You’ve probably heard the phrase, “emotional intelligence,” before, but you may not know exactly what it means or why it is so important in the workplace.
Emotional intelligence describes the ability to accurately identify, understand and manage your own emotions and those of the people around you in positive and effective ways.
Leaders with strong emotional intelligence understand their own emotions and their behavior, as well as the behaviors of others. They use emotions as clues to what’s really going on, so they can truly understand what others are doing and saying. This emotional intelligence is a critical predictor of performance and a strong driver of leadership excellence.
Not too long ago, companies were focused on hiring and promoting based on a person’s intelligence, college degrees and business smarts. However, many companies now realize that a person’s IQ alone is not going to make him or her successful. The way leaders conduct and express themselves, and the way they interact with others is equally important, if not more so, than intellectual capability and technical skill.
The term, emotional intelligence, was created by two researchers, Peter Salavoy and John Mayer, and popularized by Daniel Goleman in his books, “Emotional Intelligence: Why it matters more than IQ” and “Working with Emotional Intelligence.”
Goleman’s model of emotional intelligence states there are key competencies that drive performance. He suggests these emotional competencies are not innate talents, but learned capabilities that must be worked on and developed to achieve outstanding performance. Research states that emotional intelligence is not fixed like IQ and can be continually developed over one’s lifetime.
Goleman’s five competencies of emotional intelligence include:
SELF-AWARENESS
Leaders with a healthy self-awareness know their strengths and weaknesses, and recognize the impact of how these emotions and actions affect people.
SELF-REGULATION
Leaders who regulate themselves effectively can better manage or redirect disruptive emotions and impulses. Self-regulation is all about personal responsibility and staying in control.
SOCIAL SKILL
Leaders who excel in social skills are great communicators. They can read people and interact well in social situations. They are good at managing change, resolving conflict, and influencing people to take desired actions.
EMPATHY
Empathy allows leaders to effectively recognize and understand how and why people feel the way they do. Having empathy allows them to better connect with others.
MOTIVATION
Self-motivated leaders are not motivated simply by title or money, but driven by an inner ambition. They are optimistic, resilient and have high standards for the quality of their work.
While these skills may not sound important, they can be imperative for women in leadership roles. In fact, the Center for Creative Leadership states the three main reasons executives fail is because of their inability to handle change, poor interpersonal relationships and not being able to work as a team.
These soft skills turn out to be the differentiator in a leader’s success. Developing these skills is crucial, as it allows leaders to have the ability to sense, appreciate and understand emotions at higher levels, yielding increased collaboration, productivity and success. Organizations that place a focus on developing these skills see the results of these high-impact leadership behaviors.
Leaders with a highly developed emotional intelligence still face challenging situations at work and have to deal with difficult people. Yet the way they respond is different. They understand their emotions and why they are behaving in a certain way. They understand people at a deeper level, and can effectively relate to and empathize with them.
The value and benefits of developing emotional intelligence are huge in regard to personal and professional success. Effective leadership determines the success of an organization and leadership starts within you.
Next month, I will continue the discussion on emotional intelligence and share strategies to develop each of the five competencies to help you lead yourself and your team to greater success.
Beilsmith is an executive coach and professional development expert recognized for helping high-achieving professionals, teams and leaders reach their true potential through coaching, training and assessments. Visit jennybeilsmith.com for more information.
