If you’ve had your ear to the ground, you’d know that 90% of the top performers worldwide have
above-average emotional intelligence. In fact, in today’s vastly challenging environment,
emotional intelligence is the key fundamental skill that any good leader cannot shy away from.
It’s a human trait necessary for any worker in an evolving workplace.
Why is emotional intelligence so important for leaders?
Gone are the days when IQ and technical expertise were enough for a leader to be successful or
for a manager to move up the chain in an organization. According to a recent study, 71% of
employers and hiring managers value emotional intelligence in an employee. They tend to look
to hire employees with a higher EQ as opposed to IQ. Even as a leader, if you have high
emotional intelligence, you automatically enable your employees to strive to do better, thus
increasing employee engagement, performance, and retention.
An emotionally intelligent leader:
- Understands the emotions of others and the effect they have on their team,
- Have enhanced communication skills
- Are great at managing stress, challenges and even conflict
- Demonstrate the ability to manage their emotions
Four well-known characteristics of an emotionally intelligent leader
- Self-awareness
An emotionally intelligent leader is well acquainted with how they feel on the inside. They
recognize how their emotions affect those around them. You acknowledge your ego, are in sync
with your strengths and weaknesses and try to use them to benefit you and your team.
- Self-regulation
Apart from having a keen sense of self-awareness, a good leader is in control of their emotions. They know how to balance the scales between being firm and fair and don’t compromise on workplace ethics. They hold themselves accountable for their actions. By maintaining such a demeanor, leaders with a high EQ lead by example and ensure and motivate their teams to move ahead in a positive direction while upholding the organization’s ethics.
- Motivation
In today’s day and age, motivation is a huge contributing factor to the success of an organization. Leaders who understand the importance of being motivated usually maintain high work standards and work consistently towards achieving their goals. Such emotionally intelligent leaders also know what propels their employees and makes them tick. Moreover, they use this vital information to incentivize and motivate employees and help them find their reasons for working to the best of their ability.
- Empathy
Another common characteristic of an emotionally intelligent leader is their ability to empathize and put themselves in someone else’s shoes. An empathetic leader with a high EQ always works towards building a positive work environment while maintaining mutual respect for one another. This ability allows leaders to not only develop the people on their team but also enable them to challenge stereotypes. As a result, such leaders learn how to take charge, avoid unfair assumptions, deliver critical feedback wisely and be good listeners, thus helping your team navigate difficult situations.
How leaders can improve their emotional intelligence
With so many benefits and more, today, leaders can learn and develop emotional intelligence and harness its power to lead their teams in the right direction.
Practicing mindfulness to increase self-awareness
According to Daniel Goleman: “star leaders are stars at leading themselves first. You must fine-tune yourself and your actions before you try to handle others.” One effective way to achieve this is through practicing mindfulness. Doing so allows leaders to work on developing self-awareness and arming them with the ability to manage and respond to their emotions. Once you are attuned to what’s going on with yourself mentally and emotionally, you’re able to notice changes and understand how outside influences affect you.
Embracing feedback
Another key component of improving one’s emotional intelligence involves the ability to hear feedback without being defensive. Today many leaders tend to be too defensive when put on the spot. This defensive behavior hinders communication, breaks trust, and impairs a leader’s reputation while employees feel frustrated and ignored. Emotions like pride, anger and lack of awareness keep them from embracing feedback and making the necessary improvements.
Good leaders with a high EQ are open and honest with their team members. They are the first to admit when they make a mistake or fall short on something. To be less defensive, the next time you receive feedback, try:
- Pausing and counting to ten in your head so that initial emotion passes. Once that happens, you will be better positioned to take the next step.
- Try to appreciate and thank them for coming forward and sharing their valuable feedback.
- Follow up by asking clarifying questions so that you are in a better position to understand the feedback and its impact.
The Bottom Line
Remember! As a leader it is your responsibility to develop your emotional intelligence. After all! Your employees look up to you to establish your team’s culture: from communication habits to the willingness to taking ownership for your mistakes. Almost all of these are tied to your emotional intelligence. So be conscious about how you’re developing those areas moving forward so you can give the best of yourself to your team.
