Milli Murray sent me the following e-mail in response to an item on Emotional Intelligence in the August issue of The Leader Letter. She makes an excellent point on how EI is becoming ever more important. It’s clearly a major factor in leadership effectiveness.

“I really enjoyed the article on Emotional Intelligence. In an age where people are judged and recruited to positions more by their technical abilities and credentials than by their softer skills, it is good to see that research shows you need the emotional intelligence to deal with many of the issues that impact senior management. So often the dollar is the bottom line and the human resources are not considered to be of importance. People with emotional intelligence will recognize that our human resources are our most valuable resource. Without them we don’t travel too far.

I think more and more EI becomes important, particularly in an age where everything is instantaneous and we communicate mainly through electronic mediums. People become isolated in their cubicles and someone who has the emotional intelligence will break through those barriers. Leaders with emotional intelligence will do some of their managing by “walking around”, will get to know their employees, draw them out and get them involved, be personable and approachable, and through actions will let employees know they are valued.

Thanks for sharing your Issues of The Leader Letter – I always enjoy them and share your articles with my colleagues.”

Milli Murray
Director, Special Projects,
Alberta Government