When I think about leadership I find that I agree with John Maxwell, (internationally recognised leadership expert, speaker and author), when he says that leadership is about influence, nothing more and nothing less.
One of the ways to gain influence is to become an expert on understanding the effect that you have on others when you interact with them, and what changes you should make for your interaction to be a positive experience for both parties. This is something that can be learned, although it can be hard to do so without appropriate self awareness or the help of others.
Social Intelligence is not as well known as Emotional Intelligence and confusion remains between the two of them. Salovey & Mayer (1990) described Emotional Intelligence as a form of Social Intelligence that involves the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and action.
This is a fantastic description and accurately describes how Emotional Intelligence relates to the individual. I see Social Intelligence as the ability of taking Emotional Intelligence and applying it to social situations. It concerns itself with how you interact with others and how you assess the situations/environments around you, to achieve a win/win solution or best agreed alternative solution. Social Intelligence is also about how you respond to the different situations and environments that you find yourself in.
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