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More than Authority: Leadership Constructs that Drive Performance

Leadership. Today, many think of leadership as a trendy catchphrase affixed on the professional development bandwagon, but leadership is more than just a soft skill, so much more…

A lot of organizations face ‘Peer to Boss’ Challenges, often after an employee is promoted to a supervisor. When someone is thrown into a new leadership role work dynamics shift, and conflicts can arise between friendly co-workers that were once lunch buddies who now have a challenging supervisor-to-employee relationship ahead of them. These relationships rooted in friendship are personal – something that even the strongest ‘leaders’ are not always equipped to face.

Working with employers in the region, we have found that in transforming newfound leaders that are facing personal issues like resentment, there needs to be a dramatic shift in their mindset, exceeding general skill building, to come out on top.

This practice is based on the Goleman Model of Emotional Intelligence (EI) which is centered around using EI to guide thinking and behavior. Daniel Goleman developed five main constructs that drive leadership performance that can help anyone new to a leadership role. They are:
 

1. Self-Awareness: The ability to recognize one’s moods and emotions and how they impact others. Using gut instincts to steer decisions is key.
    
2. Self-Regulation: Taking control of one’s disruptive emotions and redirecting them. Suspending judgment and thinking before acting is a must.
    
3. Social Skills: Building relationships from the ground up into a network. The goal is to build a rapport and move people forward to an achievable goal.
    
4. Empathy: Understanding other people’s feelings and emotions when making decisions.
    
5. Motivation: Being driven for internal reasons when pursuing goals that are beyond money and status.
    

Goleman, Daniel (1998),  What Makes a Leader?, Harvard Business Review

By keeping these constructs in mind, leaders can begin to learn how to manage themselves effectively, establish trust, engage their team and lead with influence instead of just authority.
 

Need additional resources? The following leadership event is starting soon:

Foundational Leadership Series (Downtown Dayton)