Jean had the credentials. Solid academic preparation for her ministry role in a large congregation. High IQ. Two years of experience that had polished her technical proficiency. Nevertheless six months after she began, her supervisor concluded no amount of mentoring would remedy the deficiencies in her job performance.

Karen accepted another staff position in the same congregation. She possessed neither formal education nor experience in this ministry role. Her IQ was average. After six months, though, church members were telling her supervisor, "She is the best we've ever had. I hope we can keep her forever."

The four key predictors of vocational success—specialized skill, IQ, academic training, and experience—do not guarantee effectiveness as a leader.

A fifth quality, which some call emotional intelligence, must accompany the first four. This leadership quality is so potent it can to some extent compensate for the absence of the other four.

An explosive increase in leadership ...