Studies in Emotional Intelligence Redefine Our Approach to Leadership Development

This article references the work of Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, Working with Emotional Intelligence, and co-author of Primal Leadership, creating an awareness of the contrast that exists between traditional training approaches and self-directed learning as we pursue leadership development. The emotional intelligence premise is overviewed and linked to the discussion of demonstrating a return on investment in our organizations as we deploy training programs to impact performance. The author contends that our traditional deployment of leadership development/communication skills training fails to produce sustainable change in behaviors and supports Goleman's initiatives to invest in the emotional intelligence of leaders with individualized plans to impact the climate and performance of an organization.