Emotional Intelligence for Highly Effective Leadership

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion”– Dale Carnegie, a renowned American writer and lecturer
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is not a new concept and it is widely known that people with high Emotional Quotient (EQ) are more likely to succeed in their careers. A leader’s emotional intelligence can have an extensive impact over their relationships at work, how they deal with their teams, and how they cooperate and interact with people in the working environment. Sometimes, they have difficult conversations as a part of the job. They have to discuss on employee’s less satisfactory work performance, to tell the team that they need to work extra time, or announcing an unpopular change. All such issues are simply parts of the leader’s job. Such tough conversations often lead to affect the emotions and feeling of themselves and the people they speak with.
An Indispensible Trait for Leaders
Research has demonstrated that the most effective leaders have more competence in emotional intelligence. EI is especially important for the leader when things get tough. Whether it’s an urgent deadline for an important project requiring everybody to stay late in office or a colleague has lost concentration or drive for work. At that time, leaders have to take intelligent steps and have to keep everything and everyone on track. Leaders who are emotionally intelligent encourage safe environments and open organizational culture, where employees feel comfortable to share their individual opinions. Such leaders plan the most appropriate ways to introduce and carry out the change in organisation.
When Leaders Aren’t Emotionally Intelligent
Leaders with low in emotional intelligence tend to act out in stressful conditions because they’re not able to manage their own emotions. They might be inclined to behaviours such as, yelling, blaming, and being passive aggressive. This can make a much more upsetting condition, where co-workers can’t communicate freely with the leader and trying to prevent themselves from the next outburst. This will lead to create an unhealthy work environment and inhibit collaboration.
When leaders can’t control the feelings and emotions of their own, the co-workers tend to feel nervous about contributing their idea for fear of how the leader will respond. Most leaders deal with conflict, and those who don’t understand others’ emotion may find it  difficult to recognize and understand the problems and deal effectively with its resolution.
Work on EQ to Boost the Performance
Self-Assessment and Self-Regulation
Recognize and manage one’s own emotion, strengths, weaknesses, values and drivers and understanding their effect on others. An effective leader needs to know when he or she is feeling anxious, furious, disappointed, frustrated, proud, or sympathetic. Manage those emotions to best meet the demands of the team. Recognizing those feelings at the time is essential because it allows the leader to consider whether they are appropriate for the situation, and whether they signal something that needs to be dealt with. Also, the leader who can see or feel the wrong or negative emotions are coming out; there are better chances of controlling it and routing that energy in more vital direction.
Recognising and Regulating Others’ Emotions
Observing and dealing with other peoples’ emotions lie at the heart of effective leadership. It is called the ability to precisely pick up on emotions in other people. In team, different people have their own plans and to cope up with those differences to achieve united goal requires emotional adjustments. But a good leader reads how individuals in the entire team are feeling on the basis of subtle cues as well as interactions and figures out how to inspire productive participation. It becomes easier for the leader to listen to what other people are saying clearly and without judgment, which leads to develop effective team work.
Compassion
Understand how co-workers may feel or react on a certain situation and show empathy for workers’ fates and needs. The more one can relate to others, the better understanding may build that helps to motivate them. In short, this shows that the leader cares about the team and can successfully achieve the team’s goals. Leaders high in EI show empathy when they need to and willing to put him/her in other people’s shoes; it is an incredible method to perceive what it will take to get the team motivated.
Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.-Jack Welch, a Famous American Business Executive and Author said rightly.
A great leader always behaves in a way others will respond to positively toward getting things done both individually and collectively. To become a highly effective leader, one doesn’t need to develop a robot and turn your emotions off but it is required to focus on the development of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Being an effective leader is about having the technical skill, strategic thinking, and knowledge but being a highly effective leader also requires emotional intelligence.
– Nilam Thakkar