Emotional intelligence is a foundational skill required for leadership since good leaders understand how to effectively manage their emotions for both mental and physical growth. Although many thinkers consider strong emotional intelligence necessary for leadership, few have been able to apply this knowledge on a daily basis. However, if everyone understood how important good emotional management was, we would have far fewer successful leaders.
Emotional intelligence is about recognizing, understanding and effectively managing emotions for personal and professional gain. Emotions must be identified so they can be understood and controlled so they don’t disrupt one’s behavior or obstruct one’s progress in life. For example, if someone feels insecure about his work performance, he will most likely avoid taking initiative or making decisions because doing so will make him feel even more insecure.
An emotionally intelligent person understands how his emotions affect his thoughts and behaviors so he can better regulate his emotions for success at work or in personal relationships. He does this by regularly identifying his emotions so he can tailor his reactions accordingly when faced with different situations.
Importance of Emotional Intelligence (EI) for effective leadership.
1. Helps to Build Trust
Effective leadership requires subordinates to trust their leaders. A respectful and trusting leader encourages teamwork, honesty, and fairness, which decreases stress and improves performance.
2. Helps to motivate & influence others
With the help of EI, a leader can effectively motivate their team and influence others. Leadership is not only about getting work done by his subordinates, but also about understanding their needs, and problems, and helping them grow in their careers. It is easier for a leader who understands both the strong and weak characteristics of a subordinate to motivate them to work hard on their weak areas and take advantage of their strengths to reach the desired results.
3. Helps in communicating effectively
The ability to communicate effectively is also enhanced by emotional intelligence. By being able to understand and control one's emotions and those of others, we are able to improve our ability to communicate with them. A lack of emotional intelligence prevents us from understanding how to communicate effectively with others. An important aspect of emotional intelligence is interpersonal skills - establishing relationships and strengthening relationships with others, resolving conflicts and problems diplomatically and with tact.
4. Helps in building rapport with others
Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and respond appropriately to emotions in yourself and others. Relationships require this skill and are crucial to building rapport with a new partner. Through EI, leaders can communicate their vision effectively and inspire others to do their best. As a result, they are able to negotiate, find common ground, and collaborate with a variety of people.
Comments