Significance of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

Leadership is an integral part of any organization. This can be compared to when you want to cook your favorite meal, you may have all the ingredients but still we make a mess if you do not know how to use them in a correct manner. Likewise, even if you possess all the necessary resources you are likely to struggle without effective leadership. When leaders rise, they are recognized for their vision, business acumen, high intelligent quotient and great education. However, most people do not realize that the secret that makes great leaders thrive is their Emotional Intelligence (EI) or Emotional Quotient (EQ).

Emotional intelligence refers to one’s ability to understand and control their emotions, while harnessing those emotions in an appropriate manner to have the optimum outcome as the situation demands. Emotional intelligence is a necessary have for individuals occupying leadership positions. This is because it enables leaders to assess the business situations effectively, approach them appropriately, and get things done, as they are able to manage their teams effectively and have healthy relationships with individuals in the workplace.

Leaders with EQ understand exactly what their emotions mean and how it affects others and this is vital for the success of any leader. Take an example of a leader who drives their teams to burn midnight oil or shouts at their team during instances of stress and pressure and a leader who stays calm and in control of their emotions during the situation. It is more likely that the leader who is calm and stays in control of his emotions as well as those of others will have a positive result.

According to Daniel Goleman, an internationally known psychologist and author of Emotional Intelligence, EI is composed of the following.

· Empathy

· Motivation

· Self-awareness

· Self-regulation

· Social skills

A leader who seeks to improve their emotional intelligence needs to cultivate the above areas.

Empathy

Empathy is what allows you to put yourself in other people’s shoes and feel their situation. This is essential to lead an organization. A leader with empathy will support the growth of their team members, receive and offer constructive criticism to/from their team members.

Motivation

Self-motivated leaders persistently work towards their goals, motivate their employees towards the organizational goals and have a high appetite for quality work.

Self-awareness

Self-awareness means that you are fully aware of your feelings and understand the effect of your feelings and actions on other people. Self-aware leaders maintain a clear picture of their strengths, and weaknesses and despite their authority and power, while operating on with humility.

Self-regulation

Self-regulation enables a leader to act with dignity and prevent one from misusing their leadership position. This allows one to control their emotions and how to react as well as staying committed to personal accountability.

Social Skills

Leaders with great social skills are great communicators, which is vital when it comes to bringing a team together especially when working towards a common goal.

It is important for organizations to hire leaders that have a high EQ due to the numerous advantages it brings. Some of the ways to check on EQ could be:

How they respond to feedback and criticism

This is essential in identifying an emotionally intelligent person. This can be done by getting the individual to describe a situation where they faced criticism and how they handled the situation.

Check their ego

Assessing ego is another way of identifying one’s EQ. A leader with unhealthy ego is likely to have detrimental effects on an organization, as they are less likely to teach, motivate, and effectively lead people.

Assess their level of empathy

Leaders with high levels of emotional intelligence are empathetic. This means they can comprehend how other people feel and act in a conducive and caring manner especially to subordinates and peers.

Regardless of all the other skills a leader has, an emotional intelligent leader can build stellar teams and help prevent employee turnover. It can’t be learnt in couple of leadership workshops. It needs to be consciously cultivated. All things considered, when your employees feel respected, comprehended, and esteemed, you have established a climate they will not have any desire to leave.