Emotional Intelligence Is The Secret Sauce For Effective Leadership

The impact of emotional intelligence

The impact of emotional intelligence (EI) on success as a leader is profound. Leaders with high EI are skilled at being able to recognise, understand and manage their own emotions and understand the emotions of others. This understanding, and their empathy, equips strong leaders to handle interpersonal interactions, build relationships, navigate social environments, and cope with change or setbacks in the workplace.   

Strong leadership draws on the five facets that make up emotional intelligence. These are:   

• Self-awareness: Strong leaders know who they are and are authentic with other people.  

• Self-regulation: They control their emotions and behaviour even in challenging situations. 

• Motivation: They are constantly optimistic and motivate their team to commit to success.  

• Empathy: They can see and understand a situation through another’s eyes.  

• Social skills: They have various social soft skills, which include persuasive skills, conflict management skills and problem-solving ability.  

Read our blog, “The five aspects of emotional intelligence” to learn more about these five facets of emotional intelligence.  

 
 How to spot a leader with high emotional intelligence

There are many outward signs of emotional intelligence. These show themselves as character traits, personality quirks, emotional states, habits, behaviours, and soft skills. For example, leaders with high emotional intelligence tend to be good communicators and skilled at resolving conflicts within their teams. They act to empower supportive work environments in which individuals feel safe, heard, and valued. The outcome is greater levels of employee engagement and productivity. 

Here are 5 hallmarks of a leader with high emotional intelligence.

• They are approachable 
  Leaders with high emotional intelligence are generally found to be more approachable. It is their authenticity and ability to actively listen, understand, and empathise with others that creates a more welcoming and trusting atmosphere, making them more accessible to their team. 
• They treat each team member as an individual
  While compatibility is important within a team, emotionally intelligent leaders recognise that every one of their team members’ style of working is different, and that is okay. High EI leaders expect compliance when it comes to essential company practices but trust their team members to work in whatever way is conducive to their productivity and success.
• They are successful in fostering a positive work environment 
  Emotionally intelligent leaders’ ability to connect on an emotional level not only enhances communication but also supports a culture of collaboration and innovation. Leaders with high EI are skilled at reading the room, sensing when morale is low, and taking steps to uplift their teams. 
• They own up to their mistakes
  Neither leaders nor team members have a perfect track record – mistakes happen. However, while holding team members’ accountable for errors is essential, an emotionally intelligent leader will first consider all aspects that may have played a part and reflect on their own contribution to a problem before blaming an individual – especially because the buck stops with them. In short, emotionally intelligent leaders have the ability to own up to their mistakes, apologise if need be, and maintain empathy if a team member slips up.  
• They understand the importance of work-life balance
  Emotionally intelligent leaders trust their people to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities and to act in the best interest of the company. They can spot potential burnout before it wreaks havoc on their people and understand that sometimes letting an employee work from home or adjust their working hours is the best thing they can do for the success of the team.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is both genetic and influenced by environmental factors. Self-awareness and other emotional intelligence skills come naturally to some people and less naturally to others – but these skills are not static. EI can be grown, but developing emotional intelligence is an ongoing process that requires intentional effort. 

Here are 6 ways that leaders can intentionally work on developing their emotional intelligence:  

1. Practice self-awareness through reflection 

Self-awareness grows through honest self-reflection, which is the act of looking inward to reach a better understanding of your own inner workings. Self-reflection entails putting aside time to intentionally examine your own thoughts and emotions, motivations, and outward behaviour, to gain a deeper understanding of yourself. This can be achieved through actions like daily journaling, analysing your experiences, and considering feedback from people you trust to identify patterns and spot areas for personal growth.   

2. Actively listen to others 

Actively listening as an emotional intelligence growth exercise involves intentionally reflecting on your internal responses as you listen to others – paying close attention to your own thoughts and emotions while listening. This allows you to identify and weed out any personal biases and assumptions and will ultimately lead to a better understanding of the speaker’s perspective without projecting your own interpretations onto them. In turn this can lead to deeper self-awareness, greater empathy, and better communication skills.  

3. Seek feedback from colleagues  

We all have blind spots about ourselves. Constructive feedback from trusted colleagues can reveal aspects of our performance of which we are not aware.  Gaining a better understanding of ourselves entails asking for constructive criticism and insights from people you work closely with as to how your behaviour and communication style are perceived by others. This helps to identify areas for personal growth and improvement by seeing yourself through their eyes.  

4. Practice open communication 

Open communication is a style of communication in which every team member shares information, ideas, and concerns honestly and transparently. Practicing open communication involves sharing your ideas and feelings openly and listening to others’ input. To improve your open communication skills, reflect on your recent conversations and interactions with colleagues and your team. Analyse how effective these communications were in achieving your goals. For clarity, ask others for feedback on your communication skills. This includes tone of voice, body language, and how clearly you convey your message verbally.  

6. Consider different perspectives 

Increasing your awareness of the differences in people and cultures can improve your emotional intelligence. This entails keeping an open mind – or being willing to consider viewpoints that differ from your own without judgment. It means consciously trying to see situations from another person’s perspective to understand their emotions and motivations. This helps build empathy, which supports stronger relationships. This is a core aspect of high emotional intelligence as it allows you to communicate effectively and foster trust.  

7. Flex your conflict resolution skills 

Effectively resolving conflict involves the ability to navigate disagreements and disputes between two parties and find a mutually acceptable solution. This skill requires engaging in open communication and active listening skills to understand different perspectives. To hone conflict resolution skills, deliberately seek out situations where you need to discuss difficult topics with others to practice managing your emotions and navigating disagreements. After a conflict is resolved, take time to analyze your emotional responses and identify areas where you can improve your self-regulation.  

Effective leadership requires more than just technical skills and work experience – it requires a high level of emotional intelligence. Leaders must be able to build strong relationships, inspire and motivate their team, and navigate complex social dynamics. However, while ongoing leadership development is an essential aspect of any company’s success, too many leaders focus solely on developing technical skills and overlook the importance of nurturing their emotional intelligence. This not only limits the leader, but it also limits the growth of the people they lead, and can negatively impact employee motivation, morale, and retention.  

Over to you for sharing your comments and experiences.