I just read this article by Chip Conley called The Top 10 Emotionally-Intelligent Fortune 500 CEOs. Emotional Intelligence is the basis for staying in the Smart Zone so I was intrigued to see who Mr. Conley selected.
On his Top 10 list (in alphabetical order) are:
Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com)
Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway)
Ursula Burns (Xerox)
Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan Chase)
John Donahoe (eBay)
Larry Fink (BlackRock)
Alan Mulally (Ford)
Indra Nooyi (Pepsi)
Howard Schultz (Starbucks)
Ken Thirty (DaVita)
Mr. Conley points out the 4 cornerstones of Emotional Intelligence which are self awareness, self management, social awareness and relationship management. Conversely, people with high Emotional Intelligence can also be exceptionally poor leaders. They can be bullies who intimidate the workforce and create fear-based environments. The same Emotional Intelligence qualities that enable people to motivate people can be used negatively to intimidate people. And it can be similar to the effects of beer. Watch this video where I explain how Emotional Intelligence is like beer. The Top 10 CEOs have channeled their emotional intelligence in a productive manner. And actually most people do. It's also worth noting that you can improve your emotional intelligence with practice. Who knows - you could be the next CEO in this list!