Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

Have you heard of the Two Colored Ball Experiment?

The experiment consists of showing a two-color-sided ball to a two or three-year-old child. Let’s say one side is red and the other is green. You sit on the floor across from the child and rapidly spin the ball, so the child sees the different colors. After spinning the ball, you place it between each of you with only the red side facing the child and the green side facing you.

When you ask the child what color they see. They will correctly say “red”. When you ask what color am I seeing, they will also answer “red”.

The child can’t take the role of the other. They can’t see it through your eyes. They are seeing the world in a completely different way. As they get older (around six or seven years old) they will recognize both colors and answer correctly. They will understand that you are seeing the world from a different perspective.

Ego-centrism, Group-centrism, World-centrism

As you age you can see the world with different perspectives and ethical development.

Young children see the world in an ego-centric manner. Egocentrism is the inability to differentiate between self and others. They don’t assume or understand any perspective other than their own.

As we age, we see the world in a group-orientated way. These groups can come from our tribes, families, communities, cultures, political affiliations, and religions. Problems arise here because we choose sides and become pigheaded. It is a nice leader’s job to practice empathy in such settings.

Ultimately we should strive to gain a world-centric perspective. This is where we care for all living things regardless of who they are.

Leaders should focus on improving their Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, evaluate, and respond to your own emotions and the emotions of others. One way to improve your emotional intelligence is to put yourself in the role of the other person.

Imagine you have your two-colored ball between you and a team member. Always try to see the ball as the other person. This is what being nice is all about.