"Underneath the beautiful exterior there was an element of ruthlessness and toughness that I had trouble either accepting or forgetting."  Hubert H. Humphrey

As the oil spill in the Gulf reaches it's 85th day, I am reminded of what a business colleague once told me.  She had climbed the corporate ladder and reached a certain level.  As part of her entry to the executive suite she was given a battery of assessments.  Upon conclusion, she excitedly entered the meeting only to be told "You Scored Too Low On the Ruthlessness Quotient."  Naturally, she did not advance to the executive ranks.

Listening to the leaders of the BP organization I realized that they, of course, scored high on the Ruthlessness Quotient (RQ). 

Intelligence Quotient - IQ is a measure of a person's intelligence as indicated by a test

Most of us have taken an IQ test in school or at some time in our lives.  It is a standardized test to assess intelligence.   It quantifies how well we will do in certain fields, industries, at college, and beyond. 

Those who score low on the IQ test are considered "not very bright" and are relegated to a special class. 

Those who score high on the IQ test are promoted to a honors class and provided with additional training suitable for their level of intelligence. 

Emotional Quotient - EQ is a model introduced by Daniel Goleman and focuses on EI as an array of competences and skills that drive Leadership Performance

Emotional Intelligence (EI) describes the ability, capacity, skill or in the case of the trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) model, a self-perceived ability, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups.   Emotional competencies are not innate talents, but rather learned capabilities that must be worked on, and can be developed to achieve outstanding performance.

Goleman's best seller Emotional Intelligence:  Why it Can Matter More Than IQ outlines the skill sets necessary to be a successful leader.

The Goleman model focuses on EI as a wide array of competencies and skills that drive leadership performance. Goleman's model outlines four main EI constructs:

1. Self-awareness – the ability to read one's emotions and recognize their impact while using gut feelings to guide decisions.
2. Self-management – involves controlling one's emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances.
3. Social awareness – the ability to sense, understand, and react to others' emotions while comprehending social networks.
   
4. Relationship Management – the ability to inspire, influence, and develop others while managing conflict.

Thousands of companies, millions of employees worldwide, and myriad articles attest to the value outlined in his model.  A quick visit to Harvard Business Review provides extensive material in this regard.  I dare say that the four requirements of his model clearly matches what Social Media is all about today.

Ruthlessness Quotient is another matter entirely

In today's cult of the leader who has grown up in the "it's not personal, it's just business" mindset, there is a phenomenon where a leader is someone who can "come in and shake things up, to provide bottom line results rapidly, regardless of who gets ground up in the process."   The accepted notion is that a leader who uses ruthlessness to obtain results for the bottom line is all right.  "That's what is needed in these tough times" they say, as they look at the next quarter.  Their performance is judged quarterly, and they cannot look at the long term.

The result of this mindset is Enron, Worldcom, and BP oil company CEO Tony Hayward who proclaims after 11 people are dead that he "just wants his life back."  This man then proceeds to attend a sailing race in the kind of clear water that the Gulf will not see for years to come. 

Conversely, anyone who has seen the movie called "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" will remember the traders shutting down electricity in California while laughingly saying "burn baby, burn."  It mattered not to these sociopathic people with their ongoing disregard for, and ongoing violation of others, that families, businesses, and hospitals were without power.  They reveled in their ability to hold an entire state hostage while trading a utility as their personal commodity to make money.

Leadership Aspirations and the IQ, EQ, and RQ Conundrum

If reading this blog post has caused you to wonder if you have the ruthlessness quotient and the ability to lead, consider this.  There are many leaders in the world who are able to manage their organizations from the heart. 

There are companies that practice Servant Leadership which could never be confused with the Ruthlessness Quotient.  Your job is to determine which type or organizational culture you aspire to work in. 

Admittedly in these times leaders have to make tough decisions in order to ensure the survival of the company.  I agree that often it is not a popular decision.  However, it requires the organization to consider the resultant environment in which the survivors must exist on a day-to-day basis.  The human body responds to stress in negative ways, and your corporate culture will reflect your behavior. 

The totality of all these ruthless corporate cultures ultimately destroys their own environment.  They have to live in this world too.  Destroy the competition, and you will find yourself alone.

Take care, as you make these radical decisions, that you don't end up with a soulless organization that repels the best employees, repels customers, and ends up with a even lower revenue stream as the community backlash strikes you down. 


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