Now more than ever we need leaders to practice emotional intelligence. This is something I heard time and time again when interviewing CEOs for The Future Leader. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your own emotions and the emotions of others. It’s moving past the hard skills of leadership to the “softer side” that allows you to connect with people on a deeper level.
As the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos’ net worth is larger than some countries’ GDPs—combined.
But what does the Amazon founder and CEO view as the top sign of intelligence? It’s not money or prestige—it’s the ability to admit when you are wrong.
Emotional intelligence is the foundation of Bezos’ strong leadership and one of the reasons he and his company are so successful. He leads in a way that recognizes and celebrates the softer sides of business and puts him in charge of his emotions. Emotional intelligence or as I like to call it in my book, the skill of Yoda, is one of the most important skills that a leaders can possess.