Why emotional intelligence is crucial for nation-building (Part 2)

Emotional intelligence as a term was actually coined by two researchers, Peter Salavoy and John Mayer but the concept is largely popularised by Daniel Goleman; a journalist, author, and psychologist. In his riveting book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ – he posited the five components that make up emotional intelligence viz: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Effectively submitting that the recognition, understanding, and deployment of these are critical to improving human relations – in this case, nation-building.

And so using these five imperatives, a nexus can be established between their essence and nation-building. It is the job of leaders who desire a more cohesive and congruent society to integrate these signatures into their playbook.

Identifying The Issues
Self-awareness is the ability to recognize one’s feelings, character, competencies, and idiosyncrasies. It is the state of being able to distinguish oneself from the group and understand the basis of convergence or departure for one’s actions. Applying this to nation-building, it can be said that the role of gatekeepers is to recognize and understand their emotions and those of the people they lead.

Catalonia has been trying to achieve independence from Barcelona for many years.

The underbelly of this agitation for separation is headlined by a perceived political marginalization and economic exploitation; the indifference of global power brokers made it even worse. Like most complicated struggles for self-determination; the panacea may not necessarily come from a court judgment but a political solution might be the magic that unlocks the socio-political re-integration of the breakaway region – there must be adequate courage to answer the gaping existential questions.

The leaders of both regions must enumerate the things that they agree on and have the highest commonality in whether it be in areas of distinct law enforcement arrangement, cultural symbols, the mass exodus of blue chip companies, etc.

Then the weightier and more contentious matters of indirect rule, autonomy, tax redistribution/revenue allocation et al can be thoroughly debated. It starts with an awareness and identification of the problems and the crisis touch points.

Responding To The Issues
Self-regulation is the ability to manage one’s reactions and behaviors such that it remains within the ambits of acceptable socio-political, economic, religious, and cultural thresholds. It is the ability to subject natural responses to the scrutiny of superior arguments and strategic interests especially when viewed through the lenses of nation-building. The more influential blocs should take measured steps in addressing a challenge while the less influential bloc or stakeholders should dispassionately communicate their pain points.

Continuing with the reference to the Catalonia/Spanish crisis, the Spanish government has over the years since the dictatorial rule of General Francisco Franco Bahamonde thwarted the call for self-determination using several tools such as heavy police crackdown on peaceful protesters, bans on independence referendums, perceived predatory taxation, incarceration of key proponents of calls for autonomy and skewed budgetary allocations.

Deploying different and less aggressive approaches to these issues will move the needle toward nation-building much faster. A town hall where representatives of both sides just air their candid opinions about the state of affairs has a more cathartic value than routine paramilitary incursions into dissent strongholds.

Strong Political Will
Motivation is a much-underrated component when it comes to nation-building because knowing what to do isn’t always enough, the political will to take the right actions or inaction. Emotional intelligence manifests in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; intrinsic motivation looks at the domestic reasons for wanting to pursue nation-building which is considered more selfish than altruistic whilst extrinsic motivation looks at the external reasons for wanting to pursue nation-building which is considered more altruistic than selfish.

After the devastating civil war that destroyed the fabric of Rwanda where millions of people were murdered in cold blood based on ethnic profiling, the Hutus and the Tutsis had their militia groups wreak unimaginable havoc on each side of the tribal divide, and the country looked irredeemable after the war. Today, under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, it is a crime to identify a person by their ethnicity – people are identified collectively as Rwandans and nothing else. Coupled with the trial of major actions in the infamous genocide, these approaches have gone a long way in achieving social justice, exorcising the ghost of the 1994 Massacre, and attracting foreign direct investments to the former war-torn country.

Concession and Compromise
It takes empathy to shift grounds on a previously non-negotiable subject. A lot of times, different stakeholders hold on to primordial sentiments because they haven’t been exposed to new truths and fresh perspectives. These points of view can only come from a genuine desire to know what the other party considers important or less of a priority. Staying with the Rwandan redemption, there was something known as the Gacaca courts – these were set up to achieve transitional justice.

In those settings, the government representatives, the victims, and the perpetrators of the heinous crimes were intimated with grueling details of not just the crimes but their effects on the community. These stories didn’t just secure a conviction for the culpable persons but drew so much empathy from the stakeholders concerned that there was overwhelming support for Mary Kayitesi Blewitt’s Survivors’ Fund which sees to it that the survivors’ education, health, housing, and even a campaign against war was well-financed.

About Dr. Abiola Salami
Dr. Abiola Salami is the Convener of Dr Abiola Salami International Leadership Bootcamp and The Peak PerformerTM Festival He is the Principal Performance Strategist at CHAMP – a full scale professional services firm trusted by high performing business leaders for providing Executive Coaching, Workforce Development & Advisory Services to improve performance. You can reach his team on [email protected] and connect with him @abiolachamp on all social media platforms.