When we consider what it means to be a successful leader in business, traits such as 'drive', 'determination', and a 'will to succeed' crop up again and again. However, these positive attributes cannot exist in isolation.
So what exactly is emotional intelligence? Schools across the world are waking up to its power and increasing numbers of countries are recognising the importance of building emotional intelligence into their curricula. Why is this?
Great leaders are imperious. Great leaders are infallible. Great leaders are something more than human. This is the narrative that hero-worship has pushed upon us in the past, and, of course, it is somewhat far from the truth. A great leader is a great person, certainly, but they are still a person. And what do people do? People make mistakes.