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Bookshelf Bosses with Heart Here's an interesting fact that pops up about one-third of the way through Primal Leadership, a new book that examines how a business leader's interpersonal skills can save or destroy a company: "Interviews with 2 million employees at 700 American companies found that what determines how long employ- ees stay—and how productive they are—is the quality of their relation- ship with their immediate boss." Other facts presented throughout the text shore up this statement. People who love their jobs tend to work harder and be more produc- tive; people who hate their bosses generally don't love their jobs. Simple math leads to the conclusion that great bosses create successful companies. Many of ing. Only the bosses who rely on emotional intelligence, in their view, will be successful over the long haul. The authors use recent scientific knowledge about the brain's oper- ating systems to add more weight to their theories. They examine neu- rological mechanisms—the triggers that cause anxiety, satisfaction, and other emotions—and how these operate in a modern business setting. Laughter isn't just a product of off- hand joking; it cements alliances, defuses stress, and increases produc- tivity. On the other hand, stress is a poison that can spill over into every aspect of an employee's life, ruining not just his working hours but his home life. A good boss knows which emotional levers to pull. Goleman and his team have divid- Annie McKee, are those that were catalogued in Goleman's Emotional Intelligence. The writers explain "leadership competencies" such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, and they persuasively show how essential it is for any good manager to possess these skills. The authors also dissect six distinct approaches to leadership— visionary, coaching, affiliative, dem- ocratic, pacesetting, and command- 58 the qualities that determine a great boss, according to authors Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and ed their book into several sections, first identifying the traits of an excel- lent leader, then discussing how to create such a leader, and then how to deploy emotionally intelligent work- ers in teams. Throughout the book, real-life examples abound of leaders who exemplify the qualities of emo- tional intelligence, from former GE head Jack Welch to Yankees coach Joe Torre. Anyone who reads the book and supervises even one or two employees will find himself asking just what his style of leadership is— and how he might improve it. (Harvard Business Press, $25.95) Trained to Succeed Training adds value to employees, makes them more productive, and ultimately has a positive effect on a company's bottom line. Or does it? Poorly managed training can disrupt a regular work routine, cause resent- ment on the part of employees, and fail to create any improvement in BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2002 principles: It focuses on strategic leverage; it links overall organiza- tional goals to training objectives; it assumes that learning and perform- ance are related; it devises training strategies that best suit a company's performance objectives; and it designs responsive learning solu- tions. Brinkerhoff and Apking assess the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning and distance learning options, and stress that e-learning works best when combined with some classroom experience. They provide "maps" that help managers decide what goals they are trying to achieve with employee training and how to focus the employee's experi- ence. They also discuss how to eval- uate the success of employee train- ing. Employers spend $300 billion annually to give their employees additional training, according to the authors—and making sure that every dollar is wisely spent is part of their mission in this book. (Perseus Publishing, $30) worthwhile, they maintain, is when it brings about an improvement in performance that is specifically linked to the employee's job and the overall goals of the company. It is even more effective if the employee understands beforehand what part of his job will be enhanced by this par- ticular training session, and if his manager follows up with him after- ward to make sure new skills and techniques are applied on the job. High impact learning follows five The only time training is truly job skills at all. So say Robert O. Brinkerhoff and Anne M. Apking in the book High Impact Learning.