Cary Cherniss, co-author of Leading with Feeling: Nine Strategies of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership,  is Director and Co-Chair of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations and Professor of Applied Psychology Emeritus at Rutgers University. He has published over 70 scholarly articles and book chapters as well as seven books. In addition to his research and writing, Dr. Cherniss has consulted with many organizations in both the public and private sectors. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University. In this episode, he shares stories from Leading with Feeling to paint a picture of how effective leaders use emotional intelligence.

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Show Notes

• “When I think of leadership, I think of a very effective shepherd. A really good shepherd is there to guide, protect, and correct.” [3:00] What does it mean to be a good leader? Robb Holman helps Marcel kick off the episode by discussing the elements of good leadership.
• “Whatever you can do to remain committed in a place and foster a culture within your team dynamics of getting to know the person before the professional, leads to a more unified team.”[11:44] Robb shares his thoughts on the mailbag segment question leading into Marcel’s point about healthy working relationships and culture where it’s safe to ask for help.
• “Emotional Intelligence is the ability to accurately perceive, understand, use, and manage our own emotions and those of other people.” [21:58] It’s a buzzword, overused and with some controversy but guest and author Cary Cherniss clears the air with a definition of Emotional Intelligence, as he and Marcel discuss its application in leadership. 
• “It’s not just being aware of your emotional surroundings…outstanding leaders [monitor the emotional climate] periodically.” [25:10] If a leader is not able to “read the room” and monitor the emotional climate, no intervention can lead to tension and larger problems in the workplace allowing negative emotions or conflict to grow. 
• “Enthusiasm is probably the most important [feeling that leaders should be showing more of].” [33:51] What does Enthusiasm really mean? A genuine expression of enthusiasm as a leader is not only about showing your excitement but your authentic positive mindset and optimism. Regardless of your personality type whether introvert or extrovert you can express enthusiasm in your own way to impact the people around you.
• “Keep in mind that the people who are looking up to you are going to imitate how you’re feeling.” [39:45] For leaders who are experiencing a difficult time like extensive layoffs, your remaining staff will feed off of your emotions. Cary shares a story from the book about how one leader gave space for herself and her team to discuss their feelings about a big lay off and then influenced a positive shift by looking to the future with a discussion on what was next for the company. 

The Book:

Mentioned in this episode:

• Leading with Feeling – Cary Cherniss; Cornelia Roche – Oxford University Press
• Cary Cherniss | GSAPP
• Robb Holman
• Marcel Schwantes

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