5 Characteristics of the Emotionally Intelligent Leader
“There is no separation of mind and emotions; emotions, thinking, and learning are all linked.” – Eric Jensen.
Sometimes disparagingly referred to as a “soft skill,” emotional intelligence is one of the most important outer-core leadership competencies. Emotions affect the decisions of every single employee and person in a leadership position. Emotionally intelligent people recognize the role of this emotional “filter” and they may even be able to manipulate it to some extent.
Emotional intelligence gives you far better insights into everything in life.
An emotionally intelligent person adjusts his/her behavior according to the circumstances and to the emotional responses, he/she may want to elicit from interlocutors. Emotionally intelligent leaders are, therefore, typically better than their emotionally impaired peers.
We all possess a natural proclivity to recognize emotional intelligence. We may, however, find it difficult to quantify and define.
What are some of the hallmarks of emotionally intelligent leaders?
Self-aware leaders know themselves, know how they react to certain emotional stimuli, and they can control their reactions. With its roots in self-knowledge, self-awareness allows leaders to account for the weight their emotions and thoughts carry in their decision-making.
Self-aware people are also better at gauging the reactions of other people to certain stimuli. Thus, they can control the reactions of others to some degree adopting a proactive approach to dealing with various situations.
The same way self-awareness traces its roots to self-knowledge, self-regulation stems from self-awareness. A leader who is capable of weighing the impact of his/her actions is much more likely to attempt to manage this impact, at the very least.
A leader capable of self-management can control and redirect various moods and emotions. In addition to self-control, self-management also covers:
- The ability to adhere to standards of integrity and honesty
- Taking responsibility for one’s deeds and performance
- Adapting to change effectively
- Growing comfortable with learning new things and being open to new ideas
One of the reasons why emotional intelligence is a focal point of leadership development is that it is the main source of motivation. Motivation is the drive/emotional state that helps people to attain certain goals. It too is a multi-component variable, consisting of:
- Achievement drive
- The alignment of one’s goals and values with those of the organization
- Eagerness to exploit opportunities
- Resilience and persistence
Motivation prompts leaders to take a proactive approach to various challenges.
Empathy is the ability to place oneself in the shoes of others. An essential component of emotional intelligence, empathy allows leaders to understand the concerns and developmental needs of employees/peers. By tapping into the emotional states of others, empathetic leaders can adapt their emotional reactions and decision making to their environment.
Empathy is the key to superior situational awareness.
Communication and Social Skills
Leadership development focuses on communication and social skills for a good reason. It is the “secret ingredient” of emotional intelligence, the piece that meshes everything together into a whole that works.
Some of the key components of social skills are:
- Ability to induce favorable outcomes through persuasion
- Listening and communicating clearly
- Inspiring teams through example and guidance
- Cooperating effectively with others
- Building group synergy and working toward shared goals
Leadership coaching can develop all of the mentioned skills/emotional intelligence components. In the context of effective leadership coaching, emotional intelligence is far more than a “soft skill.” It is one of the cornerstones of intelligent leadership and the environment that nurtures excellence.
"Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""Hakuna mgawanyiko wa akili na hisia; hisia, kufikiri, na kujifunza zote zimeunganishwa.""" Wakati mwingine derogatoryly inajulikana kama "soft ujuzi", akili ya kihisia ni moja ya muhimu zaidi ya nje ya msingi uongozi uwezo. Hisia huathiri maamuzi ya kila mfanyakazi mmoja na mtu katika nafasi ya uongozi. Watu wenye akili ya kihisia-moyo hutambua jukumu la "kichujio" hiki cha kihisia-moyo na wanaweza hata kuitumia kwa kiasi fulani. Akili ya kihisia-moyo hukupa ufahamu bora zaidi juu ya kila kitu maishani. Mtu mwenye akili ya kihisia-moyo huongeza tabia yake kulingana na hali na majibu ya kihisia-moyo ambayo anaweza kutaka kupata kutoka kwa wasemaji. Kwa hiyo, kwa kawaida viongozi wenye akili ya kihisia-moyo ni bora kuliko wenzao wenye matatizo ya kihisia-moyo. Sote tuna mwelekeo wa kiasili wa kutambua akili ya kihisia-moyo. Hata hivyo, huenda ikawa vigumu kwetu kuamua kiasi na kufafanua. Ni nini sifa za viongozi wenye akili ya kihisia-moyo? Viongozi wenye kujitambua wanajijua wenyewe, wanajua jinsi wanavyoitikia vishawishi fulani vya kihisia, na wanaweza kudhibiti majibu yao. Kwa sababu ya mizizi yake katika kujijua, ufahamu wa kibinafsi huwawezesha viongozi kuelezea uzito wa hisia zao na mawazo yao katika kufanya maamuzi. Watu wenye kujitambua pia ni wazuri zaidi katika kupima itikio la watu wengine kwa vichocheo fulani. Hivyo, wanaweza kudhibiti jinsi wengine wanavyotenda kwa kadiri fulani kwa kutumia mbinu ya kuchukua hatua ili kukabiliana na hali mbalimbali. Kwa njia ile ile ufahamu wa kibinafsi unafuatilia mizizi yake kwa maarifa ya kibinafsi, udhibiti wa kibinafsi unatokana na ufahamu wa kibinafsi. Kiongozi ambaye ana uwezo wa kupima athari za matendo yake, ni uwezekano mkubwa zaidi kujaribu kusimamia athari hii. Kiongozi anayeweza kujisimamia anaweza kudhibiti na kuelekeza tena hisia na hisia mbalimbali. "Kupitia ""Utawala wa kibinafsi,"" unahusisha uwezo wa kufuata viwango vya uadilifu na uaminifu, kuchukua jukumu la matendo na utendaji wa mtu, kubadilika kwa ufanisi, kukua vizuri na kujifunza mambo mapya na kuwa wazi kwa mawazo mapya, na moja ya sababu kwa nini akili ya hisia ni kitovu cha maendeleo ya uongozi ni kwamba ni chanzo kikuu cha motisha." Msukumo ni gari au hali ya kihisia ambayo husaidia watu kufikia malengo fulani. Ni pia variable multi-kiungo, inayojumuisha: - mafanikio drive - alignment ya moja ya malengo na maadili na wale wa shirika - ujasiri wa kutumia fursa - Resilience na uvumilivu - motisha anaomba viongozi kuchukua mbinu proactive kwa changamoto mbalimbali. Uelewaji ni uwezo wa kujiweka katika hali ya wengine. Sehemu muhimu ya akili ya kihisia, hisia-mwenzi inaruhusu viongozi kuelewa wasiwasi na mahitaji ya maendeleo ya wafanyakazi na wenzao. Kwa kutumia hali za kihisia za wengine, viongozi wenye hisia-mwenzi wanaweza kurekebisha majibu yao ya kihisia-mwenzi na kufanya maamuzi kulingana na mazingira yao. Hisia-mwenzi ni ufunguo wa ufahamu bora wa hali. Mawasiliano na Ujuzi wa Jamii Maendeleo ya Uongozi inazingatia mawasiliano na ujuzi wa kijamii kwa sababu nzuri. Ni "kiungo cha siri" cha akili ya kihisia-moyo, kipande ambacho huunganisha kila kitu pamoja katika jumla inayofanya kazi. Sehemu muhimu za ujuzi wa kijamii ni: Uwezo wa kuchochea matokeo mazuri kupitia ushawishi, kusikiliza na kuwasiliana wazi, kuchochea timu kupitia mfano na mwongozo, kushirikiana kwa ufanisi na wengine, kujenga ushirikiano wa kikundi na kufanya kazi kuelekea malengo ya pamoja, na mafunzo ya uongozi yanaweza kuendeleza ujuzi wote uliotajwa. Katika muktadha wa mafunzo ya uongozi yenye ufanisi, akili ya hisia ni zaidi ya ujuzi laini, ni moja ya nguzo za uongozi wa akili na mazingira ambayo huendeleza ubora.