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Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence
Drawing from decades of research within world-class organizations, the authors show that great leaders excel not just through skill and smarts, but by connecting with others using Emotional Intelligence competencies like empathy and self-awareness. The best leaders, they show, have "resonance"--a powerful ability to drive emotions in a positive direction to get results--and can fluidly interchange among a variety of leadership styles as the situation demands. Groundbreaking and timely, this book reveals the new requirements of successful leadership.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2002
1936 people are currently reading
19150 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Goleman
386 books5,509 followersAuthor of Emotional Intelligence and psychologist Daniel Goleman has transformed the way the world educates children, relates to family and friends, and conducts business. The Wall Street Journal ranked him one of the 10 most influential business thinkers.
Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence was on The New York Times best sellers list for a year-and-a-half. Named one of the 25 "Most Influential Business Management Books" by TIME, it has been translated into 40 languages. The Harvard Business Review called emotional intelligence (EI) “a revolutionary, paradigm-shattering idea.”
Goleman’s new book, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, argues that attention — a fundamental mental ability for success — has come under siege. Leadership that gets results demands a triple focus: on our inner world so we can manage ourselves; on others, for our relationships; and on the outer forces that shape our organizations and society itself.
His more recent books include The Brain and Emotional Intelligence, and Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence - Selected Writings.
Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence was on The New York Times best sellers list for a year-and-a-half. Named one of the 25 "Most Influential Business Management Books" by TIME, it has been translated into 40 languages. The Harvard Business Review called emotional intelligence (EI) “a revolutionary, paradigm-shattering idea.”
Goleman’s new book, Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, argues that attention — a fundamental mental ability for success — has come under siege. Leadership that gets results demands a triple focus: on our inner world so we can manage ourselves; on others, for our relationships; and on the outer forces that shape our organizations and society itself.
His more recent books include The Brain and Emotional Intelligence, and Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence - Selected Writings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews
June 23, 2008
This book was helpful to me, it had good advice and helped me clarify some thoughts and feelings I've been having around leadership that I had not previously been able to articulate. Goleman argues that one of the most important jobs of a leader is to regulate the emotional atmosphere of the community. Emotions are contagious, and people look to their leaders to set the mood and emotional tone. He also shows that effective leadership is a skill set that can be chosen and learned -- that good leaders are made, not born. And he has practical advice about how to do that He talks about the four areas of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, emotional self-management, social awareness, relationship management) and how they relate to building leadership competency. He also reviews Boyatzi's theory of self directed learning, which was useful to me:
1. Develop a clear vision your ideal self, the person you want to become.
2. Reflect deeply on your real self - develop self knowledge about who you actually are right now. Identify strengths, which are where the ideal self and real self overlap, and identify weaknesses -- areas where the ideal and real self differ.
3. Develop a learning agenda which builds on strengths while reducing gaps.
4. Experiment with new behaviour, thoughts, and feelings and practicing new behaviors and skills.
5. Developing trusting relationships that help, support, and encourage each step of the process.
This is the approach to coaching and mentoring I've been intuitively taking so it was cool to see it laid out.
I've had a lot of reluctance and ambivalence about becoming a leader. I didn't want to be a leader, and haven't known how to be one, because I've never been a follower. I have slowly accepted that offering visionary leadership is part of my service, that it is something that people need and something that I have the capacity to do well, in part precisely because I hate control, authority, and manipulation. So if it is my fate to be put into positions of leadership, whether I want to be or not, I have a responsibility to do it as well as I am able, which means developing these skills with discipline and concentration and humility. This book relieved a lot of my anxiety around these issues, making this learning project seem more manageable.
1. Develop a clear vision your ideal self, the person you want to become.
2. Reflect deeply on your real self - develop self knowledge about who you actually are right now. Identify strengths, which are where the ideal self and real self overlap, and identify weaknesses -- areas where the ideal and real self differ.
3. Develop a learning agenda which builds on strengths while reducing gaps.
4. Experiment with new behaviour, thoughts, and feelings and practicing new behaviors and skills.
5. Developing trusting relationships that help, support, and encourage each step of the process.
This is the approach to coaching and mentoring I've been intuitively taking so it was cool to see it laid out.
I've had a lot of reluctance and ambivalence about becoming a leader. I didn't want to be a leader, and haven't known how to be one, because I've never been a follower. I have slowly accepted that offering visionary leadership is part of my service, that it is something that people need and something that I have the capacity to do well, in part precisely because I hate control, authority, and manipulation. So if it is my fate to be put into positions of leadership, whether I want to be or not, I have a responsibility to do it as well as I am able, which means developing these skills with discipline and concentration and humility. This book relieved a lot of my anxiety around these issues, making this learning project seem more manageable.
May 22, 2016
Some powerful and groundbreaking ideas, ruined by uninspired writing, and buried under a mountain of weak examples and pointless study summaries.
It is ironic that a book about Emotional Intelligence was written with so little Emotional Intelligence: the result is as interesting as reading my grocery list. Sadly, an extraordinary topic becomes dull and frustrating.
The book was written by different people, and it shows: while a few parts are exciting and engaging, other chapters are boring and hard to read, and others seem a cut and paste from a Powerpoint presentation or from a technical report.
I doubt that that Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence", was much involved in writing this.
The authors showed many real-life examples of different leaders. This could have been extremely strong and powerful, but it wasn't, with a few exceptions. Most of the real-life examples were just too short to have an impact on me.
Also, the writers seemed quite full of themselves, as they kept reminding us that they worked with thousands of managers, CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, all from global, multinational, world class companies.
I expected to enjoy this, and to learn something important from it.
Instead, it was so boring, it took me nearly seven months to read it.
It is ironic that a book about Emotional Intelligence was written with so little Emotional Intelligence: the result is as interesting as reading my grocery list. Sadly, an extraordinary topic becomes dull and frustrating.
The book was written by different people, and it shows: while a few parts are exciting and engaging, other chapters are boring and hard to read, and others seem a cut and paste from a Powerpoint presentation or from a technical report.
I doubt that that Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence", was much involved in writing this.
The authors showed many real-life examples of different leaders. This could have been extremely strong and powerful, but it wasn't, with a few exceptions. Most of the real-life examples were just too short to have an impact on me.
Also, the writers seemed quite full of themselves, as they kept reminding us that they worked with thousands of managers, CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, all from global, multinational, world class companies.
I expected to enjoy this, and to learn something important from it.
Instead, it was so boring, it took me nearly seven months to read it.
November 27, 2008
There are many books on the market these days describing leadership skills, but I thought this one had some particularly good insights. It places less emphasis on values like intelligence, vision, and strategy; and more on "emotional intelligence" - enthusiasm, empathy, relationship management, intuitive understanding. Using many real-world examples, the author tries to define and explain those key qualities. Good leaders bring out "resonance" among a team, while poor ones create "dissonance."
Goleman acknowledges that leadership can't be fully taught in seminars and programs; it requires real-world practice. He emphasizes the role of mentors, coaches, and teachers in that process. Leaders who are "emotionally intelligent" will use leadership skills and styles that are "resonance-building" and will create more positive environments.
I found much to think about in this volume, both in the vocational world and in church settings.
Goleman acknowledges that leadership can't be fully taught in seminars and programs; it requires real-world practice. He emphasizes the role of mentors, coaches, and teachers in that process. Leaders who are "emotionally intelligent" will use leadership skills and styles that are "resonance-building" and will create more positive environments.
I found much to think about in this volume, both in the vocational world and in church settings.
September 9, 2017
I am of two minds with this book. On the one hand, there are some useful leadership frameworks and exercises, specifically:
1. The 4 domains of EI leadership and 18 competencies
2. The 6 styles of leadership (and when to use them)
3. 5 Discoveries in learning EI leadership
4. Basically all of chapter 7 (imagining your ideal self and associated free-writing exercises)
On the other this book does a lot of work trying to show bad bosses why they are bad, which can be painful to read. As the authors note, clueless leaders with no self-awareness or empathy communicate with "empty platitudes" and the "smokescreen" of business jargon, which just makes everyone more depressed. Between the genuinely useful chapters there are often chapters that merely serve as a "human manual" for sociopaths.
1. The 4 domains of EI leadership and 18 competencies
2. The 6 styles of leadership (and when to use them)
3. 5 Discoveries in learning EI leadership
4. Basically all of chapter 7 (imagining your ideal self and associated free-writing exercises)
On the other this book does a lot of work trying to show bad bosses why they are bad, which can be painful to read. As the authors note, clueless leaders with no self-awareness or empathy communicate with "empty platitudes" and the "smokescreen" of business jargon, which just makes everyone more depressed. Between the genuinely useful chapters there are often chapters that merely serve as a "human manual" for sociopaths.
April 14, 2017
I DIDN'T FINISH THIS.
I got through about 36-40% and had to stop. My god is it redundant. I probably absorbed a little, but nothing I couldn't have learned in a 1-5 page summary of the book- and I took extensive notes. In the end the absolutely terrible writing distracted me far too much from any real learning.
This book will likely be better for people who don't already have a psych degree and who do have far more patience than I do. I mean, some people like repetition to make sure a message really sinks in. Some people enjoy redundancies. For some, hearing things over and over again makes it all much clearer.
AHHHHHH.
I got through about 36-40% and had to stop. My god is it redundant. I probably absorbed a little, but nothing I couldn't have learned in a 1-5 page summary of the book- and I took extensive notes. In the end the absolutely terrible writing distracted me far too much from any real learning.
This book will likely be better for people who don't already have a psych degree and who do have far more patience than I do. I mean, some people like repetition to make sure a message really sinks in. Some people enjoy redundancies. For some, hearing things over and over again makes it all much clearer.
AHHHHHH.
February 6, 2018
Mixed feelings about this.
1) The first half of the book was awesome - the framework of leadership styles, and the personal leadership development plan.
2) The second half of the book - about organization-level EI leadership development - was a complete bore. It was itself what it most criticised: lengthy stream of nice-sounding but rather empty words, quite non-inspirational and intangible. "In this company they ran a program X and everybody was transformed, in that company they ran program Y and it fell flat." All these stories seemed to lack the specificness or detail to actually tell and teach anything, or at least they were not interesting to read, even though hopes were high after the great first half of the book. Or maybe I'm just too junior of a manager to be turned on by this org-level EI transformation talk.
1) The first half of the book was awesome - the framework of leadership styles, and the personal leadership development plan.
2) The second half of the book - about organization-level EI leadership development - was a complete bore. It was itself what it most criticised: lengthy stream of nice-sounding but rather empty words, quite non-inspirational and intangible. "In this company they ran a program X and everybody was transformed, in that company they ran program Y and it fell flat." All these stories seemed to lack the specificness or detail to actually tell and teach anything, or at least they were not interesting to read, even though hopes were high after the great first half of the book. Or maybe I'm just too junior of a manager to be turned on by this org-level EI transformation talk.
May 2, 2017
Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence - the book's subject is truly interesting and worth exploring.
However, once you read the major part of it, there's almost nothing new - just the same repeated idea that emotional intelligence is important. Thus the book could be so much shorter.
This book is highly theoretical and severely lacks touches on practical learning (although might be not bad at creating motivation to learn and search for information somewhere else).
However, once you read the major part of it, there's almost nothing new - just the same repeated idea that emotional intelligence is important. Thus the book could be so much shorter.
This book is highly theoretical and severely lacks touches on practical learning (although might be not bad at creating motivation to learn and search for information somewhere else).
June 19, 2018
Originally published in 2002, it is easy for me to think there isn't a lot that is new. The reason being is that much of what this book contains formed the foundation for so much subsequent discussion, writing and thought in leadership and emotional intelligence. The book works through several sections: I. The Power of Emotional Intelligence (discusses how EI traits impact leadership and behavior); II. Making Leaders (how can one improve EI and leadership skills); and III. Building Emotionally Intelligent Organizations.
The book combines anecdote and studies/data (see the 'notes' at the end of the book if you want to learn more about where their claims come from), is well written, and serves as a great primer on how emotional intelligence traits are critical in leadership. It contains several useful paradigms and guidance on how to operationalize emotional intelligence; below I've pulled out what are - for me -many of the key passages.
Overall is well written, useful, well referenced. Most beneficial for someone who hasn't done much reading into EI and leadership, but truly anyone involved with leading or working with others will likely find benefit in reading it (and if not, then perhaps go back to the index listing of 'self-awareness' and start again on those pages).
Excerpts/quotes/ideas developed:
-EI domains and associated competencies: Self-Awareness (emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, self-confidence); Self-Management (emotional self-control, transparency, adaptability, achievement, initiative, optimism); Social Awareness (empathy, organizational awareness, service); Relationship Management (inspirational leadership, influence, developing others, change catalyst, conflict management, building bonds, teamwork and collaboration).
-On relationship management: 'the art of handling relationships well, then, begins with authenticity.' '...socially skilled leaders...work under the assumption that nothing important gets done alone.'
-Leadership styles outlined in the book: Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Commanding (be careful with use of the last two!). 'When it comes to filling a leadership position, it pays to find someone who has the flexible repertoire of four or more styles that marks the most outstanding leader...Whatever a leader's repertoire of styles today, it can grow wider tomorrow. The key lies in strengthening the underling emotional intelligence abilities that drive a given style.'
-CEO disease: the information vacuum around a leader created when people withhold important (and usually unpleasant) information. 'To become more effective, leaders need to break through the information quarantine around them - and the conspiracy to keep them pleased, even if uninformed' (esp. for negative feedback).
-'Are some people born with certain levels of empathy or do they learn it? The answer is both. There is a genetic component to emotional intelligence, to be sure, but nurture plays a major role...everyone can learn to improve, no matter where he or she starts out.'
-Boyatzis's Theory of Self-Directed Learning: 1. My ideal self (who do I want to be) -> 2. My real self (who am I, my strengths, my gaps) -> 3. My learning agenda (build on strengths, close gaps) -> 4. Experimenting (with new behaviors, thoughts, feelings; practicing) -> 5. Developing trusting relationships (support, help, encourage each step in process). Learning agenda: better than a 'performance improvement plan.' which is less meaningful to you individually and more anxiety producing.
-'Its possible to improve if you do three things: bring bad habits into awareness, consciously practice a better way, and rehearse that new behavior at every opportunity until it becomes automatic - that is, until mastery has occurred...'
-'When it comes to leadership, you've just begun the task when you change a single leader. The rest of the job is to develop a critical mass of resonant leaders and thereby transform how people work together....The most effective leadership development works hand in hand with parallel transformations in the organization.'
-'when teams face their collective emotional reality, they begin a healthy reexamination of the shared habits that create and hold that reality in place...groups begin to change only when they first have fully grasped the reality of how they function...the root of the problem often lies with long-established and deeply embedded ground rules or habits that govern the group. We call those rules norms when we talk about teams, and culture when we refer to the larger organization.'
-Collective mindfulness: awareness of what the team was doing, and why. Allows team to make decisions about what to do and how to do it, rather than blindly following ineffective norms; includes using 'process norms.'
-'Setting the right ground rules requires an emotionally intelligent leader...the best leaders pay attention and act on their sense of what is going on in the group, and they needn't be obvious about it. Subtle messages...are powerful too. Under such leadership, teams over time naturally accumulate a common, positive lore about how to operate with each other.'
-'When people have authentic conversations about how they feel about their organization, there tends to be a very high level of agreement about what's working and what's not....they create a language that captures the real truth about the forces that affect people's day-to-day lives in the organization as well as their hopes for the future...Discussions about cultural issues, emotional reality of an organization, and how it feels to work there usually result in people feeling some ownership of the problems, the dream, and the process of getting from the real to the ideal.'
-'Creating organizations that are emotionally intelligent is ultimately the leader's responsibility. It is up tot he leader to help the organization identify its reality - including the cultural norms that hinder it -and then to explore the ideal vision of what could be and help members of the organization uncover their own roles in that vision. And it is leaders who attune people to the vision and begin taking action toward change.
-'Leadership development needs to be the strategic priority of the enterprise...to succeed, top management needs to demonstrate that commitment from the top.' (not just a requirement/initiative from the HR department.
-Reasons leadership development initiatives fail: they don't focus on the whole person or on discoveries that lead to sustainable change, ignore the real state of the organization, attempt to change only the person and not the norms of the group, drive the change pocess from the wrong place in the organization (i.e. it needs to come from the top), and failing to develop a meaningful language of leadership.
-From their conclusion: 'Increasingly the best...lead not b virtue of power alone, but by excelling in the art of relationship....leadership excellence is defined in interpersonal terms...leaders have knack for...articulating a mission that resonates with the values of those they lead. These leaders naturally nurture relationships, surface simmering issues, and create human synergies....they build a fierce loyalty by caring about the careers of those who work for them and inspire people to give their best for a mission that speaks to shared values. An emotionally intelligent leader does each of these at the right time, in the right way, with the right person. Such leadership creates a climate of enthusiasm and flexibility...Such leaders are more values-driven, more flexible and informal, and more open and frank than leaders of old....They exude resonance: they have a genuine passion for their mission, and that passion is contagious.'
The book combines anecdote and studies/data (see the 'notes' at the end of the book if you want to learn more about where their claims come from), is well written, and serves as a great primer on how emotional intelligence traits are critical in leadership. It contains several useful paradigms and guidance on how to operationalize emotional intelligence; below I've pulled out what are - for me -many of the key passages.
Overall is well written, useful, well referenced. Most beneficial for someone who hasn't done much reading into EI and leadership, but truly anyone involved with leading or working with others will likely find benefit in reading it (and if not, then perhaps go back to the index listing of 'self-awareness' and start again on those pages).
Excerpts/quotes/ideas developed:
-EI domains and associated competencies: Self-Awareness (emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, self-confidence); Self-Management (emotional self-control, transparency, adaptability, achievement, initiative, optimism); Social Awareness (empathy, organizational awareness, service); Relationship Management (inspirational leadership, influence, developing others, change catalyst, conflict management, building bonds, teamwork and collaboration).
-On relationship management: 'the art of handling relationships well, then, begins with authenticity.' '...socially skilled leaders...work under the assumption that nothing important gets done alone.'
-Leadership styles outlined in the book: Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Commanding (be careful with use of the last two!). 'When it comes to filling a leadership position, it pays to find someone who has the flexible repertoire of four or more styles that marks the most outstanding leader...Whatever a leader's repertoire of styles today, it can grow wider tomorrow. The key lies in strengthening the underling emotional intelligence abilities that drive a given style.'
-CEO disease: the information vacuum around a leader created when people withhold important (and usually unpleasant) information. 'To become more effective, leaders need to break through the information quarantine around them - and the conspiracy to keep them pleased, even if uninformed' (esp. for negative feedback).
-'Are some people born with certain levels of empathy or do they learn it? The answer is both. There is a genetic component to emotional intelligence, to be sure, but nurture plays a major role...everyone can learn to improve, no matter where he or she starts out.'
-Boyatzis's Theory of Self-Directed Learning: 1. My ideal self (who do I want to be) -> 2. My real self (who am I, my strengths, my gaps) -> 3. My learning agenda (build on strengths, close gaps) -> 4. Experimenting (with new behaviors, thoughts, feelings; practicing) -> 5. Developing trusting relationships (support, help, encourage each step in process). Learning agenda: better than a 'performance improvement plan.' which is less meaningful to you individually and more anxiety producing.
-'Its possible to improve if you do three things: bring bad habits into awareness, consciously practice a better way, and rehearse that new behavior at every opportunity until it becomes automatic - that is, until mastery has occurred...'
-'When it comes to leadership, you've just begun the task when you change a single leader. The rest of the job is to develop a critical mass of resonant leaders and thereby transform how people work together....The most effective leadership development works hand in hand with parallel transformations in the organization.'
-'when teams face their collective emotional reality, they begin a healthy reexamination of the shared habits that create and hold that reality in place...groups begin to change only when they first have fully grasped the reality of how they function...the root of the problem often lies with long-established and deeply embedded ground rules or habits that govern the group. We call those rules norms when we talk about teams, and culture when we refer to the larger organization.'
-Collective mindfulness: awareness of what the team was doing, and why. Allows team to make decisions about what to do and how to do it, rather than blindly following ineffective norms; includes using 'process norms.'
-'Setting the right ground rules requires an emotionally intelligent leader...the best leaders pay attention and act on their sense of what is going on in the group, and they needn't be obvious about it. Subtle messages...are powerful too. Under such leadership, teams over time naturally accumulate a common, positive lore about how to operate with each other.'
-'When people have authentic conversations about how they feel about their organization, there tends to be a very high level of agreement about what's working and what's not....they create a language that captures the real truth about the forces that affect people's day-to-day lives in the organization as well as their hopes for the future...Discussions about cultural issues, emotional reality of an organization, and how it feels to work there usually result in people feeling some ownership of the problems, the dream, and the process of getting from the real to the ideal.'
-'Creating organizations that are emotionally intelligent is ultimately the leader's responsibility. It is up tot he leader to help the organization identify its reality - including the cultural norms that hinder it -and then to explore the ideal vision of what could be and help members of the organization uncover their own roles in that vision. And it is leaders who attune people to the vision and begin taking action toward change.
-'Leadership development needs to be the strategic priority of the enterprise...to succeed, top management needs to demonstrate that commitment from the top.' (not just a requirement/initiative from the HR department.
-Reasons leadership development initiatives fail: they don't focus on the whole person or on discoveries that lead to sustainable change, ignore the real state of the organization, attempt to change only the person and not the norms of the group, drive the change pocess from the wrong place in the organization (i.e. it needs to come from the top), and failing to develop a meaningful language of leadership.
-From their conclusion: 'Increasingly the best...lead not b virtue of power alone, but by excelling in the art of relationship....leadership excellence is defined in interpersonal terms...leaders have knack for...articulating a mission that resonates with the values of those they lead. These leaders naturally nurture relationships, surface simmering issues, and create human synergies....they build a fierce loyalty by caring about the careers of those who work for them and inspire people to give their best for a mission that speaks to shared values. An emotionally intelligent leader does each of these at the right time, in the right way, with the right person. Such leadership creates a climate of enthusiasm and flexibility...Such leaders are more values-driven, more flexible and informal, and more open and frank than leaders of old....They exude resonance: they have a genuine passion for their mission, and that passion is contagious.'
August 13, 2010
Class assignment: I created a blog for this book at http://primalleadershipbookreview.blo... that contains videos form the authors and other reviews about this book.
According to the book PRIMAL LEADERSHIP REALIZING THE POWER OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, it takes emotional intelligence (EI) to be an effective leader. The book discusses what emotional intelligence is and gives many examples of the positive effect of six different leadership styles - Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Commanding. I struggled with interest in the book for the first 12 pages because it talked about how the brain functions and did not appeal to my learning style. As the book continued, I became hooked. The authors use real life stories to explain the leadership styles and the emotional intelligence (EI) a leader must have to be successful. The stories made the book more interesting to me and I could relate to the examples. The first half of the book gives examples and comparisons of effective and ineffective leaders. I used this to evaluate my EI strengths and gaps. The second half of the book gave stories and examples of how to develop EI.
PRIMAL LEADERSHIP REALIZING THE POWER OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE will benefit all school professionals because every teacher, counselor, principal, etc… is in a leadership position with the students and co-workers. This book helps you to recognize your strengths and build on them to develop in areas where you have gaps. The leaders in the school are the models that students learn from. To be a successful professional in education, emotional intelligence is a very valuable quality to possess. I would highly recommend this book. This was a very interesting book, one that I would like in my personal library.
According to the book PRIMAL LEADERSHIP REALIZING THE POWER OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, it takes emotional intelligence (EI) to be an effective leader. The book discusses what emotional intelligence is and gives many examples of the positive effect of six different leadership styles - Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Commanding. I struggled with interest in the book for the first 12 pages because it talked about how the brain functions and did not appeal to my learning style. As the book continued, I became hooked. The authors use real life stories to explain the leadership styles and the emotional intelligence (EI) a leader must have to be successful. The stories made the book more interesting to me and I could relate to the examples. The first half of the book gives examples and comparisons of effective and ineffective leaders. I used this to evaluate my EI strengths and gaps. The second half of the book gave stories and examples of how to develop EI.
PRIMAL LEADERSHIP REALIZING THE POWER OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE will benefit all school professionals because every teacher, counselor, principal, etc… is in a leadership position with the students and co-workers. This book helps you to recognize your strengths and build on them to develop in areas where you have gaps. The leaders in the school are the models that students learn from. To be a successful professional in education, emotional intelligence is a very valuable quality to possess. I would highly recommend this book. This was a very interesting book, one that I would like in my personal library.
February 26, 2018
Resonant Leader was much more to the point. This book went on and on about the same thing
June 6, 2019
(The English review is placed beneath Russian one)
С моей точки зрения, те, кто читал две другие книги автора – «Эмоциональный интеллект. Почему он может значить больше, чем IQ» и «Эмоциональный интеллект в бизнесе» – могут, в принципе, не читать эту. Можно сказать даже, что достаточно самой знаменитой книги автора («Эмоциональный интеллект. Почему он может значить больше, чем IQ»), чтобы понять суть всех остальных его книг. Ну, может не всех, но данной книги уж точно. Лично я прочёл те две книги и был очень впечатлён идеями, что высказывались на страницах этих книг. Поэтому, возможно, третья книга стала перебором или автор взял очень туманную тему – лидерство – чтобы написать чёткую и ясную работу, которая одновременно имела бы стройную теорию и одновременно давала бы некоторые практические советы. В любом случаи, книга мне показалась очень слабой. Вообще книги по лидерству очень редко, с моей точки зрения, бывают удачными, с минимальным количеством воды и которые бы чётко и ясно объясняли многие положения. Думается мне, что написать такую книгу в принципе невозможно. Лидерство, слишком неконкретная и спорная тема (см. Стив Джобс). Итак, что же предлагает нам автор в этой книге?
Автор на протяжении всей книги будет писать о том, что лидер должен создавать позитивную или здоровую рабочую атмосферу, обладать эмпатией, быть, в каком-то смысле, мудрым, отзывчивым руководителем. В общем, всё то самое, что является строгой противоположностью токсичной атмосфере на рабочем месте с невозможным начальником (лидером) во главе. Трудно что-то написать конкретно по этому поводу, т.к. у каждого человека своя, особая ситуация, которая в целом, сводится к трудности сотрудничества с таким вот руководителем. Другими словами, даже без объяснения того, что означает токсичная атмосфера на работе, что означает «трудный руководитель», мы все понимаем, о чём собственно речь.
Ещё один важный момент. Я нашёл книгу очень и очень водянистой. Очень много ненужного и отвлекающего текста, который после себя ничего, в общем-то, не оставляет. Да и как может быть иначе, когда уже с самых первых страниц всё становится понятно. Более того, если вы читали предыдущие его книги, то всё становится ясно ещё и до того как мы начнём читать саму книгу. Так как я книгу не смог осилить до конца, я не могу утверждать, что в конце автор не добавил чего-то нового. Возможно. Но я сомневаюсь.
Главная проблема с книгой состоит в том, что если вы понимаете важность создания нормальной, а ещё лучше, эффективной атмосферы на рабочем месте, вы уже дальше сами вполне способны додумать всё то, о чём пишет автор. Не составляет особого труда для читателя провести линию от точки А к точке Б.
From my point of view, those who read the other two books by the author - "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ" and "Working with Emotional Intelligence" - may not read this book. I think the author's most famous book ("Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ") is enough to understand all his other books. Well, maybe not all of them, but this book is for sure. Personally, I read those two books and was very impressed with the ideas that were expressed in the pages of these two books. So maybe the third book was a bit too much, or the author took a very vague topic - leadership - to write a clear and clear work that would both have a coherent theory and give some practical advice at the same time. In any case, the book seemed very weak to me. Generally speaking, leadership books are very rarely, in my opinion, successful, with a minimum amount of water, and which would clearly and precisely explain many of the points. It seems to me that it is impossible to write such a book in principle. Leadership is too vague and controversial (see Steve Jobs). So, what does the author offer us in this book?
The author will write throughout the book that the leader must create a positive or healthy working atmosphere, has empathy, and be, in a sense, a wise, responsive leader. In general, everything that is the opposite of a toxic work environment with an impossible boss (leader) in charge. It is difficult to write something specific about it, because each person has his own special situation, which in general is reduced to the difficulty of cooperation with such a leader. In other words, even without explaining what a toxic work environment means, which means "difficult leader", we all understand what we are talking about.
Another important point is that I found the book very, very watery. There is a lot of unnecessary and distracting text that leaves nothing behind. And how can it be otherwise, when from the very first pages everything becomes clear. Moreover, if you have read his previous books, everything becomes clear even before we begin to read the book itself. Since I couldn't read the whole book completely, I can't say that the author didn't add anything new at the end. Maybe, but I doubt it.
The main problem with the book is that if you understand the importance of creating a normal work environment, you can already guess everything the author writes about yourself. It is not too difficult for the reader to draw a line from point A to point B.
С моей точки зрения, те, кто читал две другие книги автора – «Эмоциональный интеллект. Почему он может значить больше, чем IQ» и «Эмоциональный интеллект в бизнесе» – могут, в принципе, не читать эту. Можно сказать даже, что достаточно самой знаменитой книги автора («Эмоциональный интеллект. Почему он может значить больше, чем IQ»), чтобы понять суть всех остальных его книг. Ну, может не всех, но данной книги уж точно. Лично я прочёл те две книги и был очень впечатлён идеями, что высказывались на страницах этих книг. Поэтому, возможно, третья книга стала перебором или автор взял очень туманную тему – лидерство – чтобы написать чёткую и ясную работу, которая одновременно имела бы стройную теорию и одновременно давала бы некоторые практические советы. В любом случаи, книга мне показалась очень слабой. Вообще книги по лидерству очень редко, с моей точки зрения, бывают удачными, с минимальным количеством воды и которые бы чётко и ясно объясняли многие положения. Думается мне, что написать такую книгу в принципе невозможно. Лидерство, слишком неконкретная и спорная тема (см. Стив Джобс). Итак, что же предлагает нам автор в этой книге?
Автор на протяжении всей книги будет писать о том, что лидер должен создавать позитивную или здоровую рабочую атмосферу, обладать эмпатией, быть, в каком-то смысле, мудрым, отзывчивым руководителем. В общем, всё то самое, что является строгой противоположностью токсичной атмосфере на рабочем месте с невозможным начальником (лидером) во главе. Трудно что-то написать конкретно по этому поводу, т.к. у каждого человека своя, особая ситуация, которая в целом, сводится к трудности сотрудничества с таким вот руководителем. Другими словами, даже без объяснения того, что означает токсичная атмосфера на работе, что означает «трудный руководитель», мы все понимаем, о чём собственно речь.
Ещё один важный момент. Я нашёл книгу очень и очень водянистой. Очень много ненужного и отвлекающего текста, который после себя ничего, в общем-то, не оставляет. Да и как может быть иначе, когда уже с самых первых страниц всё становится понятно. Более того, если вы читали предыдущие его книги, то всё становится ясно ещё и до того как мы начнём читать саму книгу. Так как я книгу не смог осилить до конца, я не могу утверждать, что в конце автор не добавил чего-то нового. Возможно. Но я сомневаюсь.
Главная проблема с книгой состоит в том, что если вы понимаете важность создания нормальной, а ещё лучше, эффективной атмосферы на рабочем месте, вы уже дальше сами вполне способны додумать всё то, о чём пишет автор. Не составляет особого труда для читателя провести линию от точки А к точке Б.
From my point of view, those who read the other two books by the author - "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ" and "Working with Emotional Intelligence" - may not read this book. I think the author's most famous book ("Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ") is enough to understand all his other books. Well, maybe not all of them, but this book is for sure. Personally, I read those two books and was very impressed with the ideas that were expressed in the pages of these two books. So maybe the third book was a bit too much, or the author took a very vague topic - leadership - to write a clear and clear work that would both have a coherent theory and give some practical advice at the same time. In any case, the book seemed very weak to me. Generally speaking, leadership books are very rarely, in my opinion, successful, with a minimum amount of water, and which would clearly and precisely explain many of the points. It seems to me that it is impossible to write such a book in principle. Leadership is too vague and controversial (see Steve Jobs). So, what does the author offer us in this book?
The author will write throughout the book that the leader must create a positive or healthy working atmosphere, has empathy, and be, in a sense, a wise, responsive leader. In general, everything that is the opposite of a toxic work environment with an impossible boss (leader) in charge. It is difficult to write something specific about it, because each person has his own special situation, which in general is reduced to the difficulty of cooperation with such a leader. In other words, even without explaining what a toxic work environment means, which means "difficult leader", we all understand what we are talking about.
Another important point is that I found the book very, very watery. There is a lot of unnecessary and distracting text that leaves nothing behind. And how can it be otherwise, when from the very first pages everything becomes clear. Moreover, if you have read his previous books, everything becomes clear even before we begin to read the book itself. Since I couldn't read the whole book completely, I can't say that the author didn't add anything new at the end. Maybe, but I doubt it.
The main problem with the book is that if you understand the importance of creating a normal work environment, you can already guess everything the author writes about yourself. It is not too difficult for the reader to draw a line from point A to point B.
March 9, 2025
3.5 stars - some very helpful tips and exercises to boost emotional intelligence and performance. I liked the breakdown of EI, styles of leadership, and the chapters in part 2 about the 5 discoveries of resonant leaders. I found the application of these concepts to teams and companies in part 3 a bit repetitive, though!
Read
September 30, 2016This book gets full marks in my opinion, but I would mention that it is not for everyone. This book is idea if you 1) already have worked in a few organizations enough to experience a variety of leadership styles 2) you have attempted and both failed and succeeded in some area of leadership. This book is then perfect and provides great examples on how to move forward. At the center of this book is a belief in the plasticity of the human mind.
I disagree that one should just read the first and last chapter, though I can appreciate why that one might feel that way if they have, already, superior leadership skills. For the rest of us, the examples in the middle are instructive on how to be a good leader as well as how to help or improve our reaction to those we follow.
Since I must return this book, below is where I'm keeping the very interesting checklist that is in the final chapter:
Leadership Competencies:
SELF AWARENESS
- Emotional self-awareness (attuned to your inner signals, which allows you to be candid)
- Accurate self-assessment (know your strengths and weaknesses to the point where you can joke about them)
-Self Confidence - knowledge of yourself so that you can play to your strengths
SELF MANAGEMENT
-Self Control
-Transparency - act in a manner that is true to your values
-Adaptability - ability to multi-task
-Achievement - be the type of person people will follow
-Initiative - have a sense of control over your own destiny
- Optimism - allows you to roll with the punches
SOCIAL AWARENESS
-Empathy
-Organizational Awareness
- Service - run your organization the way you want to be treated.
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
- Inspiration
-Influence
-Developing Others
- Change Catalyst
-Conflict management
-Teamwork and Collaboration
I disagree that one should just read the first and last chapter, though I can appreciate why that one might feel that way if they have, already, superior leadership skills. For the rest of us, the examples in the middle are instructive on how to be a good leader as well as how to help or improve our reaction to those we follow.
Since I must return this book, below is where I'm keeping the very interesting checklist that is in the final chapter:
Leadership Competencies:
SELF AWARENESS
- Emotional self-awareness (attuned to your inner signals, which allows you to be candid)
- Accurate self-assessment (know your strengths and weaknesses to the point where you can joke about them)
-Self Confidence - knowledge of yourself so that you can play to your strengths
SELF MANAGEMENT
-Self Control
-Transparency - act in a manner that is true to your values
-Adaptability - ability to multi-task
-Achievement - be the type of person people will follow
-Initiative - have a sense of control over your own destiny
- Optimism - allows you to roll with the punches
SOCIAL AWARENESS
-Empathy
-Organizational Awareness
- Service - run your organization the way you want to be treated.
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
- Inspiration
-Influence
-Developing Others
- Change Catalyst
-Conflict management
-Teamwork and Collaboration
July 19, 2017
Like most business books, this one probably has some utility in the business world, but it would be stupid, pointless, and dangerous to apply a lot of it to non-profits, education, or public service.
Anyone who reads it will likely find something they can take away from it, although for a lot of us, that takeaway will be that we should scorched earth our entire personalities and start over in order to be successful as leaders (in the business world), which is depressing and demeaning, but there it is.
The leadership styles described in the book are useful to know. Plus the wide variety of descriptions of toxic workplaces, scattered throughout, are also informative.
The basic concept of leading through manipulating one's own and others emotions is at the heart unsavory and dehumanizing, especially if you're a manager, but I imagine that despite the profound personal costs in terms of the validity of one's own thoughts/emotions and the authenticity of self, it probably is a useful tool to have in the toolkit.
That said, I hope never to use any of these methods. After all, I have a life to live outside of work and will still have to look at myself in the mirror years from now after retirement. I want to be sure it's still me looking back, you know?
Overall, I think people who are so desperate for leadership help that they'd give up or alter their essential self probably should read this. Everyone else, fuck no. There's a ton of books on this topic. Choose wisely!
Anyone who reads it will likely find something they can take away from it, although for a lot of us, that takeaway will be that we should scorched earth our entire personalities and start over in order to be successful as leaders (in the business world), which is depressing and demeaning, but there it is.
The leadership styles described in the book are useful to know. Plus the wide variety of descriptions of toxic workplaces, scattered throughout, are also informative.
The basic concept of leading through manipulating one's own and others emotions is at the heart unsavory and dehumanizing, especially if you're a manager, but I imagine that despite the profound personal costs in terms of the validity of one's own thoughts/emotions and the authenticity of self, it probably is a useful tool to have in the toolkit.
That said, I hope never to use any of these methods. After all, I have a life to live outside of work and will still have to look at myself in the mirror years from now after retirement. I want to be sure it's still me looking back, you know?
Overall, I think people who are so desperate for leadership help that they'd give up or alter their essential self probably should read this. Everyone else, fuck no. There's a ton of books on this topic. Choose wisely!
April 4, 2017
I read this book on the recommendation of a mentor. As a church leader, I realize I'm just dipping my toe into the vast sea of business leadership literature with this book. Still, the relevance of this book for congregational leadership is immediately obvious. The authors propose that emotions matter enormously for leadership, and that leaders ignore emotional realities in themselves and the organizations with whom they lead at their own peril. This means the "Primal Task" of leadership is emotional management - the self-management of a leader's own emotional life and learning how to respect and respond to the emotional realities of teams and groups. This was probably a more shocking claim in 2003, when this book was first published. It seems that everywhere people are waking up to the limitations of hard rationalism and learning how to take emotions seriously. Still, this book provides a clear and compelling argument substantiated through research. It also provides some very practical suggestions for cultivating emotional intelligence as an individual and in an organization's culture.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in leadership development for themselves and those in their field of influence.
I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in leadership development for themselves and those in their field of influence.
January 7, 2014
Good summary of leadership styles
A short and concise book with good information for both leading yourself and others. Individual aspects such as self-awareness and self-management are covered, and as we know you have to first be able to lead yourself before you can hope to lead others. The book also looks at the effectiveness of various leadership styles, such as democratic vs authoritative styles, in specific situations and generally. If you are in anyway interested in leadership this is a good book to have in library.
A short and concise book with good information for both leading yourself and others. Individual aspects such as self-awareness and self-management are covered, and as we know you have to first be able to lead yourself before you can hope to lead others. The book also looks at the effectiveness of various leadership styles, such as democratic vs authoritative styles, in specific situations and generally. If you are in anyway interested in leadership this is a good book to have in library.
October 4, 2022
Expected more from the book. Was a bit below my expectations. The topic may open up new perspectives towards "emotional intelligence" in general and specifically in leaders. Areas like what difference an emotionally intelligent leader would bring about an organization compared to a leader who might be only intellectually intelligent in the traditional sense.
I think the narrator of the audiobook was a bit dry, hence, making it difficult to engage with the book but the book is overall short and can be read in 1-2 days.
I think the narrator of the audiobook was a bit dry, hence, making it difficult to engage with the book but the book is overall short and can be read in 1-2 days.
January 17, 2021
Πενταράκι δαγκωτό. Απλός, κατανοητός, επεξηγηματικός.
Σίγουρα θα διαβάσω και άλλα του βιβλία.
Σίγουρα θα διαβάσω και άλλα του βιβλία.
March 8, 2025
I really enjoyed the first half - 2/3rds of this book but the last bit was a bit of a drag. Highly repetitive stories and real life examples that all sounded the same. Still worth reading for sure.
May 26, 2019
The author talks about the importance of emotional intelligence in different leadership positions. It gives good examples and study cases why having high EI is good for the general performance and well being of the teams he is part of.
A very good thing that I learned from the book is the fact that you need to switch different leadership styles depending on the situation, and don't just apply a leadership style that you are good at, because you can do more harm than good even if you have the best intentions.
A very good thing that I learned from the book is the fact that you need to switch different leadership styles depending on the situation, and don't just apply a leadership style that you are good at, because you can do more harm than good even if you have the best intentions.
July 30, 2018
Another very enjoyable book based on neuroscience -- here, the authors argue that the number one, original and most important role of a leader is emotional.
Humans are very social -- we're entirely constructed that way and we even automatically copy the posture, mood and expressions of those with whom we are connecting with, even heart rate! "We rely on connections with other people for our own emotional stability" and our limbic systems connect to each other.
People take their cues from leaders -- the look for emotional responses and behavior to emulate. Leaders serve as "limbic attractors" and can exert influence more easily when they are upbeat and positive, as the authors say “nobody wants to work for a grouch.” Negative moods disrupt work and break focus from the task at hand. Many studies show that good moods result in good work.
Leaders need to be able to connect with their constituents and motivate them positively. There are two large groups of leadership styles -- resonant and dissonant -- which drive team emotions (and action) positively and negatively. The authors take a deep dive into the different kinds of resonant and dissonant leadership styles --issuing warnings about the latter.
How does a leader become a "resonant" leader? The chief emotional intelligence competencies include: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. It's critical for individuals to identify and refine their values, decide who they want to be, become aware of who they are now and come up with a plan for building on strengths, practicing new skills at every opportunity and establish a supportive network to make this change possible.
Empathy, of course, can be learned. It's important to practice -- the authors remind us, "athletes spend more time practicing than performing!"
Of course, there's a catch: you can have the most emotionally intelligent leader but if she's in the wrong place, it won't do the organization any good.
For emotionally intelligent leadership to be effective, it has to work for the culture of an organization. If your organization is not "resonant" or has some challenges and you want to change culture, two things have to happen: first, emotional intelligence/resonant leadership must be modeled from the top down and the constituents have to be involved in the process of transformation. Every single individual has to be engaged in a process of individual change so that the entire team or organization can start moving in that direction.
Of course - it's not as simple as just sending a few people off to some seminars or having HR organize training for specific people. The half-life of seminars and education varies based on how well the lessons are supported within the culture to which one returns. Teams need to be brought into the process of transformation to identify the norms and culture -- and most people find it easy to agree on the things that are working well. Getting an accurate picture of the things that aren't working well and coming up with alternatives is the most important part of transformation -- along with practice, practice, practice.
The authors repeatedly stress the importance of leaders communicating with their constituents or team -- understanding their values and dreams. This is a pretty common bit of advice from current management/leadership authors such as John Maxwell, Kouzes & Posner and others. And - you cannot be a good leader unless you are being authentic: know yourself, know your values and how they match up to the company. "Primal Leadership" wants you to be a leader who listens, can attune your values to those of your organization, and bring along the team -- this means not just setting aside time for heart-to-heart chats, but also setting aside time for quiet reflection (esp meditation) as a way to tap into what you're picking up subconsciously.
And - why do we do this? More and more, research is showing that the power of group/collective decision-making (with groups that display qualities of emotional intelligence) is superior to that of the brightest individual in the group. By developing emotional intelligence skills in all individuals, teams and organizations, you improve performance, morale, loyalty, satisfaction and many other qualities that make people happy and successful.
Humans are very social -- we're entirely constructed that way and we even automatically copy the posture, mood and expressions of those with whom we are connecting with, even heart rate! "We rely on connections with other people for our own emotional stability" and our limbic systems connect to each other.
People take their cues from leaders -- the look for emotional responses and behavior to emulate. Leaders serve as "limbic attractors" and can exert influence more easily when they are upbeat and positive, as the authors say “nobody wants to work for a grouch.” Negative moods disrupt work and break focus from the task at hand. Many studies show that good moods result in good work.
Leaders need to be able to connect with their constituents and motivate them positively. There are two large groups of leadership styles -- resonant and dissonant -- which drive team emotions (and action) positively and negatively. The authors take a deep dive into the different kinds of resonant and dissonant leadership styles --issuing warnings about the latter.
How does a leader become a "resonant" leader? The chief emotional intelligence competencies include: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. It's critical for individuals to identify and refine their values, decide who they want to be, become aware of who they are now and come up with a plan for building on strengths, practicing new skills at every opportunity and establish a supportive network to make this change possible.
Empathy, of course, can be learned. It's important to practice -- the authors remind us, "athletes spend more time practicing than performing!"
Of course, there's a catch: you can have the most emotionally intelligent leader but if she's in the wrong place, it won't do the organization any good.
For emotionally intelligent leadership to be effective, it has to work for the culture of an organization. If your organization is not "resonant" or has some challenges and you want to change culture, two things have to happen: first, emotional intelligence/resonant leadership must be modeled from the top down and the constituents have to be involved in the process of transformation. Every single individual has to be engaged in a process of individual change so that the entire team or organization can start moving in that direction.
Of course - it's not as simple as just sending a few people off to some seminars or having HR organize training for specific people. The half-life of seminars and education varies based on how well the lessons are supported within the culture to which one returns. Teams need to be brought into the process of transformation to identify the norms and culture -- and most people find it easy to agree on the things that are working well. Getting an accurate picture of the things that aren't working well and coming up with alternatives is the most important part of transformation -- along with practice, practice, practice.
The authors repeatedly stress the importance of leaders communicating with their constituents or team -- understanding their values and dreams. This is a pretty common bit of advice from current management/leadership authors such as John Maxwell, Kouzes & Posner and others. And - you cannot be a good leader unless you are being authentic: know yourself, know your values and how they match up to the company. "Primal Leadership" wants you to be a leader who listens, can attune your values to those of your organization, and bring along the team -- this means not just setting aside time for heart-to-heart chats, but also setting aside time for quiet reflection (esp meditation) as a way to tap into what you're picking up subconsciously.
And - why do we do this? More and more, research is showing that the power of group/collective decision-making (with groups that display qualities of emotional intelligence) is superior to that of the brightest individual in the group. By developing emotional intelligence skills in all individuals, teams and organizations, you improve performance, morale, loyalty, satisfaction and many other qualities that make people happy and successful.
Read
July 23, 2016Daniel Goolman is a psychologist who has researched and written extensively on the topic of emotional intelligence. His first book aptly titled “Emotional Intelligence” was written in 1995 and is widely regarded as a pioneering work in the field. This book quickly became a bestseller and the material has been extensively used and quoted in many leadership development courses. Since then, he has written several other books on different areas of emotional intelligence. In another previous book, “ Working with Emotional Intelligence”, Goolman noted it is not enough to have expertise, experience and intelligence – what matters increasingly are personal qualities such as initiative, empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness. These are all components of emotional intelligence (EI). Unlike IQ, which changes little throughout adulthood, however, EI is largely learned and can thus be taught and developed. Specifically Goolman described five major components of emotional intelligence: Personal Competence (self-awareness, emotional awareness, accurate self-assessment and self-confidence); Self-Regulation (self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability and innovation); Motivation (achievement drive, commitment, initiative and optimism); Social Competence (understanding others, developing others, service orientation, leverage diversity, political awareness); and Social Skills (influence, communication, conflict management, leadership, change catalyst, building bonds, collaboration & cooperation, team capabilities).
Some familiarity with Goolman’s previous books is helpful in setting the foundation for Primal Leadership. It however, can be read and understood on its own apart from Goolman’s previous works. In Primal Leadership, Goolman teams up with two other researchers: Annie McKee, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Business and Richard Boyatzis – a professor of organizational behaviour at Case Western Reserve University. The core premise of Primal Leadership is that emotions cannot be kept out of the work environment and that leaders who understand this and who learn how to harness their own emotions and the emotions of their followers are more effective. According to the authors, even if leaders manage to do every other thing right, if they “fail in this primal task of driving emotions in the right direction, nothing they do will work as well as it could or should.” They argue that the emotional task of the leader is the most critical role of the leader – i.e. emotional leadership is primal.
The authors cite research extensively – including research from the fields of psychology and neurology- to explain the importance of leading emotionally. Goolman et al refine Goolman’s earlier expositions of emotional intelligence – distilling it down to identify four core elements: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. In explaining how to lead with emotional intelligence, the authors introduce the concept of resonance – which they define as driving emotions positively. This is contrasted with dissonant leadership, which is more rational and far less influential.
Four resonant leadership styles are described: 1) Diplomatic, 2. Affiliative, 3. Coaching and 4. Visionary. The dissonant leadership styles are pace-setting and commanding. The authors use real life stories and examples to illustrate the various leadership styles and to show the difference between effective and ineffective leadership.
In the second half of the book, Goolman et al outline how to go about becoming a more emotionally intelligent leader. They emphasize that becoming an emotionally intelligent leader is a process that will take time. The suggested plan evolves around setting a vision for oneself, self-reflection, building on strengths while minimizing weaknesses, experimenting and fostering relationships.
Anyone who had worked with people already knows intuitively that emotions are a vital part of leadership. This book, however excels in explaining how best to understand and channel human emotions for maximum effectiveness as a leader. Leaders at all levels are likely to benefit significantly from a careful study of Primal Leadership.
Some familiarity with Goolman’s previous books is helpful in setting the foundation for Primal Leadership. It however, can be read and understood on its own apart from Goolman’s previous works. In Primal Leadership, Goolman teams up with two other researchers: Annie McKee, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Business and Richard Boyatzis – a professor of organizational behaviour at Case Western Reserve University. The core premise of Primal Leadership is that emotions cannot be kept out of the work environment and that leaders who understand this and who learn how to harness their own emotions and the emotions of their followers are more effective. According to the authors, even if leaders manage to do every other thing right, if they “fail in this primal task of driving emotions in the right direction, nothing they do will work as well as it could or should.” They argue that the emotional task of the leader is the most critical role of the leader – i.e. emotional leadership is primal.
The authors cite research extensively – including research from the fields of psychology and neurology- to explain the importance of leading emotionally. Goolman et al refine Goolman’s earlier expositions of emotional intelligence – distilling it down to identify four core elements: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. In explaining how to lead with emotional intelligence, the authors introduce the concept of resonance – which they define as driving emotions positively. This is contrasted with dissonant leadership, which is more rational and far less influential.
Four resonant leadership styles are described: 1) Diplomatic, 2. Affiliative, 3. Coaching and 4. Visionary. The dissonant leadership styles are pace-setting and commanding. The authors use real life stories and examples to illustrate the various leadership styles and to show the difference between effective and ineffective leadership.
In the second half of the book, Goolman et al outline how to go about becoming a more emotionally intelligent leader. They emphasize that becoming an emotionally intelligent leader is a process that will take time. The suggested plan evolves around setting a vision for oneself, self-reflection, building on strengths while minimizing weaknesses, experimenting and fostering relationships.
Anyone who had worked with people already knows intuitively that emotions are a vital part of leadership. This book, however excels in explaining how best to understand and channel human emotions for maximum effectiveness as a leader. Leaders at all levels are likely to benefit significantly from a careful study of Primal Leadership.
September 30, 2009
This is one of the better books on leadership development that I've read. The content is definitely 5 stars but since the writing style is academic, it's not the most fun reading. It would be great for a class or an executive coaching program. Imagine what a writer like Malcolm Gladwell could do for this book!
Here are some of my thoughts and observations:
-The focus is very much on the development of emotionally intelligent leadership and how important such leaders are to successful organizations.
-Coming from a scientific background, I was hoping for more emphasis on the brain and neuroscience in the context of developing primal (i.e., emotionally intelligent) leadership.
-I was definitely more engaged in the first half of the book than in the second. For example, I found the categories of resonant vs. non-resonant leadership styles very useful.
Resonant leadership styles:
1. Diplomatic
2. Affiliative
3. Coaching
4. Visionary
Non-resonant leadership styles:
1. Setting the pace (very prominent among scientists and engineers who are promoted into management)
2. Command style
-The second part covered how to move forward -- How do I become a more emotionally intelligent leader? Boyatzis's method (presented below and in the book) is helpful. But this kind of change will definitely be a process -- not a short workshop or seminar -- that will involve both you as the leader and your team.
1. Develop a clear vision your ideal self, the person you want to become.
2. Reflect deeply on your real self - develop self knowledge about who you actually are right now. Identify strengths, which are where the ideal self and real self overlap, and identify weaknesses -- areas where the ideal and real self differ.
3. Develop a learning agenda which builds on strengths while reducing gaps.
4. Experiment with new behaviour, thoughts, and feelings and practicing new behaviors and skills.
5. Developing trusting relationships that help, support, and encourage each step of the process.
Here are some of my thoughts and observations:
-The focus is very much on the development of emotionally intelligent leadership and how important such leaders are to successful organizations.
-Coming from a scientific background, I was hoping for more emphasis on the brain and neuroscience in the context of developing primal (i.e., emotionally intelligent) leadership.
-I was definitely more engaged in the first half of the book than in the second. For example, I found the categories of resonant vs. non-resonant leadership styles very useful.
Resonant leadership styles:
1. Diplomatic
2. Affiliative
3. Coaching
4. Visionary
Non-resonant leadership styles:
1. Setting the pace (very prominent among scientists and engineers who are promoted into management)
2. Command style
-The second part covered how to move forward -- How do I become a more emotionally intelligent leader? Boyatzis's method (presented below and in the book) is helpful. But this kind of change will definitely be a process -- not a short workshop or seminar -- that will involve both you as the leader and your team.
1. Develop a clear vision your ideal self, the person you want to become.
2. Reflect deeply on your real self - develop self knowledge about who you actually are right now. Identify strengths, which are where the ideal self and real self overlap, and identify weaknesses -- areas where the ideal and real self differ.
3. Develop a learning agenda which builds on strengths while reducing gaps.
4. Experiment with new behaviour, thoughts, and feelings and practicing new behaviors and skills.
5. Developing trusting relationships that help, support, and encourage each step of the process.
December 3, 2024
Turns out I’m already very funny and Suprisingly down to Earth
December 17, 2013
3.5+ stars
Emotional Intelligence has become the new catch-phrase in the working world. But what's it really all about? Is it worth the hype?
Well... there are certainly insightful moments in this book. But perhaps because Emotional Intelligence IS such a by-word in the work world, when I read it, I didn't find anything new or extraordinary about it. Probably because I'd already heard about the aspects of emotional intelligence. And I wanted more than just the plain facts... more about how to APPLY or CULTIVATE emotional intelligence for myself.
But Goldman's style is easy to read and thought-provoking.
Emotional Intelligence has become the new catch-phrase in the working world. But what's it really all about? Is it worth the hype?
Well... there are certainly insightful moments in this book. But perhaps because Emotional Intelligence IS such a by-word in the work world, when I read it, I didn't find anything new or extraordinary about it. Probably because I'd already heard about the aspects of emotional intelligence. And I wanted more than just the plain facts... more about how to APPLY or CULTIVATE emotional intelligence for myself.
But Goldman's style is easy to read and thought-provoking.
January 31, 2019
I’m a little surprised that this rating isn’t higher.
First, I have to say that I listened to the audiobook. And the audiobook was great! This is an excellent book about leadership!
There are so many leadership books out there, but this one covers some key topics that others miss - “buy-in” and why leadership training often fails. Those are two important topics that are not discussed as much as they should be. This is important, because if you don’t know the potential problems of your leadership training - then whatever you try to implement won’t work as effectively as you would like.
For any aspiring leader this is a must read!
First, I have to say that I listened to the audiobook. And the audiobook was great! This is an excellent book about leadership!
There are so many leadership books out there, but this one covers some key topics that others miss - “buy-in” and why leadership training often fails. Those are two important topics that are not discussed as much as they should be. This is important, because if you don’t know the potential problems of your leadership training - then whatever you try to implement won’t work as effectively as you would like.
For any aspiring leader this is a must read!
June 20, 2020
Es un libro entendible y muy educativo. Siento que después de la pagina 112 se vuelve muy repetitivo.
Me encantaron estas frases:
El liderazgo no es sinónimo de dominación sino el arte de convencer a la gente que colabore para alcanzar un objetivo en común.
Creo en ti, invierto en ti y espero que des lo mejor de ti
Mandar con el corazón!
El estrés atonta a la gente
Me encantaron estas frases:
El liderazgo no es sinónimo de dominación sino el arte de convencer a la gente que colabore para alcanzar un objetivo en común.
Creo en ti, invierto en ti y espero que des lo mejor de ti
Mandar con el corazón!
El estrés atonta a la gente
February 22, 2017
Não terminado (aprox 50%). Tema relevante mas o autor repete-se demasiado e apesar de abordar diferentes subtemas volta sempre as mesmas conclusões e parece que andamos sempre a ler o mesmo, daí não ter terminado o livro. De qualquer das formas do que li, achei bastante interessante.
March 12, 2021
Book is damn good - good examples about how much social interactions are needed to lead ...
December 31, 2018
Очень водянисто и пространно. Раза в 4 бы сократить, если не больше.
Исследователи неоднократно замечали, как эмоции беспрепятственно распространяются описанным образом всякий раз, когда люди оказываются близко друг к другу, даже при полностью невербальных контактах. Например, если минуту-другую три незнакомых человека просидят лицом друг к другу в абсолютной тишине, то более эмоционально экспрессивный реципиент передаст свое настроение другим, не произнося при этом ни слова. Тот же эффект возникает и в офисе, и в зале заседаний совета директоров, и в торговом зале: члены коллектива неизбежно «улавливают» чувства друг друга, передавая окружающим весь спектр своих эмоций — от ревности и зависти до беспокойства или эйфории. Чем сильнее сплоченность группы, тем лучше передаются чувства, события эмоциональной жизни и даже свежая, интересующая всех информация.
Тем не менее далеко не все «официальные» лидеры являются лидерами эмоциональными. Когда формально назначенный на должность руководителя человек по какой-то причине не вызывает у окружающих особого доверия, они обращаются к тому, кто пользуется их доверием и уважением. И тогда этот фактический лидер становится тем человеком, который формирует эмоциональные реакции других. Например, известная джазовая группа, которая носила имя своего формального лидера и основателя, на самом деле черпала эмоциональный заряд у другого музыканта. Основатель продолжал заниматься контрактами и техническим обеспечением, но, когда нужно было выбирать репертуар или определять настройку звуковой системы, все глаза обращались к наиболее авторитетному члену коллектива — эмоциональному лидеру.
Переживаемые во время работы эмоции наиболее точно отражают истинное качество трудовой жизни. Оказывается, что процент проведенного на работе времени, в течение которого люди ощущают положительные эмоции, — один из самых верных факторов удовлетворенности работой и, следовательно, меньшей вероятности, например, увольнения по собственному желанию.
Высокая оценка служащими психологической обстановки на рабочем месте обусловливает и удовлетворенность их клиентов, что, в свою очередь, сказывается на финансовых результатах.
Сам по себе рабочий климат еще не определяет производительность. Общеизвестно, что факторы, благодаря которым в каждом секторе появляются сильнейшие компании, весьма многочисленны. Но наши исследования показывают, что в целом организационный климат — эмоционально окрашенное отношение людей к работе в данной компании — способен объяснить 20–30% различий в производительности труда. Умение пробудить в людях лучшее окупается вполне материально.
Выяснилось, что только «звездам» присущи четыре вида способностей, связанных с эмоциональным интеллектом (кстати, среди них не оказалось ни одного технического или чисто когнитивного навыка): настойчивость в достижении цели, способность проявлять инициативу, умение сотрудничать и работать в команде, талант руководить коллективом.
Возможно, самый красноречивый (хотя не самый заметный) признак самосознания — это пристрастие к рефлексии и вдумчивое отношение к делу. Люди с самосознанием обычно находят время, чтобы спокойно обдумать происходящее, а не реагировать на события импульсивно. Многие выдающиеся лидеры вносят в свою работу именно ту модель рефлексии, которую пестуют в своей духовной жизни. Для одних это молитва или медитация; для других — более философское стремление к самопознанию.
Хотя обучающий стиль делает основной акцент на личном развитии сотрудника, а не на выполнении им конкретных задач, его использование сулит небывалый положительный эмоциональный отклик и резкое повышение эффективности, независимо от того, какие еще стили применяет лидер. В личной беседе с сотрудником устанавливается контакт и рождаются доверительные отношения. Выказывая искреннюю заинтересованность в судьбе подчиненных, лидер-наставник показывает, что рассматривает их не как примитивный инструмент для выполнения работы. Таким образом, лидер ведет с подчиненными постоянный диалог, который позволяет им более адекватно реагировать на отзывы о своей работе, воспринимая замечания как полезный урок, который служит их собственным стремлениям, а не как придирки начальства.
Лучше всего демократический стиль работает, когда лидер, как это было с сестрой Мэри, находится в нерешительности, когда не уверен, какое направление избрать, и нуждается в идеях, которые могут подсказать ему компетентные сотрудники. Конечно, демократический стиль не лишен недостатков. Стремление тупо ему следовать вырождается в бесконечные, утомительные совещания, на которых перемалывается масса идей, но согласие остается труднодостижимым, а единственный видимый результат заключается в планировании все новых совещаний. Лидер, который откладывает важные решения в надежде на тщательное коллективное обсуждение и создание согласованной стратегии, рискует оказаться в замешательстве. Подобное поведение рождает неразбериху, потерю цели и ведет к дальнейшим отсрочкам или обострению конфликтов. Демократический стиль строится на трех навыках эмоционального интеллекта: способности к командной работе и сотрудничеству, умении урегулировать конфликты и влиятельности. Лидеры, в совершенстве владеющие искусством общения, являются прекрасными слушателями — а умение слушать является важнейшим достоинством демократического лидера, — это создает у сотрудников ощущение, что руководитель искренне хочет узнать их мысли и тревоги и к тому же всегда доступен для беседы. Более того, это настоящие соратники, которые ведут себя как полноценные члены команды, а не стоят вне коллектива, «спуская» сверху приказы своим подчиненным. Наконец, они умеют разрешать конфликты и создавать атмосферу гармонии в группе. В демократическом лидерстве заметную роль играет и еще один навык эмоционального интеллекта — способность к сопереживанию, которая особенно необходима, когда группа неоднородна. Без умения настроиться на психологические особенности различных людей лидер будет чаще делать ошибки.
В результате такого искажения восприятия разрыв между тем, что мнили о себе руководители и менеджеры, и тем, что думали о них подчиненные, оказывался тем шире, чем выше было должностное положение лидера. Руководители самого высокого уровня имели наименее адекватное представление о своем поведении по отношению к другим сотрудникам. В результате наши бесед с лидерами мы пришли к выводу, что многие из них искренне считают, что уже не способны измениться. Поэтому, даже получая обратную связь о влиянии их стилей управления на команду или организацию в целом — и чувствуя правдивость этой информации, — в глубине души они уверены, что не смогут изменить методы, которые используют уже много лет, в разных ситуациях, на протяжении большей части жизни.
Наиболее эффективные лидеры оценивают себя весьма близко к тому, как характеризуют их окружающие. Исследование эффективности руководителей одного государственного учреждения показало: то, как подчиненные оценивают своего руководителя, лучше остальных переменных позволяет предсказать успех и эффективность этого лидера, причем как через два, так и через четыре года после проведения анкетирования. Даже по прошествии семи лет оценки подчиненных позволили спрогнозировать успех лидера с гораздо более высокой точностью, чем его собственные оценки. Мнение починенных оказалось даже более точным показателем успеха, чем тщательно составленный рейтинг, в основе которого лежали принципы поведенческого моделирования.
Исследователи неоднократно замечали, как эмоции беспрепятственно распространяются описанным образом всякий раз, когда люди оказываются близко друг к другу, даже при полностью невербальных контактах. Например, если минуту-другую три незнакомых человека просидят лицом друг к другу в абсолютной тишине, то более эмоционально экспрессивный реципиент передаст свое настроение другим, не произнося при этом ни слова. Тот же эффект возникает и в офисе, и в зале заседаний совета директоров, и в торговом зале: члены коллектива неизбежно «улавливают» чувства друг друга, передавая окружающим весь спектр своих эмоций — от ревности и зависти до беспокойства или эйфории. Чем сильнее сплоченность группы, тем лучше передаются чувства, события эмоциональной жизни и даже свежая, интересующая всех информация.
Тем не менее далеко не все «официальные» лидеры являются лидерами эмоциональными. Когда формально назначенный на должность руководителя человек по какой-то причине не вызывает у окружающих особого доверия, они обращаются к тому, кто пользуется их доверием и уважением. И тогда этот фактический лидер становится тем человеком, который формирует эмоциональные реакции других. Например, известная джазовая группа, которая носила имя своего формального лидера и основателя, на самом деле черпала эмоциональный заряд у другого музыканта. Основатель продолжал заниматься контрактами и техническим обеспечением, но, когда нужно было выбирать репертуар или определять настройку звуковой системы, все глаза обращались к наиболее авторитетному члену коллектива — эмоциональному лидеру.
Переживаемые во время работы эмоции наиболее точно отражают истинное качество трудовой жизни. Оказывается, что процент проведенного на работе времени, в течение которого люди ощущают положительные эмоции, — один из самых верных факторов удовлетворенности работой и, следовательно, меньшей вероятности, например, увольнения по собственному желанию.
Высокая оценка служащими психологической обстановки на рабочем месте обусловливает и удовлетворенность их клиентов, что, в свою очередь, сказывается на финансовых результатах.
Сам по себе рабочий климат еще не определяет производительность. Общеизвестно, что факторы, благодаря которым в каждом секторе появляются сильнейшие компании, весьма многочисленны. Но наши исследования показывают, что в целом организационный климат — эмоционально окрашенное отношение людей к работе в данной компании — способен объяснить 20–30% различий в производительности труда. Умение пробудить в людях лучшее окупается вполне материально.
Выяснилось, что только «звездам» присущи четыре вида способностей, связанных с эмоциональным интеллектом (кстати, среди них не оказалось ни одного технического или чисто когнитивного навыка): настойчивость в достижении цели, способность проявлять инициативу, умение сотрудничать и работать в команде, талант руководить коллективом.
Возможно, самый красноречивый (хотя не самый заметный) признак самосознания — это пристрастие к рефлексии и вдумчивое отношение к делу. Люди с самосознанием обычно находят время, чтобы спокойно обдумать происходящее, а не реагировать на события импульсивно. Многие выдающиеся лидеры вносят в свою работу именно ту модель рефлексии, которую пестуют в своей духовной жизни. Для одних это молитва или медитация; для других — более философское стремление к самопознанию.
Хотя обучающий стиль делает основной акцент на личном развитии сотрудника, а не на выполнении им конкретных задач, его использование сулит небывалый положительный эмоциональный отклик и резкое повышение эффективности, независимо от того, какие еще стили применяет лидер. В личной беседе с сотрудником устанавливается контакт и рождаются доверительные отношения. Выказывая искреннюю заинтересованность в судьбе подчиненных, лидер-наставник показывает, что рассматривает их не как примитивный инструмент для выполнения работы. Таким образом, лидер ведет с подчиненными постоянный диалог, который позволяет им более адекватно реагировать на отзывы о своей работе, воспринимая замечания как полезный урок, который служит их собственным стремлениям, а не как придирки начальства.
Лучше всего демократический стиль работает, когда лидер, как это было с сестрой Мэри, находится в нерешительности, когда не уверен, какое направление избрать, и нуждается в идеях, которые могут подсказать ему компетентные сотрудники. Конечно, демократический стиль не лишен недостатков. Стремление тупо ему следовать вырождается в бесконечные, утомительные совещания, на которых перемалывается масса идей, но согласие остается труднодостижимым, а единственный видимый результат заключается в планировании все новых совещаний. Лидер, который откладывает важные решения в надежде на тщательное коллективное обсуждение и создание согласованной стратегии, рискует оказаться в замешательстве. Подобное поведение рождает неразбериху, потерю цели и ведет к дальнейшим отсрочкам или обострению конфликтов. Демократический стиль строится на трех навыках эмоционального интеллекта: способности к командной работе и сотрудничеству, умении урегулировать конфликты и влиятельности. Лидеры, в совершенстве владеющие искусством общения, являются прекрасными слушателями — а умение слушать является важнейшим достоинством демократического лидера, — это создает у сотрудников ощущение, что руководитель искренне хочет узнать их мысли и тревоги и к тому же всегда доступен для беседы. Более того, это настоящие соратники, которые ведут себя как полноценные члены команды, а не стоят вне коллектива, «спуская» сверху приказы своим подчиненным. Наконец, они умеют разрешать конфликты и создавать атмосферу гармонии в группе. В демократическом лидерстве заметную роль играет и еще один навык эмоционального интеллекта — способность к сопереживанию, которая особенно необходима, когда группа неоднородна. Без умения настроиться на психологические особенности различных людей лидер будет чаще делать ошибки.
В результате такого искажения восприятия разрыв между тем, что мнили о себе руководители и менеджеры, и тем, что думали о них подчиненные, оказывался тем шире, чем выше было должностное положение лидера. Руководители самого высокого уровня имели наименее адекватное представление о своем поведении по отношению к другим сотрудникам. В результате наши бесед с лидерами мы пришли к выводу, что многие из них искренне считают, что уже не способны измениться. Поэтому, даже получая обратную связь о влиянии их стилей управления на команду или организацию в целом — и чувствуя правдивость этой информации, — в глубине души они уверены, что не смогут изменить методы, которые используют уже много лет, в разных ситуациях, на протяжении большей части жизни.
Наиболее эффективные лидеры оценивают себя весьма близко к тому, как характеризуют их окружающие. Исследование эффективности руководителей одного государственного учреждения показало: то, как подчиненные оценивают своего руководителя, лучше остальных переменных позволяет предсказать успех и эффективность этого лидера, причем как через два, так и через четыре года после проведения анкетирования. Даже по прошествии семи лет оценки подчиненных позволили спрогнозировать успех лидера с гораздо более высокой точностью, чем его собственные оценки. Мнение починенных оказалось даже более точным показателем успеха, чем тщательно составленный рейтинг, в основе которого лежали принципы поведенческого моделирования.
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