Last updated on August 13th, 2024 at 10:27 am
Leaders play a very crucial role in every aspect of life; be it personal or professional. An organisation can flourish and reach greater heights if it has effective leadership components. On the contrary, inefficient and underconfident leaders can be detrimental.
The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) while considering the types of leadership is a new skill and it is still in its amateur stage. However, it is very vital for a leader to be emotionally intelligent in order to cater to the needs of the organisation as well as its employees. An emotionally intelligent leader possesses the ability to handle all types of circumstances such as a challenging role, indisciplined subordinates, a tiring task, and so on.
Read on to learn what is leadership, how one can acquire essential leadership skills and how important is emotional intelligence for laying the foundation of a flourishing organisation.
What is Leadership?
In today’s world, the definition of leadership has become more people-centric than a bookish term. A good leader must possess an excellent mental ability to understand and process challenging situations.
To understand ‘what is leadership’ and to become effective. Future leaders should acquire the following abilities:
- Proper decision-making power
- Active listening
- Strategic thinking ability
- Resilience
- Creativity
- Problem-solving ability
- Integrity
- Transparency
- Emotional intelligence
However, The parameter of emotional intelligence is relatively new and hence is often undermined. However emotional intelligence is an integral component of good leadership. One may sign up for an effective leadership program to develop and acquire the relevant leadership skills
What is Emotional Intelligence?
One may come across the notion of emotional intelligence while learning about the various types of leadership. Emotional intelligence is the potential to understand and manage one’s sentiments as well as the emotions of the ones around them. The term was first coined by John Mayer and Peter Salovey in 1990, but it rose to fame after Daniel Goleman popularised the concept.
A high degree of emotional intelligence quotient allows people to understand exactly what they are feeling and what that sentiment means to them. It also allows them to understand the impact of such emotions on the people around them.
Different leaders perform various types of leadership but every leader should possess the skill of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a must when handling people at large and also managing the affairs of the company. Emotional intelligence inculcates within you the ability to handle every situation calmly even in a stressful circumstance. An effective leader makes his team understand the situation at hand in a calm and composed manner and that is what emotional intelligence is about.
Want to explore the field of emotional intelligence? Sign up for the Senior Management Programme IIM Lucknow by Imarticus.
Elements of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman, the famous psychologist has propounded five major elements of emotional intelligence. The more a person imbibes these elements within oneself, the more is the emotional intelligence of that person.
- Self-awareness: Self-awareness between oneself allows the person to know what exactly he or she is feeling. Self-aware individuals have control over their emotions that ultimately affect their actions. A self-aware leader always has a clear picture in mind as to how they have to approach a specific situation. it allows them to behave with humility after assessing the strengths and shortcomings of the team members.
- Self-regulation: An individual who always keeps their behaviour in check is more likely to stay calm and composed in challenging situations. Leaders who self-regulate themselves will not make decisions in a hurry and will not verbally abuse others. Hence, self-regulation develops the ability to control emotions, which is an important leadership quality.
- Motivation: Motivation is a common factor in all types of leadership. It is a must-have quality in a leader as it is, the responsibility of the leader to keep their team motivated to work. One can motivate others only if they themselves are motivated. A motivated leader helps the organisation to achieve their targeted goals and establish esteem standards of deliverables.
- Empathy: There are different types of leadership, but empathy is a common quality that every leader must have. Empathy is the ability to put oneself in someone else’s situation in order to assess and make the right decisions. An empathetic leader provides constructive feedback to their team and uplifts their morale by appreciating their good work.
- Social skills: Social skills are integral for becoming a good leader as it shows one's capacity for effective communication. Leaders with good social skills are also good listeners and they can gracefully accept both good and bad situations. Additionally, leaders with good social skills can easily resolve disputes among their team members without causing much chaos. They are good communicators and effective task handlers.
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
Emotional intelligence plays a very critical role in leadership. It elevates the organisational output by fostering teamwork, motivated employees, and a proper strategy provided by the leader. Leaders who possess high emotional intelligence are better at making cordial relationships with their colleagues and solving disputes among their teammates.
Emotional intelligence is important for leadership because of various factors that are stated as below:
- Effective communication: Leaders need to possess the quality of effective communication. They should be clear about their vision and aim, and convey the same to their teammates, clearly. Effective communication helps to get rid of any miscommunications and ambiguities between the leader and their teammates. Additionally, active listening, coupled with effective communication is a key aspect of successful leadership.
- Conflict management: In a workplace, disputes and conflicts are inevitable. A good leader is one who can effectively solve conflicts by providing constructive solutions. An emotionally intelligent leader can solve challenging situations while being calm and composed. Hence, it leads to better conflict management.
- Building strong relationships: Leaders with a high emotional intelligence quotient can build cordial and better relationships with their colleagues, which is essential for the growth of an organisation. They can build trust among the team members which makes the work environment positive and supportive.
- Better decision-making: Leaders with high emotional intelligence can recognise their emotions which helps them to make rational and informed decisions. They are empathetic towards their colleagues and respect their perspectives as well, which can validate their decisions.
- Motivating teammates: Leaders with a high emotional intelligence quotient can always motivate their employees to perform better as they can understand the emotions of the employees. They know what is the cause of their demotivation and what are the ways in which the employees can feel motivated. This results in jobs, satisfaction, as well as improved productivity of the company.
How To Identify a Lack of Emotional Intelligence?
A lack of emotional intelligence abilities frequently results in misunderstandings and conflicts in the workplace. These conflicts are generally the outcome of an incapacity to figure out and interpret one’s emotions. Having trouble controlling and articulating one’s feelings is one of the most prominent indicators of low emotional intelligence.
If an individual lacks emotional intelligence then they may face problems in acknowledging the concerns of their teammates. Additionally, a leader who is not emotionally intelligent will also face difficulties in active listening.
Another way of introspecting oneself is by way of asking questions to their own self. One question themselves as:
- Do they have an ease of conversation or not?
- Whether they put the blame on others for the failure of a task?
- Whether they have temper issues or frequently shout at others?
These are the signs with which one can identify that he or she is lacking the ability of emotional intelligence. It is vital for leaders to inculcate the required skills of emotional intelligence to upskill their career graph. Taking up an effective leadership program may help in this regard.
How To Strengthen Your Emotional Intelligence?
As a leader, developing immense emotional intelligence requires a lot of resilience and self-awareness. One may perform the following activities on a daily basis to strengthen their emotional intelligence ability:
- Journalling: An individual who is trying to improve his emotional intelligence ability, may start journaling his emotions and feelings on a daily basis. Recording one’s feelings that influence their decision-making, communication, and negative and positive thoughts can provide a greater insight into the causes of such emotions. Additionally, it helps people identify what is negatively impacting their behaviour so that they can develop an idea of how to deal with them.
- Take up a 360° assessment: One should seek feedback from their managers, senior members, friends, and peers along with conducting the self-assessment. Seeking feedback and comparing the outcomes may help locate the loopholes and improve one's leadership abilities.
- Practice active listening: One must listen to what their colleagues are saying without falling for any destruction. It helps increase the focus, which in turn intensifies leadership skills. This will help the individual to become more engaged in the affairs of the company, rather than ignoring the matter without much participation.
- Try to understand your emotions: One needs to pay attention to what they are feeling at any particular moment. Whenever an individual is developing any type of strong emotion, they should think of the reason behind such emotion and analyse how it impacts their work. This will help the individual to develop a sense of strong emotional response and will make them more aware of their reaction. This ultimately helps leaders to better understand their team members’ emotions and perspectives.
- Take up a leadership program or training: For better and professional results, one may enrol in a leadership program by IIM or course that will help them to learn from the experts as to how to build up emotional intelligence. A detailed course may help individuals identify their shortcomings and work on them so that they can become better leaders.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence is an inseparable aspect of effective leadership. Leaders who have a hold on their feelings, who are aware of their emotions, and are empathetic, socially capable, and emotionally able can build strong relationships with their teammates, colleagues, and seniors. Maintaining good relations is significant for the development of an organisation as it also helps to reduce conflict among members and make better decisions.
If you want to become a successful leader and are looking to develop your emotional intelligence, then a leadership program may help you in this regard. You may register for the Senior Management Programme, IIM Lucknow by Imarticus. By actively working to enhance your emotional intelligence ability, you can surely become a successful leader.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How does emotional intelligence contribute to effective leadership?
Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to make better relationships with their employees and colleagues. This lifts the morale of the team and creates a positive work environment. Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to motivate their subordinates, which leads to better team performance.
- Is emotional intelligence a key leadership skill?
Emotional intelligence is an important leadership quality in all types of leadership. This quality helps leaders to become more empathetic towards their colleagues and build a better bond with them. This makes the team members feel valuable and important to the organisation. Emotionally intelligent leaders are able to resolve conflicts and address problems in a more efficient manner.
- Why is emotional intelligence important in project leadership?
The emotional intelligence quotient is integral for leaders to build trust among their teammates and create a positive work culture. When leaders are empathetic towards their team members, they feel more valued and develop a sense of devotion towards their work. This ultimately increases organisational output leading to business growth.
- What are the four types of emotional intelligence?
The types of emotional intelligence include self-awareness, social awareness, relational management, and self-management. These qualities allow the leader to become more successful in the corporate sphere.
