A Coach's Guide to Emotional Intelligence: Strategies for Developing Successful Leaders

Citation

Lui, K. (2009), "A Coach's Guide to Emotional Intelligence: Strategies for Developing Successful Leaders", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 194-195. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590910939085

Book synopsis

The purpose of this book is to help coaches become familiar with emotional intelligence or, what is commonly referred to in the text as, emotional and social effectiveness. The authors hope that coaches can integrate this new‐found knowledge in their work with individuals to help with self exploration and development. As stated, this book will “…facilitate new learning that will stimulate your thoughts, memories, and curiosity about emotional and social effectiveness in ways that invigorate your coaching practice with new insight and elegant interventions” (p. 15).

The book consists of 11 chapters organized into the Introduction and four parts:

1. 1.

   Emotional Intelligence as a Foundation for Effective Coaching.

2. 2.

   Building Emotional and Social Effectiveness Strategies in Your Client.

3. 3.

   Developing the Coach.

4. 4.

   Case Studies.

Each part begins with a short introduction preparing the reader for subsequent chapters within the theme of each part. For example, Part 1 contains 2 chapters that help lay the foundation for a coaching method that integrates knowledge about emotional intelligence (EI), and, increasingly more important, the business case for developing EI. A noteworthy Harvard Business Review (2003, p. 5) quote reminds the reader, “In hard times, the soft stuff often goes away. But emotional intelligence, it turns out, isn't so soft… (it) isn't a luxury you can dispense with in tough times…it's…the key to professional success.”

The five chapters in Part 2 discuss 5 areas that are the building blocks for emotional and social effectiveness; valuing self, valuing others, responsive awareness, courage, and authentic success. Chapter 3, Valuing Self, explores how self‐confidence and self‐worth contribute to workplace success. Responsive awareness is the theme for Chapter 5. Contained within this chapter are descriptions of emotional literacy components such as reading yourself, reading others, and reading the environment, also known as political savvy. Reflective practices are well laid out with specific strategies coaches can develop with their clients. For example with somatic awareness, coaches can ask “What is your body telling you?”. Paying attention to your body and integrating that with emotional awareness can contribute towards robust effectiveness.

Two chapters make up Part 3, Emotions as a New Field of Learning, and Developing Your Own Emotional Awareness as a Coach. These chapters speak directly to the coach mandating self development via emotional awareness. Lastly case studies discussed in Chapters 10 and 11 provide examples of leadership coaching in a variety of US Federal Government Agencies and small businesses.

Evaluation

On the scholar practitioner continuum this book leans towards praxis with limited peer‐reviewed sources. This seems to mirror Joo's (2005) claim of limited empirical evidence about executive coaching's impact and disagreement about qualifications for coaches. However, there is a level of complexity that the authors', thankfully, do not dilute.

Emotional and social effectiveness is difficult stuff for coaches. Their discussion and utilization of an EI instrument, the EQ‐i (BarOn) is commendable. In a comprehensive review of validity of the major EI tests, McEnrue and Groves (2006, p. 11) discuss the EQ‐i's strength in its “conceptual and theoretical underpinnings based on broader concepts and theories”. They support utilization of this measure for assessing employee fit via career development and job placement.

Furthermore, Terrell and Hughes (2008, p. 156) astutely discuss the current state of affairs with the coaching profession: “One of the biggest challenges facing the coaching profession today is that anyone can call him‐ or herself a coach… whether they have any training… and whether or not they are competent”.

Contributing co‐authors: Olalla, Lupberger, and Salmon provide a nice blend of practice examples based upon their experience. The case examples typically take the form of a dialogue between a coach and coachee. However, all case examples end happily: although understandable, this tends to provide a limited view of the coaching process. In reality, real life can be messy and dialogue among professionals is enriched by stories with less than happy endings.

In the author's own words

Gentle irreverence is the capacity to be suspicious of any “reasons” you tell yourself why you haven't achieved what you are seeking to achieve. It is the capacity to be suspicious of yourself when you fall into having answers for your clients' concerns. It is the capacity, in the most intense coaching conversation, to have a good laugh, not out of disrespect but because you truly see the clients' expression and exploration of their concerns as opportunities for new learning…nothing less, nothing more…The practice of gentle irreverence takes courage, enormous compassion, and especially lightness, because you are tampering with sacred cows of explanations and reasons for why things are the way they are (p. 153).