Episode 179: Strategic Expertise vs. Emotional Intelligence—Which Drives Leadership Success?

Published: January 7, 2026

Details

Emotional intelligence has dominated leadership conversations for years—and for good reason. Leaders who listen, empathize, and build strong relationships create healthier, more engaged teams. But what if EQ isn’t the primary capability driving leadership effectiveness?

Drawing on a global dataset of 128,000 leaders and 360-degree feedback from over a million raters, they explore what happens when strategic perspective and emotional intelligence are placed head-to-head.

This episode reframes a long-standing leadership debate and offers a practical roadmap for leaders and organizations deciding where to focus their development efforts next. If you’re responsible for building leaders who can navigate complexity, inspire confidence, and lead through uncertainty, this conversation may change how you think about leadership capability altogether.

Register for our upcoming webinar on this topic.

Key Points

1. Strategic Perspective Is a Leadership Multiplier

While emotional intelligence remains important, strategic perspective magnifies a leader’s overall effectiveness. Leaders strong in strategy outperform across 14 critical leadership behaviors—far more than leaders who rely primarily on EQ.

2. Strategic Clarity Enhances Communication and Trust

Contrary to popular belief, leaders with strong strategic thinking communicate more powerfully and inspire greater commitment. Clear reasoning behind decisions reduces uncertainty and builds trust across teams.

3. EQ Alone Doesn’t Drive Innovation or Change

Leaders high in EQ but low in strategic capability outperform in only two areas—integrity and collaboration. Without strategic perspective, leaders struggle to innovate, take risks, and champion meaningful change.

4. Empathy Is Most Effective When Paired with Direction

Caring about people isn’t enough. Strategic leaders ground empathy in action by helping teams understand where the organization is headed and how they fit into the future.

5. Strategic Capability Can Be Developed—At Every Level

Strategic thinking isn’t reserved for executives. Through coaching, scenario planning, and cross-functional exposure, leaders at all levels can build strategic perspective and dramatically increase their impact.

Webinar

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:11 — 9.3MB)

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