By Gregg Thompson

I must say from the outset that when the words “leadership” and “emotions” are used in the same sentence, I cringe. (Actually, a minute electrical signal is passed from my brain stem to a little almond-shaped thingy in my brain called the amygdala whereupon it is quickly compared to my personal library of weird and wonderful emotional responses created over a lifetime so that it can select one and use it to tell me how I feel about the sentence. Strange as it may seem, I - think of “I” as the rational, conscious, smart part of your brain - have little to do with the decision to cringe). This reaction was likely formed early in my career when, as a young engineering technologist, all of my projects were horrendous failures, not because of their lack of technical merit, but rather because of the irrationality, foolhardiness, idiocy (I could go on but I’m sure you get the idea) of equipment operators. Apparently an insidious, deep-seated mental weakness rendered them incapable of recognizing the sheer brilliance and elegance of my ideas. The Director of Engineering apparently shared this weakness since he arranged a most unwelcome transfer to Personnel Records six months into my job. That foolish move cost him a brilliant young technologist who graduated near the top of his class. It nearly cost me my career. Read on…

Last month we offered all our readers the opportunity to complete a complimentary Leadership Emotional Intelligence Assessment (the LEQ). We would like to thank all of you who took up the offer. We had an overwhelming response, and many of you should already have received your completed assessments. Please feel free to share with us any feedback you may have on the content and presentation of the assessment.

The LEQ Assessment is an integral part of our new workshop, The Leader Within — an intense, one-day training experience designed to provide a solid foundation for those seeking to significantly accelerate their development as leaders. Rather than simply studying the practices and approaches of successful leaders, this workshop takes participants on a deeper journey into their inner world where they will learn to tap the enormous power of their emotions and moods. Through the course of the day, they will discover how Leadership Emotional Intelligence is the primary determinant of a leader’s ability to effectively influence others. They will learn to recognize their own emotions in a wide variety of interpersonal circumstances, respond to these emotions in ways that enhance their leadership, become aware of the emotions of others, and be a positive, energizing force within their organization. Read on…