Does Higher Emotional Intelligence Make A Savvy Business Leader?

14th October 2022

Did you know 90% of top business leaders have above-average emotional intelligence?

In fact, according to the latest research and studies, emotionally intelligent leaders lead higher-performing teams. Additionally, a recent study found that employees who had managers with high EI (Emotional Intelligence) were four times less probable to leave their company. Emotional intelligence is completely associated with both salary and job satisfaction. Hence, emotional intelligence and leadership success is so meticulously connected.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence deals with one’s skill to both recognise and control their own emotions effectively. It is thus an important characteristic for anyone at any level of an organisation. A successful revolutionary leader’s emotional intelligence has extensive influence over their relations, their team-management skills, and all in all, how they communicate with people in the workplace.

Leaders with EI perform over 40% higher in employee engagement, decision-making, and training. According to the original definition by the team of Salovey and Mayer (1990), emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the collection of abilities used to identify, understand, control and assess the emotions of the self and others.

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence To leaders and Managers

Managers who show more empathy are viewed by their superiors as better performers in their jobs.

Here are the major components of Emotional Intelligence ---

According to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who helped to promote emotional intelligence, there are five key elements to it:

The more a leader manages each of these vital areas, the higher their emotional intelligence is.

Self-Awareness

Certainly, it is at the core of everything. This factor defines your aptitude to not only understand your strengths as well as weaknesses. The logic is, in order to bring out the best in your team members, you first need to bring out the best in yourself, right?

Here, the self-awareness comes into play. A self-aware leader sustains a clear picture of his/her strengths as well as weaknesses, and despite his/her position, still functions from a mindset of humbleness.

Self-Regulation

If you want to improve your self-regulation as a leader, stay calm. It basically denotes the capability to manage your emotions, mostly in stressful situations by maintaining a positive attitude in spite of hindrances.

It is the ability to control both positive as well as negative emotions with instincts and be flexible and adaptive as situations permit. It also sets an example and a character for colleagues. Schmitz says, “Leaders who can control their emotional responses don’t overreact and create further complications.”

Motivation

Schmitz says, “By staying motivated, leaders inspire others to do likewise, which creates positive outcomes whether it’s completing long term initiatives, creating lasting and positive change, or keeping all team members engaged with their work.”

Emotionally intelligent leaders have the skill to motivate themselves. They are optimistic and strong. If you learn to value optimism, you will be able to improve constructive motivation as an effective leader.

Empathy

If you want to improve your empathy as a leader, you have to acknowledge feelings, not just the words. Futuristic leaders also need to be agreed with the emotions of the individuals around them. It is an essential trait in today’s leadership.

As an empathetic front-runner, aim to answer various non-verbal indications. Address the emotions behind them. It’s equally important to understand that all emotion is practical.

Social Skills

Leaders with good social skills are also gifted at resolving conflicts. In order to improve social skills as a leader, try to resolve conflict with proper care and communication. As a leader, you influence others, and how you do that is a significant element of your skills.

Moreover, there are a number of different kinds of personality types in the workplace. Consequently, a good manager must be able to adjust their communication style to suit individual characters.

To End With

You don’t need to be a robot to develop your leadership skills. Fortunately, there are numerous methods you can do to progress your emotional intelligence skills. We provide Training strategies and solutions for companies to build a skilled workforce and bring training to your doorstep. Schmitz says, “An ineffective leader is one who shies away from conversations and is hindered by their inability to connect with others.”

Looking for earning a corporate training certification? If yes then call us at +919830029766 or +91 6292146549. Chat with our expert if you have any question or send us an email at info@ctpdasia.com to find out more.

Written By : Sudeshna Guha Thakurta