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BEST PRACTICES & STRATEGIES

Why EQ Matters to Leadership Next, they need to be enlisted in forming the tactics you
will employ to accomplish the strategy. Since they are
Pro leaders must have the ability to influence others to the product designers, they will want to have shared
follow them, and the most important ingredient in influ- ownership of the product before they follow your lead
ence is relationship. The key to a winning relationship is and buy into your vision. Once you have satisfied their
winning the heart, and doing so is not possible without intellect, you are free to win their hearts.
EQ. You may have a high IQ and natural giftedness in
your vocation, but if you are unable to influence oth- The second player type is the EQ-dominant individual.
ers—you may be effective as a manager—you will nev- This person is also a position player. You will most of-
er be a leader. ten find them in advertising and creative positions, cli-
ent service, marketing and sales—critical roles if a
Remember, leadership is about people, and people will company is to be successful. Rarely will they build a
follow with their head for only so long before they even- product, but their EQ is invaluable in product develop-
tually grow weary and peel off or fade away. But if, ment, specifically in refining products in order to bring
through your relational abilities, they feel your love and forward the product the market is demanding. These
care for them, they will follow you even when times get individuals are valuable because they understand the
tough. That is why it is vital to your leadership to allow basic truth that no one has ever bought anything; they
your EQ to lead. are sold on something.

But EQ alone won’t be enough. In fact, it must be bal- To lead EQ-dominant players, a leader must always
anced with IQ. Although IQ is not a natural leader attrib- start with the heart. You must offer a creative vision
ute, and as a result is best relegated to the back seat, it and strategy and they must see you as the courage
is important to the success of any enterprise. Your role behind the plan. They want to be led, from their heart to
as leader will be to balance both EQ and IQ, to manage their head. And while you must appeal first to their cre-
the balance and tension between the two. That balanc- ative side, you may not ignore their rational side be-
ing act will be manifested through how your team works cause that is where their fears exist. As their leader,
together. they will naturally look to you for courage and to help
them overcome their fears.
Recall that EQ builds companies and IQ builds prod-
ucts; it is not possible to have one without the other. At The third type of player on your roster will be what I
the same time, one is not valued over and above the define as EQ/IQ flexible. Every great leader I have met
other. Although the theme of this lesson is to let your or studied fell into this category. The defining character-
EQ lead, that does not make it more valuable than IQ— istic of this person is her ability to balance EQ and IQ—
both are required to win. specifically, having the ability to discern which attribute
needs application to a particular circumstance and to
3 Types of Players execute the proper timing of the use of the attribute. In
athletics, this is called hand-eye coordination. All ath-
When filtering for EQ and IQ, there are three categories letes have it to one degree or another, and the degree
of people you will find. I have worked with, followed, or to which they do is what separates the amateur from
led all of these: EQ dominant; IQ dominant; and EQ/IQ the professional. EQ/IQ flexible personalities have the
flexible. A strong culture, organization and team will ability to walk into a room and immediately judge the
have all three types of players on their roster. Where chemistry, while subsequently activating the attribute
the two dominant types will normally be position play- most suited to the current environment. Whether a
ers, most pro leaders will be flexible. Let me explain. board room or a lunchroom, they are comfortable in
both environments because they have the ability to
To be great a company, you must add value through adapt instantly to each environment.
offering a great product. IQ builds products. People
who are IQ dominant have high IQs—a natural gift that, This is my personality type and, as a result, I find these
when applied, results in great products that add value people the most difficult to lead. Nevertheless, to lead
to people’s lives. Consider the advances in medicine, EQ/IQ personalities effectively, start with their heart by
science and technology. None would have been possi- appealing to their deepest motivations. But don’t stop
ble without the work of IQ-dominant people. there. You will need to follow with the logical argument
as you clearly build your case. If you win them to your
To successfully lead an IQ-dominant player, you will
need to first satisfy their intellect through a clear and cause, they will become your greatest ally because
rational articulation of your vision and strategy. they will naturally become spokespersons for that
cause. However, this is a two-edged sword.

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