Development of Emotional Intelligence (EI)

The development of Emotional Intelligence requires a recognition of one's own strengths and limitations, an exploration of how current decisions are framed through beliefs and prior experiences, and the actualisation of potential by using the greater self knowledge gained. However, in a report by the Institute of Management (2002) research showed that the quality of leadership in the workplace was poor. Further, the research reinforces a positive relationship between financial turnover and the priority given to leadership development (Institute of Management, 2002). Fifty-five percent of those questioned gave the characteristic of being inspiring as the most important attribute of leadership, but only eleven percent say they are witnessing it at work.

Inspiration could be defined as the extent to which a leader stimulates enthusiasm amongst subordinates for the work of the group, and says things to build their confidence in their ability to successfully perform assignments and attain group objectives. In those organisations that do invest in bringing out the potential of their leaders it could be argued that a focus on working relationships could be considered most valuable. Again, it could be argued that self-and-other awareness is a prerequisite for developing these working relationships. In today’s younger managers, knowledge and ambition are identified as traits that are not valued leadership qualities (Institute of Management, 2001).

The research by the Institute of Management goes on to say that a majority of executives favoured a model of leadership in which the leaders main role is to create a sense of purpose and a central vision or set of goals, and then help bring out the potential of others around them to achieve such goals (Institute of Management 2001). In times of economic change where there is a run down of the old structure of commerce, new fields of commerce are sought, in part, by innovation. Innovation can be seen as the "successful exploitation of new ideas" (The Scottish Office, 1996). To help exploit new ideas we need inspiring leaders.

Leadership’s underlying constructs are inspiration and individualised consideration, entailing shifts in the beliefs, needs and values of the followers (Fiedler, 1996). The transforming leaders' behaviours emanate from deeply held beliefs and values, such as justice and integrity (Fiedler, 1996). Fiedler (1996) argues that past research into leadership has been focused on traits and abilities, and that the most important lesson over the past forty years is that the leadership of groups and organisations is a highly complex interaction between the individual and the social and task environment.