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

ARE YOU A STAR PERFORMER OR JUST AVERAGE? 59
18-year-olds were evaluated, researchers compared the “grabbers”
versus “those who waited.” It turns out that the “grabbers” grew
into young adults who displayed tendencies to fall apart more easily
under stress, pick fi ghts more often, and have less resistance to
temptation in the pursuit of their goals than “those who waited.” 81
A surprising fi nding was that “those who waited” also scored an
average of 210 points higher on their SAT tests than the “grabbers”
did. The amygdala is the source of emotional impulse and distraction.
When mediated by the prefrontal lobes—the source of the
working memory, executive function, and the capacity to pay attention
to what is on your mind—a performer manifests discipline and
the ability to put off urges and stay focused with the task at hand.
The “grabbers” and “those who waited” continued to be
studied into their late 20s. The researchers discovered that “those
who waited” were more intellectually skilled and attentive, better
able to concentrate and develop close relationships, and displayed
more self-control, dependability, and responsibility in the face of
frustration. 82
STRETCHING STRENGTHS: GOING FROM GOOD
TO GREAT LEADERSHIP
There has been a convergence of thought in the last 10-12 years
that the best way to be happy and more successful is to identify
what you do well and do more of it, and get others to do what you
don’t excel at. Below are some of the experts’ thoughts on leadership
and why focusing on your strengths is so important for your
development plan.
First, one defi nition of “a strength” is: “a pattern of behavior,
thoughts, and feelings that produces a high degree of satisfaction
and pride; generates both psychic and/or fi nancial reward; and presents
measurable progress toward excellence.” 83
In The Extraordinary Leader, Zenger and Folkman studied a
database of 200,000 questionnaires completed on more than 20,000