Many people know that at Junto, we define leadership as “moving people in the direction we’re going.” Where we’re going is the vision we have for our company, and the direction is provided by our strategies and tactics. In my experience, both as a leader and working with so many over the years, those are the easy parts of the definition. The hardest is moving people. First, we believe there is physical moving, defined by the work we ask our teams to do in order to head in the direction we’re going: the tasks, activities, and projects that result from our strategies and tactics. As leaders, we stimulate this physical moving by closing deals, establishing priorities, teaching our teams, managing their performance, acquiring tools and resources, etc. Much of this falls into the definition of “management” or is a reflection of our seniority and/or authority in the business. Second, we believe there is the emotional moving, defined by the mindset and behaviors we want our teams to have in order to head in the direction we’re going: working as a team, communicating effectively, being productive, staying focused, being problem-solvers, etc. As leaders, we stimulate this emotional moving by crafting our vision-mission-values, inspiring and influencing our team members, reminding them of the big picture, celebrating small wins, and appreciating the work they do. What distinguishes leaders from managers – and what makes some leaders great – is the ability to harmonize the physical moving with the emotional moving. And when you have the gift of being a more emotionally intelligent leader, you have an unfair advantage to do that.
