Spirituality and emotional IQ can drive business

Boston Business Journal - by Jay S. Sidhu

John Ruskin said: "Education does not mean just teaching people what they do not know, it also means teaching people to behave as they do not behave."

Today, more than 150 years later, Mr. Ruskin's words still ring true, as it is no longer enough to just have a high IQ. In fact, new research at Harvard University reveals that 90 percent to 95 percent of success now depends upon Emotional Intelligence — EQ or EI — and only 5 percent to 10 percent on IQ.

Emotional Intelligence is developing universal values of dignity and trust gained through open and honest communications. It is adding intelligence to emotions and gaining wisdom.

My own personal journey has convinced me that you cannot reach your potential as a leader if you are not using your potential as a human being first. And you can't achieve your potential as a human being if you are not authentic.

And yet companies and organizations across this country invest about $25 billion a year on training for technical skills and very little on developing authentic leadership skills. I call it the "Great Training Robbery."

My experience has been that "authentic leadership" can be developed and should be considered as a viable option for you, personally, and your team members. Authentic leadership based upon emotional intelligence, leads to mutual trust and respect and sustainable superior performance.

There are four conditions of authenticity, and none of them will come as a surprise to you. In fact, they are traits our parents and mentors instilled in us during our development years. They are:

The absence of defensiveness.

The absence of manipulation or the presence of truthfulness.

The presence of sincere empathy.

The presence of values.

Couple those traits with what I identify as the five components of emotional intelligence-based authentic leadership and you are creating greatness.

The five components are:

Self-awareness: The ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, drives and values as well as their realistic effect on others.