Why using the Leadership 360 was an important step towards self-awareness in asset management. 

Background and Challenge

In the dynamic and highly competitive world of investment management, effective leadership is crucial for success. Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a pivotal role in leadership effectiveness, influencing interpersonal relationships, decision-making, and overall team performance. This case study explores a recent Emotional Intelligence 360 Assessment conducted with a fund manager, referred to as “John,” to identify strengths, areas for improvement, and the subsequent development plan.

John is a seasoned investment management professional with over 15 years of experience. He holds a prominent leadership position within a leading financial institution and manages a team of portfolio managers and analysts. Although John has a strong track record of achieving financial goals, his team has encountered challenges related to cohesion, motivation, and communication. It was believed that enhancing John’s emotional intelligence could potentially address these issues and elevate his leadership effectiveness.

Solution

Developed by MHS, the Emotional Intelligence 360 Assessment was administered to gather feedback from John’s peers, direct reports, and superiors. The assessment evaluated John’s EI competencies across the 5 scales of emotional intelligence of the EQ-I 2.0, including self-awareness, self-expression, interpersonal, decision making, and stress management. In addition to a self-assessment, anonymous surveys were distributed to 10 colleagues, 5 direct reports, and 1 immediate manager who had worked closely with John over the past year. 

Findings

Upon completion of this assessment, John met again with his coach, to discuss the key findings and blind spots.

1. Strengths in Self-Awareness: John demonstrated a high level of self-awareness, recognising his emotions and their impact on his decision-making. This self-awareness contributed to his ability to effectively manage stress and maintain composure during high-pressure situations. John’s direct reports scored John slightly lower than he scored himself.
2. Areas for Improvement in Emotional Awareness: John’s emotional awareness scores indicated a need for improvement. His colleagues felt that he could enhance his ability to understand the emotions and perspectives of others, particularly during team interactions and client meetings.
3. Mixed Results in Interpersonal: John’s relationship management skills were rated differently by different groups. While his superiors acknowledged his proficiency in building strategic relationships, his direct reports felt that he could improve in providing feedback and fostering a more inclusive team culture. John found his relationship with his own line manager a challenging one and this was later explored in more depth in his second feedback session with his EQ coach.
4. Need for Enhanced Independence: Although John had a strong foundation in self-awareness, he struggled at times with independence, particularly during high-stress situations. His superiors suggested that he work on maintaining a consistent emotional state and avoiding impulsive reactions.

With focused support from both his coach and his manager, John was able to create a development plan designed specifically to target and develop the areas of lower emotional intelligence and seekout further opportunities to leverage his areas of emotional strength.

John fed back that the experience had been truly life changing, allowing him to stop and reflect and take the action necessary to develop himself to become the best leader he can be.

Want to learn more about the EQ360 and how you can increase leadership effectiveness in your organisation? Learn about the Emotionally Effective Leaders programme.