Approach:
- Intro – definition of EI.
- Mention the key attributes of EI.
- Discuss the significance of EI in leadership.
- Conclusion.
Emotional Intelligence was coined in 1990 by Mayer and Salovey. According to Mayer, Emotional Intelligence “is the ability to accurately perceive your own and others’ emotions; to understand the signals that emotions send about relationships; and to manage your own and others’ emotions”.
Key attributes of EI: 5 key attributes are : Self-awareness, Self-regulation, motivation, empathy for others, and social skills. [can represent this in flow-chart format]
Significance for leadership: Goleman commented, “without EQ, a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive, analytical mind, and an endless supply of smart ideas, but still won’t make a great leader”.
Leaders are facing fresh challenges in this 21st centuries. The nature of such challenges has also been constantly changing. In this situation, running an organization or leading a team has never been easy. Yet, under such scenario, the leaders are expected maneuver creatively. There is no doubt that leadership is one of the heavily tested skills, especially in crisis situations. Emotional Intelligence leadership helps to meet those needs.
- Emotionally intelligent leader is more likely to successfully manage many relationships in crisis, inspiring others & managing conflict situations.
- Leaders with high EQ know themselves. They can effectively self-regulate & self-motivate in difficult and uncertain times. With a solid self-foundation, they are better able to engage with others.
- By practicing empathy, EI leaders can create a ‘psychological safety’ among employees and peers that fosters enhanced healthy engagement. This, in turn, improves focus & productivity.
- They are calm in listening to others’ views, and with their excellent communication skills they can better work out the problems of others. This creates a strong bond between the leader and his/her coworkers.
- EQ leader is also tapped into team dynamics and gives everyone a voice, which helps to improve work culture.
- Risk-taking is more likely in a work environment where individuals feel psychologically safe and supported. Thus EQ leaders encourage people to take a create approach to problem solving, step up to challenges and challenge the status-quo. This increases innovation.
- EQ leaders have the core characteristics needed to help employees adapt & even thrive amidst uncertainty.
Research suggests that 80% employees with poor manager relationships are disengaged, and 50% of the employees left to get away from their manager. Thus, high EI are able to easily build inter-personal relationships, personal integrity, inspiration, among other positive traits. EQ can be learned and developed, which appears to be the more dominating trait of any successful individual in today’s world.