Article by Travis Bradberry If you want to be a leader that other people follow with absolute conviction, you must first be a pleasant leader. Tyrants and curmudgeons may lead a group of people for a time, but eventually they tire, usually before they stand out. Many times I ask people how they have been the best and the worst leaders with whom they have collaborated. They inevitably ignore innate characteristics, such as intelligence, attractiveness, and work ability, and focus on qualities that are completely in the leader’s control, such as closeness, humility, and positivity. These words, and others like them, describe leaders who have good emotional intelligence. Data from the TalentSmart agency shows that leaders with these characteristics are not only more popular, they tend to deliver better results. Being a more popular leader is something anyone can achieve through good emotional intelligence (EI) management. Unlike a person’s innate qualities (like IQ), emotional intelligence …