The secret to becoming a better leader

Daniel Goleman wrote a seminal paper in the Harvard Business Review in 1998 titled ‘What Makes a Leader?’ and argued that the difference between a good leader and a bad leader is emotional intelligence. But what is emotional intelligence?​

Emotional intelligence consists of five skills. They are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. And although we are born with certain levels of these skills we can also learn them. Phew! However, they are not the types of skills that are taught in school or university and so it’s up to us to work on them. That’s the hard part!

The key to learning these skills is feedback. If seeking feedback is new to you - don’t worry. Once it becomes a regular habit - it becomes much easier. Seek feedback whenever and wherever you can. This habit will take you on an amazing journey of self-discovery and growth. And will make you a better leader.

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