Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Hands-On ... - always yours

190 LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
and job satisfaction, more opportunities for promotion and pay
increases, and lower rates of turnover. 1
Developing Others is a vital skill for all levels within your organization,
but a study of supervisors, managers, and executives in 12
large companies reveals that the greatest impact is with supervisors
and also affects both sales people and line staff. 2 Research shows
that as managers and executives move up in their careers, they spend
a greater amount of time away from the line (and their specific job
skills) and their leadership skills become more essential.
In superior managers, excellence in Developing Others is second
next to team leadership. 3 Star Performers understand the value of
this competence. The relationship with one’s boss is one of the best
predictors for how long a person stays at a job, and an essential part
of that relationship is the sense that your boss sees your potential
and wants you to succeed. Spherion and Lou Harris Associates
found that only 11% of the employees who rated their bosses as
“excellent” said they were likely to look for a different job in the next
year. However, 40% of those who rated their bosses as “poor” said
they were likely to leave. So, people with good bosses are four times
less likely to leave than are those with poor bosses. 4
One of the questions I ask in many of my leadership trainings is
about a person’s best boss. What did he or she do and say? How did
he or she influence you? It is always enlightening to hear the specific
practices, some micro and some macro, that have had a powerful
impact on these individuals. After asking these questions of hundreds
of leaders, a pattern has emerged. The individuals adopt the
practices of their “best boss.” Their thinking is, “It worked well for
me and should work well for others I supervise.” Typically these are
essential practices like the ones we are discussing here. The fact that
people remember and repeat these practices illuminates the power
and influence every leader has on his or her people. If you start doing
a few micro-initiatives right now, not only are you having an immediate
impact on your people but you are also influencing the next generation
of leaders who will pass your practices on to their followers.