A vacancy became available for the post of President of the People’s National Party. Among the many fringe benefits of this post at this time was that the successful candidate would also get to be Prime Minister of Jamaica. Four candidates were short listed and spent many months and hundreds of millions of dollars presenting their credentials and qualifications to the nation. However, the final selection would be made by the vote of a group called the Delegates. On Saturday the 25th of February I was sitting in the North Stand of the Savannah in Port of Spain enjoying the Panorama Finals when a friend walked up to me exclaiming “Portia win, Portia win”. I immediately went on-line (thanks to Sony for the Ericson P910) and confirmed same. For the next few days I stayed in touch via Jamaicaobserver.com. One local Trinidad newspaper even expressed the view that the rise of Portia Simpson-Miller could signal a new day in Caribbean politics.

On my return to Jamaica I felt a level of euphoria and nationalism across the broad spectrum of the society that I had not noticed in a very long time. Many people who had tuned out of the nasty divisive process that has been Jamaican politics were seeing some signs of hope. At the minor level, there are those “licky-licky” people who only hope to get something personal for themselves, whether it be a prestigious position or access to resources for which they are not qualified and did not earn. At the national level, I am hearing the voices of those who also want something, not for themselves but for their country. They want someone who will unite this country and thereby unleash the creative potential that for decades has only been a promise; ‘Jamaica, The Next World Power’. If in her new job Mrs. Simpson-Miller fails to listen to the national voice, then she shall surely fail. “To whom much is given, much is expected”.

• SJs (Sensing Judgers) in general do not question the concept of leadership. They basically expect that someone will lead and that others will follow. They are usually responsive to the directives of leaders. Approximately 55% of Jamaicans are of this temperament.
  
  
• SPs (Sensing Perceivers) need leaders who use style. They expect that leaders will seduce them into following. They easily fall prey to charm and charisma. Persons with this temperament account for approximately 25% of the Jamaican population.
  
  
• NFs (Intuitive Feelers) want independence and autonomy from their leaders. The leader must be able to convince them of their plans and actions. Interestingly, leadership activity is most enjoyed by this temperament.  This temperament is shared by approximately 14% of the Jamaican population.
  
• NTs (Intuitive Thinkers) prefer to be left alone stating that ‘We do not need anyone to lead us’. Leadership must have a challenging vision and go beyond the ordinary to attract NTs as followers. Incidentally, following is not something that comes easy for NTs. Only about 6% of the Jamaican populace have this temperament.

Critical Job Functions
If all Mrs. Simpson-Miller does is attempt to manage the affairs of the state on behalf of her political party, she will barely complete the present term of office.

If she is able to demonstrate the true traits of leadership to the nation and not just to the garrisons, delegates or the party, the majority of Jamaicans, especially the 50% that are not committed to either of the two major political parties, will respond to her call to continue the stalled transformation of this nation.

The dominant temperament in Jamaica (55%) is one that does not question the directives of leaders. The second largest group (25%) expects to be seduced by leaders. If there is no leadership to focus these energies then what would be productive forces could easily devolve to being destructive.

The Emotional Intelligence Factor

It has been said that our specie has probably gone as far as we can based on Cognitive Intelligence alone. The rest of the journey will require a greater development of Emotional Intelligence. The real factor that the delegates responded to was Portia’s level of Emotional Intelligence.

EQ is the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information and influence. EQ is not about sales tricks or how to work a room; it is not about putting a good face on things, or the psychology of control, exploitation or manipulation. Emotional Intelligence requires that we learn to acknowledge and value feelings in ourselves and others - that we appropriately respond to them, effectively applying the information and energy of emotions in our daily life and work. Emotional intelligence reflects one’s ability to deal with daily environment challenges and helps predict one’s success in life, including professional and personal pursuits. A growing body of research suggests that emotional intelligence, measured by Emotional Quotient (EQ), is a better predictor of “success” than the more traditional measures of cognitive intelligence (IQ). All that hugging and kissing translates to something real – people like her because they can ‘feel’ her. No wonder than man on the street said “Wi tired ah di dackta dem, mi want ah nurse”. Think of the caring images that conveys.

If Mrs. Simpson-Miller continues to build on her strengths, she will continue to rise. If she succumbs to the intoxication of political power, she will surely fall and so too will the hopes of those who for decades been sensing the possibility of ‘Jamaica, The Next World Power’.

Dr. Semaj is a frequent facilitator for Strategic Planning Retreats, Cultural alignment and Organizational Restructuring. He conducts Staff Selection and Development Programmes for different business sectors across the Caribbean.