Good leaders are astute, decisive, influential, visionary and resourceful. Great leaders are also emotionally intelligent. Regardless of education, technical skills or experience, emotional intelligence (also called EQ) is a great predictor of whether or not someone will be an effective leader.<\/p>\n
What is Emotional Intelligence?<\/p>\n
EQ (not to be confused with IQ) is the capacity to understand and regulate your emotions, while being in touch with and influencing the emotions of others.<\/p>\n
Daniel Goleman, author and psychologist, coined the term \u201cemotional intelligence\u201d when he released his trailblazing publication, \u201cEmotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ.\u201d Goleman discovered that EQ is vital to moulding an effective leader.<\/p>\n
Components of Emotional Intelligence<\/p>\n
There are five key components of emotional intelligence:<\/p>\n
1. Self-Awareness<\/p>\n
An excellent leader is cognisant of their emotions, values and motivations. They also comprehend how their feelings and choices impact their decisions and attitudes, as well as their emotions’ impact upon others. In order for a leader to make viable choices, they also need to be aware of their shortcomings, as well as their fortes so they can play to their strengths.<\/p>\n
2. Self-Regulation<\/p>\n
Leaders who rashly fire employees, explode into fits of anger or abuse their leadership status lack self-regulation. This can alienate peers and subordinates, as well as ruin their professional reputation. Self-regulation entails assessment of what a great leader will do or say before they take action. In short, they have discipline over potentially damaging actions and words.<\/p>\n
3. Self-Motivation<\/p>\n
A motivated leader is internally driven by passion and curiosity, rather than external elements such as money and prestige. Leaders with self-motivation are interested in what they can give to their firm and its employees, rather than what they can take.<\/p>\n
They are optimistically driven by a quest for accomplishment that\u2019s characterised by pursuit of a deeper meaning for themselves and others.<\/p>\n
4. Empathy<\/p>\n
When a leader is attuned to their own emotional condition, they\u2019re more sensitive to the emotions of other people. They\u2019re able to see things from their employees\u2019 perspective and respond insightfully.<\/p>\n
This helps give them a \u201csixth sense\u201d about the needs and plights of employees and peers. For instance, an empathetic leader knows they don\u2019t like to be harshly criticised and won\u2019t go into attack mode when an employee makes a mistake.<\/p>\n
5. Social Skills<\/p>\n
Social skills aren\u2019t just about affability or a good sense of humour. A leader with good social skills can interact effectively with their office mates. They can develop networks, cultivate relationships, build teams, collaborate and positively impact others.<\/p>\n
How Does an Emotionally Intelligent Leader Benefit Their Company?<\/p>\n
Employees who work for an emotionally intelligent leader feel safe and supported. They aren\u2019t afraid to offer new ideas, make suggestions, pose questions or express opinions. An emotionally intelligent leader isn\u2019t ego-driven, so they\u2019re able to act objectively.<\/p>\n
Since they stay composed under pressure, they take better actions and make better decisions that positively affect the organisation.<\/p>\n
How Does a Leader Who Lacks Emotional Intelligence Damage Their Company?<\/p>\n
A leader who lacks EQ is basically immature. They\u2019re driven by emotion, rather than logic, and operate with aggression, blame, superiority, poor teamwork and fault-finding. They don\u2019t diffuse conflicts but rather pour gasoline on them.<\/p>\n
A leader without emotional intelligence triggers high turnover and kills morale. It can take only one leader devoid of emotional intelligence to disrupt the company culture.<\/p>\n
No amount of education and experience can help a leader make positive strides with their employees, their peers and their company if they lack emotional intelligence. It shapes a leader into one who is effective, empathetic and attuned to their employees\u2019 emotions, as well as their own.<\/p>\n
Moreover, it creates a leader who is loved and respected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Good leaders are astute, decisive, influential, visionary and resourceful. Great leaders are also emotionally intelligent. Regardless of education, technical skills or experience, emotional intelligence (also called EQ) is a great predictor of whether or not someone will be an effective leader. What is Emotional Intelligence? EQ (not to be confused with IQ) is the capacity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n