Leadership And Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence plays a key role in leadership. Good leaders are those who never lose control, are self-confident, and face challenges by putting personal problems aside. They listen to their subordinates, are communicative and do research before making their decisions to assess their impact.

Leadership is a skill that we must develop, because at some point we will have the opportunity to put it into practice, whether as parents, teachers, therapists, business people, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the implications that emotional intelligence plays in developing the necessary capabilities.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and those of those around you. People with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they feel, what their emotions mean, and how they can affect others.

Emotional intelligence is essential for successful leadership. Which is the best leader: the one who yells at his team when he is stressed, or the leader who calmly follows and assesses the situation?

According to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who helped popularize IE, there are five main elements:

– Self knowledge

– Self control

– M otivation

– Empathy

– Social skills

The greater the leader’s ability to manage each of these areas, the greater his emotional intelligence.

1- Self-knowledge

Know yourself, your emotions and how they affect the people around you. Being a good leader also means knowing your strengths, your weaknesses and behaving with humility.

How to improve your self-knowledge?

– Keep a diary to improve your self-knowledge. Take a few minutes a day to write down your thoughts and emotions.

– It doesn’t matter what the situation is. Examine why your emotions are and choose the best way to respond to them.

2- Self-control

Leaders who exercise self-control effectively don’t argue, don’t make rash or emotional decisions, don’t regard people as stereotypes, and don’t devalue them. Self-control helps in good relationships between people.

This element of EI, according to Goleman, also encompasses a leader’s flexibility and commitment to personal responsibility.

How can we improve self-control?

– Know your values ​​and take time to review your “code of ethics”. Knowing your values ​​well, you won’t have to think twice about handling a moral decision.

– Take responsibility without blaming others when something goes wrong. Admit your mistakes and accept the consequences.

– React calmly to difficult situations; control your emotions and situations properly.

3- Motivation

Motivated leaders constantly work towards their goals and their work has very high quality standards.

How to improve your motivation?

– Reflect on what you do and why you do it. It’s easy to forget what we really like and why we chose it. It’s good to review and update goals; this encourages us to move forward.

– Know your posture and understand why you are, or not, motivated.

Regardless of the problems, be optimistic and always look for the best. This attitude requires discipline, but it’s worth the effort. Every time you face a challenge, or even a disappointment, try to see something good in that experience.

4- Empathy

Empathy is critical to managing a successful and organized team. Empathetic leaders are able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes; help people in your group to develop, provide constructive criticism, and listen to those in need.

If you want to earn people’s respect and loyalty, you must be empathetic.

How to improve empathy?

– Put yourself in the other’s shoes and understand their point of view.

– Pay attention to body language, through which the person shows how they feel.

– Respect the other person’s feelings, be receptive and talk in a way that they feel understood.

5- Social skills

Leaders who have mastered IE social skills are great communicators. They are not frightened by good or bad news and are experts at gaining support from others to complete a new mission or project. They manage changes and conflicts very well.

How to develop social skills?

– Learn to resolve conflicts

– Improve communication skills

– Learn to recognize and value the work of others

Conclusions

The best leader is the one who works and interacts with others. He has a solid understanding of his feelings and how it affects others.

Take as much time as necessary to improve your self-awareness, self-control, motivation, empathy and social skills. Each person has their time.

All of these skills will help you to excel in the future and manage leadership situations, whether in the family, at school, at work or in the environment in which you live.