Primal Leadership
Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee
Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston MA, 2002

Goleman's first bestseller was Emotional Intelligence and in this he suggests that the way we handle ourselves and our relationships, coined emotional intelligence (EI) determines life success more than our Intelligence Quotient (IQ). He later went on to discuss the link between career performance and EI.

In this book the argument is that a leader's emotions are contagious both to, and through, an organisation. Interesting, too, that the authors explore and explain how EI leaders use a range of leadership styles, depending on the need or situation, from visionary to coaching to pacesetting, rather than being confined to one particular characteristic.

While there are some good examples and fictional illustrations, this is very much an academic tome, as you would expect from the publishing source. It is not a rainy-day read; take it in small, regular, doses. Nevertheless, there are some excellent points and lessons relative to developing ones own leadership style.

> Back to Reviews List