Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

Until not so long ago, emotional intelligence was extremely underrated when it came to leadership qualities and, in my opinion, it took a long time to start giving this quality the importance it deserved, as I believe it is one of the most critical traits in a leader. According to Dr. Daniel Goleman, “The most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence.” In fact, the World Economic Forum cited emotional intelligence as one of the top 10 leadership skills in 2020.

So why is emotional intelligence so necessary in leadership? Leaders need to be emotionally intelligent to handle the constant changes they face as managers. Change is not rational, but instead, it is emotional. Your reaction to change will more than often predict the outcome of that change. Emotional intelligence in leadership prepares you to handle change and be more adaptable. 

I would like to share with you 5 ways emotional intelligence can impact your leadership and how you can incorporate emotional intelligence into your leadership style to guide your teams most effectively.

Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

There are 5 major skills that emotionally intelligent leaders possess. These 5 skills build upon each other. As you improve on one skill, you’ll find it easier to progress overall in your emotional intelligence.

These skills are both intrapersonal and interpersonal. Self-awareness, self-regulation, and motivation deal with your self, while empathy and social skills are more dependent on the way, you interact with others. Establishing emotional intelligence in leadership means recognizing the importance of working on yourself while also improving the relationships you have with others.

Self Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to objectively analyze yourself and how you behave and interact with others daily. You can become self-aware by understanding your values, strengths, and weaknesses, and committing to observing your self objectively. Self-awareness is necessary for leadership because it fuels your leadership style and impacts the way your team interacts with you. 

Self Regulation

As a leader, you need to be able to self regulate your emotions. Self-regulation deals with controlling and constructively monitoring your emotions. This doesn’t mean bottling up your negative emotions. Rather, self-regulation is about not being reactionary. 

Self-regulation is essential in leadership because it establishes trust and allows your team members to open up to you. If you are prone to extreme outbursts or over the top reactions, you can begin to work on your self-regulation through self-awareness. Building robust self-regulation is sure to increase your emotional intelligence and improve your leadership style.

Motivation

The ability to motivate is one of the most essential skills to possess as a leader. But, to be emotionally intelligent, you also need to have your own source of motivation. As I discussed in my authentic leadership blog post, leaders can find motivation by discovering their purpose and True North. Emotional intelligence in leadership requires the ability to motivate not only yourself but those on your team. 

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and assume the emotions and feelings that they are currently experiencing. Empathy is crucial in leadership. As a leader, you should actively be trying to understand how your team members are feeling. This becomes especially important during decision-making times. Being an empathetic leader will help you determine the best ways to communicate.

Social Skills

The last element in emotionally intelligent leadership is social skills. Your social skills go far beyond water cooler talk. In fact, strong social skills help you manage relationships in such a way that you can move and inspire the people around you. No matter what kind of leader you are, having strong social skills will aid you throughout your leadership development.

So, in conclusion, practicing emotional intelligence in leadership is a skill that will serve you not only in the workplace but in your everyday life. Self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills are valuable traits, whether you’re in the board room or at the grocery store. Start putting these 5 skills into practice every day, and you’ll be on the path of achieving emotional intelligence in leadership.