group level (CREIO, 2018).

It provides a measure of 9 group norms that have been associated with team effectiveness. Also, this feedback can help groups to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and therefore detect areas for improvement (CREIO, 2018).

The GEC Inventory contains 57 items that measure the nine dimension of group EI reported by Druskat and Wolff.

The Work Group Emotional Intelligence Profile (WEIP)

This is a self-report measure that looks at EI of individuals in teams.

Respondents choose from a seven-point reference format (from 1 - strongly disagree to 7 - strongly agree) to items that are designed to engage them in a reflection of their own behavior. For example, " I am able to describe accurately the way others in my team are feeling " (CREIO, 2018).

The WEIP is designed to look at two dimensions of EI - the ability to deal with one's own emotions (which makes up scale one, consisting of 18 items) and, the ability to deal with others' emotions (this is measured in scale two, which has 12 items) (CREIO, 2018).

Scales 1 and 2 are each comprised of 5 subscales. Team EI is discovered by calculating the average scores of the WEIP for all team members.

As you can see, whilst EI is crucial in a work environment, employers and leaders in team settings have a few options for assessments to choose from that measure EI.

Relevant: Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness

The Queendom Emotional Intelligence Test

Queendom.com is a subsidiary of PsychTests AIM Inc, which is a high-tech psychometric company that produces a range of services and products based on an extensive battery of psychological assessments (Queendom, 2019).

PsychTests AIM provides psychometric services and related products to a very diverse range of groups: recruiters, HR professionals, business owners, therapists, life coaches, athletic organizations, students, researchers, marketers, and even professors! (Queendom, 2019).

As such, Queendom has developed 'scientifically developed and validated tests and quizzes', including the Emotional Intelligence Test.

What is this test?

Well, the Queendom EI Test consists of 341 questions and takes approximately 60 - 90 minutes to complete (Queendom, 2019). The questions take the type of self-assessment, situational, and image-based questions. A test specifically developed to measure EI, the Queendom EI Test includes self-report and skill-testing components.

What does the test provide?

The Queendom EI Test provides an introduction to EI, an overall score, assesses a range of scales, and also advice - tips that are tailored from an individual's results.

The scales are as follows:

Emotional competencies - this scale measures the ability to identify one's emotions, and being comfortable with emotional expression and emotional situations or people who are emotional. The emotional competency scale also examines emotional reflection, emotional regulation, and emotional integration (Queendom, 2019)

Social competencies - looks at a person's adaptable social skills and social insight. It examines the area of conflict - by looking at a knowledge of conflict resolution and conflict resolution behavior. The social competency scale also looks at empathy, flexibility, and the ability to read body language (Queendom, 2019).

Drive - the 'drive' scale focuses on goal-setting, striving, self-motivation and self-awareness which are all a component of EI.

Stress management - this scale looks at coping skills, emotional selectivity (in terms of magnitude) and emotional selectivity (in regards to precision). Furthermore, the stress management scale measures resilience, adaptability, and contentment. It looks at an individual's positive mindset, their extreme rumination, and the congruence of their behavior according to values (Queendom, 2019).

Self-regard - the self-regard scale measures the aspects of self-esteem, self-confidence, and assertiveness. It also looks at self-efficacy and the need for approval (Queendom, 2019).

The Emotional Intelligence Grid

The grid below is an interesting graphical depiction of the dimensions and components of EI.

The grid provides a clear 'snapshot' of EI, portraying what is a complicated concept in an easy-to-understand form.

Emotional Intelligence and EQ Quadrants

According to research, EI consists of 4 key skills that fall under two primary 'competencies' (Bradberry, 2014). These are personal competence and social competence. These skills can be portrayed in four separate 'quadrants'.

What would such EQ quadrants look like?

Well, the four quadrants would be labeled as ' what I see' and ' what I do ' (Bradberry, 2014). The quadrants of self-awareness and self-management make up 'personal competence'. These two skills focus more on the individual and their interactions with others (Bradberry, 2014). On the other hand, social awareness and relationship management make up 'social competence'.

Briefly, let's look at each of these 4 core skills of EI, the EQ quadrants are:

Self-awareness: this quadrant looks at being aware of emotions as they happen, and being able to perceive these emotions accurately

Self-management: includes being able to apply an awareness of emotions in order to remain flexible and direct behavior positively

Social-awareness: this EQ quadrant is associated with correctly perceiving and understanding emotions in other people

Relationship management: taps into being able to apply the awareness of the emotions being experienced by the self and others in order to successfully manage social interactions (Bradberry, 2014).

Is an EQ Test the Same as an Intelligence Test?

For many years, intelligence tests have been used to look at quantifying a person's cognitive ability - their capacity to reason and 'think'. However, EI is a relatively new concept. Hopefully, this article has shown that EI (or 'EQ') can be measured, so, can an EQ test be compared to an IQ test?

There is a key, crucial difference between testing EQ versus testing IQ. Notably, IQ (the intelligence quotient) measures, broadly speaking, the ability to learn. It is stable, changing very little across the lifespan. On the other hand, the emotional quotient (EQ) taps into EI - which is a flexible group of skills.

Therefore, like all skills, EI can be learned/acquired. It can be improved with practice.

In other words, it is possible to develop a high EI even if a person is not necessarily 'born with it'. As has been argued in this article, the 'ability' of EI can be measured...therefore, the closest comparison between tests of EQ and so-called 'intelligence tests' (such as the Wechsler tests and more recently, the Woodcock-Johnson test) is an abilities-based emotional intelligence test such as the MSCEIT.

Abilities-based EQ tests, such as the MEIS and the MSCEIT assess the actual emotional 'ability' of a person, in the same way that an IQ test measures cognitive ability.

Therefore, whilst not ALL EQ tests are the same as an intelligence test, abilities-based EI assessments share similar properties to IQ tests.

A Take Home Message

The issue of emotional intelligence testing is a really complicated one. Although not all tests of EI can be compared to IQ tests, hopefully this article has explained that EQ is a construct that can be measured. Emotional intelligence is a relatively new area of positive psychology, so expect to hear more about it as time goes on!

This article has provided a detailed look at emotional intelligence testing, including an examination of some EI tests, a closer look at whether EI can be measured by a simple quiz, and exploration of EI in the workplace. However, a highlight for me in writing this article was reading some sample questions from EQ tests - it gave me a good picture of what EI taps into.

Have you ever measured your own emotional intelligence? Perhaps you can follow one of the links and do it today? If you have completed an EI test, were you surprised by the findings? Did they help you learn more about yourself?

Please take a moment to share your thoughts below!

For further reading, see:

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17 Emotional Intelligence Tests and Assessments (+Free Quizzes)

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Perhaps you may have heard that what is even more important than a person's 'IQ' is their 'EQ', or emotional intelligence, and are interested in learning more. Emotional Intelligence involves, broadly speaking, the capacity to understand and manage emotion. Can this be measured?