Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? A Better Way to Evaluate Leadership Potential

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Emotional Intelligence

History is full of men who might have conquered the world if only they could have conquered themselves. Napoleon was a military genius whose hubris led to bitter defeat. Henry VIII was a multitalented intellectual, but his lust, vanity, insecurity, and indulgence led to six marriages, binge-eating, wild mood swings, and near-disaster for the English treasury.

Modern leaders are just as likely to let their inner demons get the best of them. Nixon was undone by his own paranoia. Marion Barry Jr., who twice became mayor of Washington, D.C., saw his career marred by an addiction to cocaine. Arizona senator John McCain's reputation as a fiery maverick appealed to independent voters when he ran for president, but many others ...