1:45 p.m., March 13, 2003--One of the nation’s top experts on organizational leadership, Richard E. Boyatzis, professor of organizational behavior and chair of the Department of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, will be the first speaker in the Spring 2003 Chaplin Tyler Executive Leadership Lecture Series at the University of Delaware.

Boyatzis’ lecture, “Developing Leadership Without Emotional Intelligence is Like Dancing Without Rhythm,” begins at 3 p.m., Friday, March 14, in 125 MBNA America Hall.

Emotional intelligence refers to how leaders handle themselves and their relationships.

Boyatzis’ international bestseller, “Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence,” coauthored by Daniel Goleman and Annie McKee, explains that a leader's emotions are contagious and must resonate enthusiasm if an organization is to thrive.

“The primary task of a leader is to drive the emotions of employees in a positive way to bring out everyone’s best,” they write in “Primal Leadership.” “Emotionally intelligent leaders do this by tuning into their own feelings as well as those of their employees and then guiding them in the right direction. The result is ‘resonance—a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people.’ This is the leader’s responsibility, of course, because ‘people take their cues from the top.’”

Boyatzis has his doctorate and master’s degree in social psychology from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT.

Before joining the faculty at Case Western, Boyatzis was president and CEO of McBer & Co., on the board of directors of the Reliance Consulting Group and the Hay Group. He is the author of many articles on human motivation, self-directed behavior change, leadership, value trends, managerial competencies, power, alcohol and aggression. His books include “The Competent Manager: A Model for Effective Performance and Innovations in Professional Education” and “Steps on a Journey from Teaching to Learning” with S.S. Cowen & D.A. Kolb.

For more information about the lecture, call 831-2221.

Article by Barbara Garrison