Delivering Happiness – by Tony Hsieh

Filed under: entrepreneurship, leadership, startup, customer service, happiness, zappos

Emotional I.Q. & Leadership

Neil Fiske was the CEO of Bath & Body Works. He is an astounding leader who was hired from Boston Consulting Group by the President of Limited Brands to turn around BBW. He had done a remarkable job – making record profits in 2006 and launching a number of innovative, game changing products. He is also the author of “Trading Up: The New American Luxury” which was a BusinessWeek Best Seller.  Currently, he serves as the President, CEO and director of Eddie Bauer.

I had the amazing fortune of shadowing him for a day in early 2006. I remember his office was filled with the fragrance of BBW products. He actually tested all the products himself before he released the products in the market. I sat there in awe as I watched him manage the office politics, make decisions on day-to-day operational needs and motivate people to reach their potential. He also confided in me about who he thought had the potential to excel and who he thought would be leaving soon. Needless to say, it was an incredible insight into the mind of a CEO. Most importantly, it taught me that leadership couldn’t be taught in class.

Yes you may think that you know everything about being a leader but that’s not true. Based on the above experience and my day-to-day experiences with other leaders – the most important component is the Emotional I.Q. or emotional quotient. What to say when? How to put it? How should you change your answer based on the emotional readings of your recipient? How to get people motivated? Etc. etc. You might think that solving a few cases in “Organizational Behavior” have prepped you for it – don’t be fooled. The real world and theoretical world is way different.

Whereas being a manager is very easy. You can be a very good manager but an awful leader. You may get work done on time but have no idea on how to squeeze that extra ounce of performance from your team.  You may be exceptional at barking orders but horrible at making people do more than what their job description entails.  But, this can be taught in school.

The point I am trying to make here is that emotional intelligence has a big role to play in creating exceptional leaders. Unfortunately it is the most ignored in corporate world. If given a choice – most companies go with decent managers rather than superior leaders. On the contrary, good companies nurture managers with good Emotional I.Qs They are the ones that will stand the test of time and become the GE and HPs of the future.

Filed under: leadership, emotional IQ, leader, manager