The Biology of Leadership and Group Performance
A recent article published in Harvard Business Review by Daniel Goleman (a highly influential scholar in the area of Emotional Intelligence) and Richard Boyatzis argues that leaders can improve group performance by understanding the biology of empathy. They define Social intelligence as a set of interpersonal competencies, built on specific neural circuits that inspire people to be effective. They describe how the brain’s mirror neurons enable a person to reproduce the emotions he/she detects in others. This results in an instant sense of shared experience, and this phenomenon is well documented in the Organizational studies literature. Such a shared experience based on empathy can help leaders to strengthen interpersonal skills and ultimately retain the key talent. According to Goleman and Boyatzis, other social neurons include spindle cells (allowing leaders to quickly choose the best way to respond to someone), and oscillators (used to synchronize people’s physical movements). They believe that great leaders are those whose behaviors powerfully leverage this complex system of brain interconnectedness. A specific advice offered to leaders is to strengthen their social circuitry and work hard at altering their behavior.
The authors provide an example of an executive who became socially smarter by embracing a change program that comprised a 360-degree evaluation, intensive coaching and long-term collaboration with a mentor. These actions have resulted in stronger relationships with colleagues, better performance and a promotion.
Two phases of my EXCELLENCE model use various leading edge techniques for increasing emotional and social intelligence, from Psychological Kinesiology and Sedona Method to Emotional Freedom Techniques and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which can be combined to achieve powerful changes in social intelligence (interpersonal excellence) and group performance.
