Leaders—Here is the Key Difference Between Success and Failure

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0yhHKWUa0g]

In this six minute TED talk, Joachim de Posada, author of Don’t Eat The Marshmallow Yet!: The Secret to Sweet Success in Work and Life, shares a telling experiment on delayed gratification — and how it can predict future success. This must see video of kids trying their hardest not to eat the marshmallow is very funny and teaches an important lesson for leaders, the key difference between success and failure is not merely hard work or superior intelligence, but the ability to delay gratification. The results demonstrated that the child who could wait fifteen minutes had an S.A.T. score that was, on average, two hundred and ten points higher than that of the kid who could wait only thirty seconds. You can read more at http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/18/090518fa_fact_lehrer#ixzz0z2klJL8C

This video made me think about Emotional Intelligence; specifically, impulse control. A Harvard University study reveals that up to 95% of success in leadership is attributed to Emotional Intelligence.
Study after study build the case that emotional intelligence significantly contributes to the bottom line. In fact, there are numerous case studies of specific, measurable, and scientifically validated results from American Express, US Air Force, Center for Creative Leadership, that substantiate the link for:

  • Higher sales and  profits
  • Increased performance
  • Improved customer satisfaction
  • Decreased attrition rates
  • Reduction in training costs

If you are in NYC and interested in improving your emotional intelligence, Vistage NYC is offering a 4 hour workshop on September 29.