Home > Resources > Published E-Zines > Published in 2006 > Leadership E-Zines > July 2006 - Leading with Emotional Intelligence

Leading with Emotional Intelligence E-Zine - Issue No. 6/ July 2006

Dear Reader,

During my recent trip to China I met with the senior managers of some multinational companies that took over the majority of previously state-owned enterprises (SOE's). They made strong efforts to re-organize their companies, introduce performance management systems, and adopt the best practices.

While all these measures led to improved processes and considerably higher productivity, the managers still struggled to develop a consistent corporate culture that would be supported by both the key people from the SOE who remained on board and the new managers – often expatriates – who were hired to drive the necessary changes.

I was frequently asked if this is an inter-cultural issue and if inter-cultural training could help overcome this important obstacle to further growth. I don't deny that there might be some lack of understanding on ‘both sides'. However, I believe that this is only part of the problem. Based on my experience in working with Asians in Asia for about 15 years now, I can see that there might be another important root cause to this problem: lack of clarity in the direction (vision/mission/strategy/goals) and desired culture (including values) for the company.

Today's article on Emotional Intelligence highlights the importance of self-awareness and personal growth. Only if we know ourselves well enough will we be able to deal with the root cause of the above problem in an effective manner.

I hope you enjoy Sebastien's article.

Let's keep progressing!

Charlie Lang
Executive Coach and Founder of Progress-U Ltd.
Author of The Groupness Factor

Back to Top

Personal Development for Corporate Results

Download this article

by Sebastien Henry

Recently, I had a long conversation with the training manager of a large multinational company. She explained to me that their managers, from middle management positions to higher, have to go through an in-depth personal development program lasting a minimum of six full days. Considering the size of this company, it involves a very significant amount of resources (money and time).

The company wants all its managers to know themselves better, to explore their bright sides as well as their dark sides, and to know their emotions. The company wants them to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

This is actually very different from what most companies do, which is to undertake leadership programs to help managers refine their management skills. The purpose in this different approach is to make sure that managers know themselves well… at a much deeper level.

Right after our conversation, I asked myself: Why do so few companies do this? And why do almost all executive training programs neglect this dimension?

Some individuals in management positions embark on a self-discovery journey on their own initiative (and I know some of you do). But very few companies support this kind of program, and even fewer make attending such a program a requirement for managers to move up to higher positions.

The main reason so few companies do this is that it is extremely tricky to evaluate personal development programs and to link them to tangible business results. So what could be the rationale behind the decision by this company to support personal development programs for all its managers?

There seems to be a key assumption here: Leaders who know themselves well have better chances of delivering great value for the company. Do you agree with this or not?

Let’s think about it.

How corporations benefit from Personal Development

How does it work? Why would executives who know themselves well have better chances of delivering value for the company?

I thought of a number of reasons.

- They are likely to manage their people in a more understanding and supportive way. Once we have explored our dark sides, it is quite hard to be ruthless when confronted with other people’s weaknesses. Their dark sides are not so different from ours, after all!

- Because they know their weaknesses and strengths better than others, they are more likely to use their strengths to the maximum, and to work on their weaknesses with more determination.

- They have made sure that what they’re doing (being a manager) is what they really want to do. This helps the company avoid the painful situation generated by a gap between what managers truly want to do and what they are doing. In a company, this gap can lead to rampant unease on the manager’s side…and real pain for the manager’s team members!

- They are more likely to be comfortable with themselves and more rooted. This radiates towards their team members, creating a climate of safety.

- They are more congruent, meaning that there is less difference between what they say and what they feel deep inside. Congruence is a very strong factor in creating trust with team members.

Overall, it seems to me that a leap of faith is involved here. Either you believe upfront that knowing yourself well is useful and don’t really need extra arguments (You just know it or feel it!)… or you don’t believe that it is useful and nothing will change your mind.

So what do you actually believe? Could personal development programs make a difference in your career or in your organization?

If this question matters to you, I encourage you to explore your immediate answer. And if I can be of assistance in your thinking process, please let me know.

Let’s keep progressing !

Sebastien

For more information related to Progress-U Leadership Training and Coaching, please click here.

Back to Top of this Article

Copyright 2006 by Progress-U Limited