Thank you for these insights Chrsitina! I believe they are all essential in the success of a leader. I especially relate to mistake number two.  I see a lack of emotional intelligence becoming the derailing factor for many leaders. All to often leaders fail to recognize the importance of not only controlling their emotions, but using them in an effective way. As you said, emotions are contagious and can have negative implications on the entire team. The following link will lead you to a video speaking to the importance of emotional intelligence.  This video is meant to be humorous, but I feel that it will add value to this discussion.  <a href="http://www.soderquist.org/videos/leaderskilz-emotional-intelligence.html" rel="nofollow"> Emotional Intelligence Video</a>.