Effective Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence

  Make no mistake! Leadership styles directly impact employee engagement, culture and business productivity. How long an employee stays and how productive they are is dependent on the relationship they have with their leader.

There is an ongoing challenge for leaders to continually improve productivity and staff retention. This can be achieved by improving engagement of their workforce through Emotional Intelligence. If you emotionally engage workers, they are by far more productive.

Emotional Intelligence is about one's ability to perceive, understand, reason with and manage one's own feelings, emotions, mood states and behaviour's as well as those of others. It's your ability that helps people cope with frustrations, control emotions and get along with others.

Our moods, feelings, and emotions influence us every day at work - to good or bad effect. Not only do they impact every workplace relationship and interaction, they influence fundamental areas like job satisfaction, engagement, and team morale.

Numerous studies have found people high in Emotional Intelligence are happier, healthier and more successful in their business https://interobservers.com/, work and personal relationships.

Start developing your Emotional Intelligence TODAY!

Based on Daniel Goleman's decade of research and model of emotional intelligence, the four (4) main components of emotional intelligence leadership are: -

o Self awareness

o Self Regulation

o Self motivation

o Social awareness

1. Self-awareness

Emotional awareness: (Recognizing your emotions and their effects).

- Know which emotions you are feeling and why;

- Understand the links between your feelings and what you think, do, and say

- Recognize how your feelings affect your performance and others;

- Have a guiding awareness of your values and goals.

Accurate self-assessment: (Knowing one's strengths and limits)

- Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses;

- Reflect on and learn from experience;

- Be open to candid feedback, new perspectives, continuous learning and self-development.

- Show a sense of humor and perspective about themselves.

Self-confidence: (Sureness about one's self-worth and capabilities).

- Present yourself with self-assurance; have "presence";

- Voice your views that are unpopular and go out on a limb for what is right;

- Be decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties and pressures.

2. Self-Regulation

Self-control: (Managing disruptive emotions and impulses).

- Manage your impulsive feelings and distressing emotions well;

- Stay composed, positive, and unflappable even in trying moments;

- Think clearly and stay focused under pressure.

Trustworthiness: (Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity).

- Act ethically and are above reproach;

- Build trust through their reliability and authenticity;

- Admit your own mistakes and confront unethical actions in others;

- Take tough, principled stands even if they are unpopular.

Conscientiousness: (Taking responsibility for personal performance).

- Meet commitments and keep promises;

- Be organized and careful in your work.

Adaptability: (Flexibility in handling change).

- Smoothly handle multiple demands, shifting priorities, and rapid change;

- Adapt your responses and tactics to fit circumstances;

- Be flexible in how you see events.

Innovation: (Being comfortable with and open to novel ideas and new information).

- Seek out fresh ideas from a wide variety of sources;

- Entertain new solutions to problems;

- Generate new ideas;

- Take fresh perspectives and risks in their thinking.

3. Self-Motivation

Achievement drive: (Striving to improve or meet a standard of excellence).

- Be results-oriented, with a high drive to meet your objectives and standards;

- Set challenging goals and take calculated risks;

- Pursue information to reduce uncertainty and find ways to do better;

- Learn how to improve your performance.

Commitment: (Aligning with the goals of the group or organization).

- Readily make personal or group sacrifices to meet a larger organizational goal;

- Find a sense of purpose in the larger mission;

- Use the group's core values in making decisions and clarifying choices;

- Actively seek out opportunities to fulfill the group's mission.

Initiative: (Readiness to act on opportunities)

- Be ready to seize opportunities;

- Pursue goals beyond what's required or expected of you;

- Cut through red tape and bend the rules when necessary to get the job done;

- Mobilize others through unusual, enterprising efforts.

Optimism: (Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks).

- Persist in seeking goals despite obstacles and setbacks;

- Operate from hope of success rather than fear of failure;

- See setbacks as due to manageable circumstance rather than a personal flaw.

4. Social Awareness

Empathy:

(Sensing others' feelings and perspective, and taking an active interest in their concerns)

- Be attentive to emotional cues and listen well;

- Show sensitivity and understand others' perspectives;

- Help out based on understanding other people's needs and feelings.

Developing others:

(Sensing what others need in order to develop, and bolstering their abilities).

- Acknowledge and reward people's strengths, accomplishments, and development;

- Offer prompt and useful feedback and identify people's needs for development;

- Mentor, coach and offer assignments that challenge and grow a person's skills.

Leveraging diversity:(Cultivating opportunities through diverse people).

- Respect and relate well to people from varied backgrounds;

- Understand diverse worldviews and be sensitive to group differences;

- See diversity as opportunity, creating an environment where diverse people can thrive;

- Challenge bias and intolerance.

Political awareness: (Reading a group's emotional currents and power relationships).

- Accurately read key power relationships;

- Understand the forces that shape views and actions of constituents;

- Accurately read situations and organizational and external realities.

5. Social Skills

Influence: (Wielding effective tactics for persuasion).

- Fine-tune presentations to appeal to the listener;

- Use strategies like indirect influence to build consensus and support;

- Orchestrate dramatic events to effectively make a point.

Communication: (Sending clear and convincing messages)

- You're effective in give-and-take, registering emotional cues in attuning their message;

- Deal with difficult issues straightforwardly;

- Listen well, seek mutual understanding, and welcome sharing of information fully;

- Foster open communication and stay receptive to bad news as well as good.

Leadership: (Inspiring and guiding groups and people)

- Articulate and arouse enthusiasm for a shared vision and mission;

- Step forward to lead as needed, regardless of position;

- Guide the performance of others while holding them accountable;

- Lead by example.

Change catalyst: (Initiating or managing change).

- Recognize the need for change and remove barriers;

- Challenge the status quo to acknowledge the need for change;

- Champion the change and enlist others to pursuit it. Model the change expected of others.

Conflict management: (Negotiating and resolving disagreements).

- Handle difficult people and tense situations with diplomacy and tact;

- Spot potential conflict, bring disagreements into the open, and help de-escalate;

- Encourage debate and open discussion and create win-win solutions

Building bonds: (Nurturing instrumental relationships).

- Cultivate and maintain extensive informal networks;

- Seek out relationships that are mutually beneficial;

- Build rapport and keep others in the loop;

- Make and maintain personal friendships among work associates.

Collaboration and cooperation: (Working with others toward shared goals).

- Balance a focus on task with attention to relationships;

- Collaborate, share plans, information, and resources;

- Promote a friendly and cooperative climate;

- Identify and nurture opportunities for collaboration.

Team capabilities: (Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals)

- Model team qualities like respect, helpfulness, and cooperation;

- Encourage all members into active and enthusiastic participation;

- Build team identity and commitment;

- Share credit.