Gifted Leaders

Who’s Got Your Back? - Part II

“The more I work on my own life and help others on the path toward success the more I see the importance of loving relationships.” - Dan Miller

Here are several other quotes from Dan Miller's e-Newsletter on the importance of supportive relationships:

“If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair.” - Samuel Johnson

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” - Henri Nouwen

“Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” - Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859

What are you doing to keep your friendships/relationships “in constant repair?”

Who’s Got Your Back? - Part I

“Success cannot be achieved in isolation. It is the result of combined efforts – yours and that of many others around you. Look for ways to strengthen your relationships and your success will soar.” - Dan Miller

Dan Miller shared the following in his 48 days e-Newsletter on July 28 ...

Last Thursday my daughter and I drove down to Atlanta to attend author Keith Ferrazzi's presentation on his new book, Who's Got Your Back? 

Keith talked about the critical importance of having 3 deep personal relationships and said that if you have these 3 trusting relationships you are set up to experience a disproportionate level of success. In the research for the book he found that roughly 50% of Americans could not identify one person who has their back.

If you’re struggling, perhaps the next step in releasing your success is not another degree, a guaranteed salary, a bank loan, a secure patent or a winning lottery ticket – but rather a friend you can confide in.

Who's got your back?

Susan Scott Talks Fierce Leadership

“If you want to be a great leader, you must gain the capacity to connect with others at a deep level - or lower your aim.” - Susan Scott

In a video promoting her new book, Fierce Leadership, author Susan Scott contrasts the old adage that a leader should ensure growth at all costs with a growing recognition that human connectivity is the primary “means” to drive that growth. Watch the video on the Fierce Leadership web site ...

What's your capacity for connectivity?

Tips for Hiring Leaders

“Good leaders need to be able to connect to all of those around them. This is especially true because we have a very team-oriented culture. When I'm hiring leaders, I pay a lot of attention to what their peers and what people who report to them say about them. We want people who relate well with their peers and cooperate in an exchange of information rather than being overly competitive.” - John Mackey, CEO Whole Foods

In a feature last month on Inc.com, John Mackey of Whole Foods Markets shared his answer to the question, “What traits should I look for when hiring for a leadership position?”  I really think his response should apply to hiring anyone for any position.

In addition to looking for classic character virtues, Mackey also selects for people with a high degree of emotional intelligence. He says, “For leadership positions, emotional intelligence is more important than cognitive intelligence. People with emotional intelligence usually have lots of cognitive intelligence, but that’s not always true the other way around.”

What are you doing to select for and/or develop emotional intelligence in your leaders?  What are you doing to develop your own emotional intelligence?