Max is a successful financial officer at a New York-based company
that recently acquired a banking institution in two southern
states. Max will take over the recently acquired southern footprint
as the new regional CEO.
The newly acquired banking institution has a long-standing
reputation as a friendly institution with traditional values, and
it prides itself on its exemplary customer service. The current
staff has prepared a comprehensive package outlining the bank's
vision and key customer success stories that demonstrate their
commitment to exemplary service and low customer and employee
turnover.
It is Monday morning and Max has called a meeting at 8 a.m. Max
arrives at 7 a.m. and is surprised to find only a couple of
employees in the building. Max begins the meeting at 8 a.m. sharp,
and the auditorium seats are half-filled. Max is perplexed at the
turnout but begins the meeting. "Shareholder value is what it's all
about. We are the stewards of this organization, and we have a
responsibility to the shareholders."
Silence echoes in Max's ears. He continues by stating, "I expect
total dedication. If you cannot commit to our new vision and
strategies then this is not the right place for you. Commitment
starts by being on time." Max motioned to the staff standing next
to the auditorium doors to close the doors. "If you can't be here
on time, then you can't play in our sandbox."
Later that afternoon, Max met with the executive team and outlined
the strategies, goals, numbers, and deadlines. A meeting was held
with senior staff members responsible for reporting progress.
Market growth numbers were up, and new business numbers were
increasing.
A quarter later Max had the quarterly report results. The region
was on target. However, turnover increased 25 percent. Involuntary
turnover was up 10 percent. Previous customer numbers were
decreasing, and customer complaints were increasing. He reviewed
the report with his staff. When he asked for input, his request was
greeted with silence. He sensed an uneasy feeling in the room.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is an ability to perceive, assess, and
manage the emotions of yourself and others. Daniel Goleman's
groundbreaking work on emotional intelligence groups leadership
competencies into four buckets: self awareness, self management,
social awareness, and relationship management.
Highly effective leaders incorporate all four competencies.
Remember the following guidelines when working on leadership and
organizational effectiveness projects:
- Stop and find out the purpose. Is it feasible to link this
initiative to business goals and help drive results?
- Find executive champions and internal stakeholders who can open
the doors to link the initiative to business goals and drive
results.
- Determine existing structures and systems that will support the
initiative with transparency.
- Use assessment tools.
- Incorporate emotional intelligence behaviors to existing
learning initiatives.
- Establish a leadership program to help drive results.
- Incorporate a coaching and action-planning process.
- Assess your reward and recognition systems.
How would you rate Max's emotional intelligence? By remembering the
four competencies of emotional intelligence, his quarterly results
numbers may have been different.