Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
Studies have shown that the distinguishing factor between leaders who are at an average level and those who are exceptional are emotional intelligence and self-control. By maximizing the power of emotional intelligence, you will be able to solve matters arising in your organization that beats the normal eye. You will be able to take critical decisions that will serve as a turning point in your organization. This involves improving employing engagement and lowering the turnover rate while strengthening cooperation and individual performance.
What is Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence involves understanding and managing your emotions, as well as that of people around you. This alone shows that emotional intelligence is the bedrock of every form of leadership. It is no longer an optional skill; it has transcended into a must have skill. 90% of people who were/are successful in their leadership displayed high levels of emotional intelligence, an example is Grant Kelley of Adelaide.
You can imagine what it means to be the chairman of a basketball team. The ups and downs associated with the role is enough to make one quit, but not only did he persevere, he went on to attain greater heights with the team, whilst effectively managing the entire team and staffs. Here are two components of Emotional Intelligence you can start mastering today.
Self-Awareness
This is the crux of emotional intelligence. It refers to the ability to identify the effects your emotions are having on your organization. It involves taking out time to deliberately monitor the effect of each of your prominent emotions on your organizations and employees. Do you find yourself constantly scolding employees in a harsh way, or are you compassionate to even the smallest of your employees? Not being self-aware can lead to a decreased level of motivation amongst employees.
In order to lead efficiently, you need to be the best version of yourself. And to achieve this you need to evaluate your performance and compare it to the opinions of those you are leading.
Relationship Management
Just like the name implies, this is simply your ability to motivate, coach and mentor others. It equally refers to your conflict resolution skills, as there are bound to be issues among those being lead, and sometimes between the leader and followers. Your ability to effectively handle all of these will serve as a plus to you. Instead of avoiding instances of conflict, it is best to resolve underlying issues before they get the chance to escalate into conflict. Building strong relationships and a great team spirit is a recipe to exponential team growth.
Final Thoughts
Leaders are the pacesetters of any organization. If they lack a crucial skill as emotional intelligence, it becomes detrimental to not just them, but also the organization. Consequences could include higher levels of resignation, and lower employee engagement. Technical skill is important for doing the actual work, but emotional intelligence is even more important. By mastering conflict management, empathy and communicative skills, you can rise to the challenge and take your organization to higher success levels.
For more information, visit:Grant Kelley
