Perhaps you are one of those who recently landed on promotion or stepped into a leadership career role or someone who is striving to reach your leadership goals? If you are, then you are on the right page.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “perfect leader”? You might imagine someone who stays calm no matter how bothersome the situation is, or someone who has a complete trust to staffs or other employees, approachable and always careful in disseminating decisions. These make the qualities of someone who acquires a high degree of emotional intelligence.
This article will explore why emotional intelligence is relevant for leaders in boosting the leadership and management style, and how you, as well, can improve yours.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Emotional Intelligence or EI refers to the ability to manage and understand their own emotions and those people you socialize with. It is said that people with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they are feeling, how the feelings are undertaking, and how these emotions can significantly affect other people.
Leaders must know that having emotional intelligence brings success to every endeavor. Picture this, who is most likely to succeed – a leader who always yells at his team when under stress, or a leader who stays calm amidst stressful situation? An effective leader can toggle social complexities, managing, and making sound decisions. To embrace this, a leader should have a smooth transition in improving emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a powerful way to boost your leadership and management styles.
Daniel Goleman, an American Psychologist who helped to popularized emotional intelligence, states that there are five key elements, and these are:
- Self-management practice
- Be aware of how you communicate
- Be a good listener
When you are a leader, and you acquire and manage each of these elements, the higher your emotional intelligence. So, let us dig deeper and look into each component and how it can boost your three skills and management style as a leader.
- Self-management practice
One factor causing stress in a leadership role is letting it sink into you the moment you go to sleep. Reduce your phone time when you come home and resist the urge to check your email when you wake up regularly. Science has proven that lessening the frequency of checking your email improves overall wellbeing and reduces stress. Why not have a cup of coffee instead, or a quick workout or meditation before plunging into work. Surround yourself with positive thoughts before rolling your sleeves for the tasks ahead. By doing this, you can easily manage the stressors with grace and is proven to put your performance at peak when you lead into any situation.
Before the day ends, take some time to unwind. Set your phone and email aside, or charge them. You cannot fill out of an empty cup. You must take care of you’re well first.
- Be aware of how you communicate
It is a powerful tool to be aware of one’s self. Sometimes it can be frustrating how meetings go. When you think of the reasons or the triggers of this frustration, you can identify that it was communication that wasn’t executed well.
Assess where your emotions are coming from. You can practice it at home. Use specific words to define these emotions. According to recent researches, there is a significant link between expressing in writing and emotional process. You can practice writing down your experiences and how it affects you, and then try to communicate. This drill will make you use words that are definite and will make you focus on the matters that you need to address. By doing this, you can build professional transparency and trust amongst your colleagues.
Respond by addressing to feelings. Appreciate the extra hours your team experts. There will be times when you will ask your assistant to work late, but with disagreement in his voice. Take note of his feelings and address it appropriately.
- Be a good listener
It was evident that you cannot hear others at your loudest voice. Speak softly and instead observe. Still, embrace having the most prominent ears and eyes. Avoid having the most booming voice in the room. Listen to what your team is trying to tell you by their verbal and non-verbal cues. Learning how to read body language can be handy in a leadership role, as it helps you determine how another person truly feels. This practice will ensure you and your team some valuable insights. Your organization may even go beyond extra miles. This practice will drive your team to imitate you and see you as an effective leader. Also, to be an empathetic leader links to higher employee satisfaction, team organization, and camaraderie for having a trusting environment that started with you.
How to improve your empathy? Always put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Take time to view the situations from another person’s conscious. A leader can earn respect and loyalty by showing them you care and being emphatic.
Don’t forget that patience is a virtue! You can practice this in different ways to manage while balancing other tasks and still finding your groove. All these skills take time to master and won’t just happen overnight, so be patient and watch things unfold. Be patient with yourself and take small leaps each day. Be proud of yourself for every achievement you accomplish and always look forward to it in the future.
KEY POINTS
To become an effective leader with the best management style, you must have a solid understanding of your emotion so you can also understand other people and how it affects them. The better you learn these skills, the more successful a leader can be. Working on elements such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, social skills, and empathy will help you boost your management skills in the future. Assess yourself with these three skills with emotional intelligence in mind.
