Here is an excerpt from an article written by Monica P. Hawkins for Talent Management magazine. She explains how and why just one of emotional intelligence’s components can contribute to leadership skills that extend beyond borders and across cultures. To read the complete article, check out all the resources, and sign up for a free subscription to the TM and/or Chief Learning Officer magazines published by MedfiaTec, please click here.

* * *

Leadership is caring about the people whom you lead. It involves putting the needs of others first. Leaders should be interested in knowing how the people they are leading are faring and what their needs are. How would they like to be treated? What are their feelings? These are the questions leaders should be asking themselves. Anybody who puts self-interest first, failing to think about the needs of others, does not qualify to be referred to as a leader. Those who are in the position of leadership without empathy fail the test of leadership.

Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, summed up the purpose of empathy in the workplace in his book, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul, written with Joanne Gordon:

“Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don’t embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty. Listen with empathy and over-communicate with transparency. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable, but give them the tools to succeed. Make the tough choices; it’s how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear and do. Believe.”

A good leader, apart from having the technical skills and a supportive IQ, must possess emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability or the capacity to use emotions pro actively, both personal emotions as well as those of the associates and people being led. It is a tool for enhancing reasoning as well as decision-making. Without emotional intelligence, any global leader will not make it to be a “great” leader, even with the best training that can be acquired and an incisive and analytical mind that comes up with the smartest ideas. Emotional intelligence is what will make the leader reach the level of greatness, serve all with diligence and successfully lead a team or corporation towards achieving its goal.

Daniel Goleman — author of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ and the Harvard Business Review article “What Makes a Leader?”— brought the term “emotional intelligence” to the forefront with his extensive explorations. He states that success of any leader does not entirely depend on the practical proficiencies or intellect but to a greater extent on management of emotions.

Empathy is one of the five aspects of emotional intelligence as identified by Goleman. According to Goleman, this pillar is prone to dismissal and misconstrue, but it has a concrete and clear purpose. Empathy is not taking others’ emotions as one’s own or even an attempt to please all — it involves understanding other people’s emotions and needs, and communicating them effectively.

Global leaders must show that they understand what others feel and aim toward empowering them to overcome challenges. Leaders should go beyond sympathy, proactively providing a path for others to follow and overcome their challenges. Leaders should ensure that their employees are satisfied, feel respected and that their point of view is heard and considered. Employee morale and employee engagement scores have a huge effect on how people feel about an organization and its ultimate performance. Empathy is what drives engagement; without it, an organization’s peak performance will not be realized.

* * *

Here is a direct link to the complete article.

Monica P. Hawkins is CEO of PPDG and is an adviser to Fortune 1000 C-suite executives across the globe, focusing on alignment of business objectives with talent management systems and learning agendas. You can contact her at her firm.