Archive for 'Leadership'

Our perceptions about other people are very much influenced by availability of information or ease of access to it relative to that person. Whether it’s what we were exposed to growing up or the constant flow from the media, our brain becomes wired to deal with certain people based on these experiences and consequently we very often make some key decisions literally “without thinking”.

According to Dr. Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard University, it turns out that however fair-minded we like to think we are, we make snap judgments Read more »

Through various research studies the inherent link between employee engagement and emotional intelligence has become quite accepted. However what is also emerging is that by placing the emphasis entirely on leadership demonstrating emotionally intelligent behavior in pursuit of the “engaged workforce”, an important element is being overlooked.

What about the “disengaged” employee? Are they influenced solely by how their manager behaves? Don’t they have their role to play in this as well? In addressing these questions it becomes apparent that the element that speaks to this missing link is Motivation.Read more »

1. Clear vision of the future

They have absolute clarity on where the business is heading even if unsure how and by when they will get there. They truly believe in the vision.

2. Big picture thinkers

They focus on what’s critical and allow others to manage the detail by clearly understanding the key drivers and associated success indicators. They do not micromanage.

3. Invest in their people

They see that a primary role for them is to ensure that people are performing at an optimum level. Talent management, from Read more »

Have you ever been at a meeting where there might be some tension which is contributing to a less than productive interaction?  Somebody has said the wrong thing or done something that exception is taken to and, before you know it, the meeting is going down hill rapidly.

What in fact has happened is that a stimulus, whether a word or action, has caused a drain in energy for many in the room and they become emotionally disconnected.  This manifests itself in a mood shift where people are no longer listening, not wanting to contribute and certainly not receptive to taking Read more »

Why is it that the focus of Leadership primarily revolves around the relationship a leader has with others? One forgets that this whole process very much starts with the relationship you have with yourself. If this sounds a little bizarre, let me explain.

Do people sometimes regard you as unpredictable, unapproachable (depending on the day), not very receptive to bad news, sad, perhaps not even fun to be around? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you could be lacking in the Genos EI skill of Emotional Self Management. This skill pertains to Read more »

“If you wanna know me, come live with me”. So they say and despite the rigors of an interview process and the many assessments that can be conducted, hiring the right person in a leadership position is never easy.

Resumes are now independently produced to show only the “win” column. Interview techniques can be honed to such a degree that you are almost asking is this guy too good to be true. The ideal candidate should be capable of achieving impact within a very short time Read more »

How do people perceive you and how important is this really? The predominant relationships within a business environment are typically with one’s boss, peers and direct reports. They could also be customers, vendors, shareholders, etc. The quality of these relationships is formed primarily from the perceptions that exist between parties. And if it’s not good, it can do untold damage to reputation and more critically one’s ability to perform and succeed.

The secret is that in order to change another person’s perception of you, you have Read more »

Have you ever been at a meeting and while listening to people make statements about what they think or believe you just switch off? Then all of a sudden somebody asks a powerful question and it instantly gets your attention. How ironic (or maybe not) is it that a question rather than a statement (answer) is much more likely to activate something within? This is a powerful insight for anybody engaged in conversations; which is just about everybody.

So what are the benefits of asking the Read more »

So you have at long last got the promotion into a lead role and people will be looking to you for guidance and inspiration. More than ever your ability to make things happen through other people is about to be tested and you feel ready for the task. Before you dive too fast into what is quicksand for many would be leaders, consider the following few 5 Key Leadership Tips.

1. Question Often – the power in a conversation resides with the person asking the questions and Read more »

In a study by the Hay Group of Fortune 500 companies, it was suggested that Emotional Intelligence (EI) is twice as important as technical capacity in predicting outstanding employee performance and accounts for more than 85% of star performance in top leaders. This is a pretty startling revelation and points to the fundamental importance of understanding Emotional Intelligence and the impact it can positively have on an organization. Let’s look at how this skill set can actually play out in the two primary areas mentioned in the study.

Even though having a broad perspective on the various Read more »