Emotional Intelligence is a skill set that is developed with purposeful intention. All great leaders possess a distinct level of emotional Intelligence that allows them to navigate the workplace environment. Leaders in education, business, government, coaching, and other professional areas must develop their leadership strategy. They should display empathy, regulate their emotions, and build through effective communication. These qualities produce leadership with the ability to manage a team and implement change over time.
Projection
Modern leadership requires those in charge to develop their craft continually. Self-awareness in leadership is the ability to reflect on emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to act accordingly. The change process requires leaders to keep an inventory of their internal processes, which are projected into the world through outward emotions, relationship-building, effective communication, team management, and conflict-resolution skills. There must be order within, not a raging storm, to inspire a team. Self-awareness calms the storm and tactfully prepares one to lead.
Emotionally Charged
Assistant Professor Mohammed Issah of the University of Bahrain reflectively wrote about emotional Intelligence in his article “Change Leadership: The Role of Emotional Intelligence.” He makes several powerful points regarding EQ, as it is also known. He points out that when leaders are in the change process, they deal with emotions on both sides. Changes create an emotional paradox, where the leader acts on emotion, and the follower reacts with emotion. It is easy to overlook the other when standing on one side of the fence. Great leaders can navigate the fence and be in two places at once. They feel the energy radiating from the follower and appreciate their needs and desires.
Predictor of Performance
Psychologist Daniel Goleman popularized Emotional Intelligence in his New York Times #1 Best Seller, “Emotional Intelligence.” The Harvard Business Review was told by Goleman, “The most effective leaders are all alike in one crucial way: They all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional Intelligence. It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but…they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions.” The Harvard Business Review also mentions how EQ provider TalentSmart’s research reveals that EQ is the strongest predictor of performance (Landry, 2019).
Regulators
When leaders with high emotional Intelligence are in emotional situations, they may use emotional regulation strategies to down-regulate or even increase their emotional response depending on the situation. According to the authors of the article “Integrating Emotion Regulation and Emotional Intelligence Traditions: A Meta-Analysis,” emotion regulation is the process where people modify the trajectory of one or more components in their emotional response (Pena-Sarrionandia et al., 2015). This can be done consciously or subconsciously. Every leader can learn emotional regulation (ER) strategies, such as breathing exercises, practicing mindfulness, exercising, and prayer to decrease their emotional response. They can also reframe cognitive ideas to increase their emotional response to situations requiring empathy and care, like remembering a similar circumstance they or a loved one experienced to raise emotional levels.
Empathy in leadership is a critical factor in determining the success of a change or initiative. Issah defines empathy as the ability to understand the emotional makeup of others (Issah, 2018). Leaders take into account the needs and values of others, which leads to a standard course of action. This is only achieved through effective communication. They take the time to understand the perspectives of others before offering direction, advice, or support (Issah, 2018).
Maintain the Upward Trend
The culture and atmosphere of the workplace are greatly influenced by the leader’s day-to-day reliability and actions. Do the actions reflect the values and mission the leader attempts to instill? There must be consistent respect and fairness across the board. When emotions rise, the leader must have the social and conflict resolution skills to navigate the difficult moments of uncertainty. Great leaders can articulate their emotions to direct change and tap into others’ emotions and desires. This allows any team or organization to maintain its upward trend to success.
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References
Issah, M. (2018). Change Leadership: The Role of Emotional Intelligence. SAGE Open, 1–6.
Landry, L. (2019, April 3). Emotional intelligence in leadership: Why it’s important. Harvard Business Review. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership
Pena-Sarrionandia, A., Mikolajczak, M., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Integrating emotion regulation and emotional intelligence traditions: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology.
