Many ambitious employees in today's companies dream of becoming leaders who motivate and inspire their teams to excel. However, technical skills alone are no longer enough to be a truly effective leader today. Leaders with high emotional intelligence can create a more effective workplace culture by fostering an environment where mutual respect, empathy, support and cooperation, and overall productivity flourish. This article will discuss why is emotional intelligence important in leadership and how you can use your high emotional potential to lead employees to achieve goals.
Emotional intelligence (inteligenta emotionala or EQ) is the ability of a person to recognise, understand and manage the emotions of others. Today, it is the hallmark of truly great leaders who can create a healthy work atmosphere and inspire teams to succeed in their tasks.
First introduced by Daniel Goleman, a renowned writer, psychologist and journalist from the USA, EQ includes 5 main elements: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and social skills. But what does it mean for modern business? In simple words, it is not only the ability to understand your own and others' emotions but also the strength to remain calm under pressure from various factors and establish meaningful connections with teams to build trust and cooperation.
Still think IQ is the only important indicator of employee professionalism? The comparison table below will illustrate the differences between IQ and EQ.
Mastering Emotional Awareness and Self-Management for Leadership Growth
One day, the CEO of Microsoft thought about the workplace culture in his company, noticing that an aggressive know-it-all mindset prevailed in his teams. He spent several years instilling the know-it-all mindset in his employees by emphasizing humility and emotional growth. This is a good example of how - in addition to mindfulness - leaders should practice self-management, i.e., the ability to remain resilient in difficult situations, something that only emotional intelligent leaders are capable of.
Good leaders can remain calm through setbacks, show empathy during conflicts, and remain adaptable in dynamic environments. By demonstrating emotional stability and consistency, they can gain the trust of their team and transform the corporate culture for the common good.
So, all this time it has been about EQ here. But what is social intelligence? Simply put, it's the ability to skillfully navigate social situations and make meaningful connections. In practice, employees who feel understood and valued become more engaged in work processes, loyal and open to innovation. It's easy to see the fundamental difference between a high-performing team and one that struggles to meet the expectations of managers.
According to Gallup's recent research, businesses with effective leaders who - through outstanding social intelligence - deliver higher levels of employee engagement generate 23% more revenue. By feeling a deeper emotional connection to their teams, employees are more productive and willing to stay on the job, reducing employee turnover by nearly three times.
Strong leaders in modern companies are able not just to manage tasks, but to understand the personal motivations of team members and align them with the organizational goals. Thus, relationship management is a leader's ability to maintain constructive relationships and inspire subordinates to achieve positive results in their work.
For a better understanding, let's take a look at Simon Sinek's concept of “leaders eat last”. By putting the well-being of the team first, effective leaders create an atmosphere of psychological safety where employees can take risks, learn from their mistakes and support each other in difficult times. Thus, through trust becoming the cornerstone of team spirit, cooperation and productivity in teams increase significantly.
Conflict situations in the workplace are an integral part of work processes and this is where the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership can hardly be overemphasized. Various emotions arising in response to failures and other things lead to conflicts between employees. However, leaders with genuinely high EQ know how to de-escalate them through understanding emotions and handling conversations.
When talking about the ability to understand another person's emotions and point of view, that's what empathy is. As one of the most important elements of EQ, it is the key to resolving almost any conflict. By validating feelings and practising active listening, leaders with high EQ can create a safe environment where disagreements are often resolved constructively.
A good example is emotionally intelligent leaders who encourage open dialogue to find common ground rather than reprimanding subordinates during heated discussions. By reducing tension and stress in the workplace, this approach helps leaders build a culture of accountability and learning. Knowing that there will be no negative backlash, employees are more willing to voice their concerns and worries because they realize that the conflict is likely to be resolved fairly due to the leader's empathy.
Some people are fortunate enough to have a natural ability to empathize. However, the good news is that EQ can be developed by focusing on improving emotional awareness and interpersonal skills.
Recall the five elements of EQ. Evolving EQ is all about improving these 5 qualities crucial for today’s leaders. Here are 5 tips that will help you improve social skills and other things necessary for effective leadership:
· Practice mindfulness. Find a few spare minutes in your probably busy day to reflect on your emotions. Many leaders resort to meditation and keep a special journal to become more aware of emotional patterns and improve self-regulation.
· Seek feedback. What is your leadership style really like? Ask your employees to be honest in answering this question. Once you have the information, you can better understand how your emotional responses affect your subordinates.
· Develop empathy. This is where active listening is really important. Listen to what your employees have to say and retell someone else’s story to find out if you understand the employee’s point of view or not.
· Strengthen your social skills. Don’t miss out on networking events and try to build relationships with people from different walks of life to understand everyone and make meaningful connections.
· Regularly assess your EQ level. Today many online services use Goleman’s model to measure your EQ. This way you can find areas where you need to improve and refine.
As you can see, boosting your EQ requires your desire and free time as well as willpower as it is a long-term commitment. However, you will gradually develop into a leader who is an inspiring role model.
According to a Harvard Business School study, leading with emotional intelligence makes you 40% more effective in decision-making, coaching and engaging employees. This confirms the importance of EQ in modern business where hybrid work environments and cross-cultural teams are prevalent today. This is especially essential with the popularization of telecommuting where soft skills come to the forefront helping leaders build connections and keep subordinates motivated from a distance.
Regarding hiring trends for 2023, LinkedIn emphasised the importance of soft skills including emotional intelligence to get a job. Many business owners know the importance of leaders demonstrating emotional flexibility. Numerous companies are already testing EQ in candidates for leadership positions. This is due to the growing demand for visionary leaders who can inspire innovation, cultivate inclusive workplace cultures and lead with empathy in a world that is becoming increasingly disconnected.
For both small start-ups and international corporations, EQ now plays a very important role in developing effective leadership. Investing the time and money to boost the EQ of key performers in your business will certainly pay dividends and give you a competitive edge in your niche. The future will belong to leaders who understand that emotional intelligence is the basis of transformational leadership.
Able to better perceive team reactions to change, emotionally intelligent leaders know how to mitigate resistance by openly discussing the reasons for change, supporting employees and giving them time to adapt.
Leaders with good social skills can easily recognize the moods and motivations of subordinates. They can clear misunderstandings, maintain open communication and incentivize workers to achieve goals.
While the former focuses on managing emotions and reactions, the latter centres on interacting with others. However, both these skills effectively complement each other helping to strengthen your bond with your team.
EQ has proven to be well suited to development through training in emotion management, self-reflection, and getting feedback from peers.
Recently, there has been a trend towards the growth of remote working. Managing processes and keeping employees emotionally engaged is becoming increasingly challenging. However, leaders with high EQ can effectively manage and motivate their subordinates even though they may be hundreds or thousands of miles away.
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