“Resonant leaders embrace today’s challenges and tomorrow’s promise. They are unflagging in their commitment to personal values, without being locked into narrow-minded or narcissistic ways of viewing the world.”

Such leaders are flexible and responsive, with an ability to establish and maintain powerful and positive relationships, the authors describe. “They are energised by the changing environment and create conditions in which people can be their best.”

Most of us know what a leader is supposed to do, but very few people understand how to lead. Reason, according to the authors, is that a few myths about leadership are widely held to be true.

The first myth is that smart is good enough. Smartness, measured usually in terms of cognitive intelligence, or the IQ, is simply baseline, to help you get in the door, the book reminds.

“Competencies related to emotional and social intelligence – not IQ, college degrees, or technical experience – are the single most important factor in distinguishing great leadership from average leadership.”

While social intelligence plays an important role in interactions with others, it is emotional intelligence that enables leaders ‘to deal with their own internal responses, moods, and states of mind.’

Leaders with these two ‘intelligences’ are effective because ‘they act in ways that leave the people around them feeling stronger and more capable.’ They create ‘an environment that is exciting, challenging, and supportive – one that can sustain collective success over the long term.’

D. Murali

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

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