Product Description

National Bestseller Available in Paperback

"Just as Goleman's first book redefined intelligence, his new treatise…reassesses what makes a great leader."

-Time magazine

"Daniel Goleman has done it again! …a fascinating account of how emotions are at the heart of effective leadership. This book is a gem."

--David Gergen, Director, Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School, Harvard University

Drawing from decades of research within world-class organizations, the authors show that great leaders-whether CEOs or managers, coaches or politicians-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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11253 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bestselling author Daniel Goleman's theories on emotional intelligence have radically altered common understanding of what "being smart" entails, and in Primal Leadership, he and his coauthors present the case for cultivating emotionally intelligent leaders. Business leaders who maintain that emotions are best kept out of the work environment do so at their organisation's peril. Since the actions of the leader apparently account for up to 70 per cent of employees' perception of the climate of their organisation, Goleman and his team emphasise the importance of developing what they term "resonant leadership". Focusing on the four domains of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management--they explore what contributes to and detracts from resonant leadership, and how the development of these four EI competencies spawns different leadership styles. The best leaders maintain a style repertoire, switching easily between "visionary", "coaching", "affiliative" and "democratic" and making rare use of less effective "pace-setting" and "commanding" styles. The authors' discussion of these methods is informed by research on the workplace climates engendered by the leadership styles of more than 3,870 executives. Indeed, the experiences of leaders in a wide range of work environments lend real-life examples to much of the advice Goleman et al. offer, from developing the motivation to change and creating an improvement plan based on learning rather than performance outcomes, to experimenting with new behaviours and nurturing supportive relationships that encourage change and growth. The book's final section takes the personal process of developing resonant leadership and applies it to the entire organisational culture.--S Ketchum

About the Author
Daniel Goleman is founder of Emotional Intelligence Services and works on leadership transformation with Hay/McBer of Boston. A psychologist who for many years reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for The New York Times, Dr. Goleman previously was a visiting faculty member at Harvard.

Richard E. Boyatzis is Professor of Organizational Behavior and Chair of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Annie McKee is CEO of a Philadelphia-based consulting firm specializing in developing global EI leadership programs. She also serves on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

Customer Reviews

So Obvious, So Difficult, and Yet So Essential
Perhaps you have already read one or both of Daniel Goleman's previous books, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ for Character, Health, and Lifelong Achievement (1995) and Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998). If not, I presume to suggest that you do so before reading this volume in which Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee develop in much greater depth and with much wider application many of the same core concepts introduced in those earlier works. In fact, as the authors explain in the Preface, this book goes far beyond two articles which appeared even earlier in the Harvard Business Review ("What Makes a Leader" and "Leadership That Gets Results") "to advance a new concept: primal leadership. The fundamental task, we argue, is to prime good feelings in those they lead. That occurs when a leader creates [italics] resonance -- a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people. At its root, then, the primal job of leadership is emotional."

Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee carefully organize their material within Three Parts: The Power of Emotional Intelligence, Making Leaders, and Building Emotional Intelligent Organizations. The insights, strategies, and tactics provided are all based on the authors' several decades of real-world experience with all manner of organizations as well as on insights gained through direct and extensive contact with various leaders. In the final chapter, the authors observe: "In sum, the best leadership programs [ones which focus on the process of talent development] are designed for culture, competencies, and even spirit. They adhere to the principles of self-directed change and use a multifaceted approach to the learning and development process itself that focuses on the individual, team, and organization." I am reminded of what the Mahatma Gandhi once asserted: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." What should be the defining values throughout the inevitably difficult change process?

Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee are absolutely certain that the most effective leaders "are more values-driven, more flexible and informal, and more open and frank than leaders of old. They are more connected to people and to networks. More especially, they exude resonance: They have genuine passion for their mission, and that passion is contagious. Their enthusiasm and excitement spread spontaneously, invigorating those they lead. And resonance is the key to primal leadership." Does all this describe the kind of person you wish to follow? If so, then become the same kind of leader for others to follow.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out James O'Toole's The Executive Compass, David Maister's Practice What You Preach, David Whyte's The Heart Aroused, and Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan's Execution: The Discipline of Getting Results.

Excellent Summary of the Important Thinking
In many ways this audio CD is better than the book it is based on. Goleman's writing style can be stodgy, but his audio presentation is very good and it is great to hear the author emphasising the lessons that he thinks are important. Buy this if you use EI in business.

It's 'The New Leaders' with a different title
It really is - it's the American edition of the same book! So don't buy it if you already have 'The New Leaders' - which is an excellent book by the way.