Young professionals with the right talent and experience are more likely to deliver results and that’s why the best companies are always looking for the highest-caliber employees with the potential to become future leaders. Talent is key: no amount of experience will turn an average leader into a great one; it’s not the quantity of experience but the quality that matters. Specific kinds of experience are where the most benefits for talented young professionals lie.

Potential leaders need to plan ahead. It’s rare that leaders find themselves in such a position without in some way showing that they want it, and most have reached the top, thanks to setting and achieving goals. It might be said, at this point, that leaders are not simply ‘born’ or ‘made’, but actually a combination of both. The right kind of experience is a crucial part of leadership development, but great leadership takes the right amount of talent, as well as, the right experiences to develop that talent, and both of these can be difficult to find in the combination.

Naisa is dedicated to finding and promoting the most talented young Asian professionals and providing them with access to the resources that will prepare them to become future global leaders. For example, our Mentor-Protégé Program gives members direct access to expert leaders in Asia and the U.S. Being exposed to professional role models like these will boost our members in both the U.S. and across Asia who will know it’s possible to reach the highest levels in business, and benefit from the practical advice our experts have learned over the years.

These days, what marks a young professional as a potential great leader is more than just technical ability and good test scores. Top companies also look for emotional intelligence, which can be broken down into five components:

Self-awareness – the ability to recognize your emotions and moods and their effect on others

Self-regulation – ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses; to suspend judgment, and think before acting

Motivation – a passion for work that goes beyond money or status; pursuit of goals with energy and persistence

Empathy – the ability to understand the emotional makeup of others; skilled in treating others according to their emotional reactions

Social Skill – proficiency in managing relationships and building networks; ability to find common ground and build rapport

At naisA Global, our experts know not only that emotional intelligence can be learned and developed but also that it takes effort and a real drive. The benefits of building emotional intelligence go beyond merely professional growth; it is directly related to personal growth as well.