The emotionally intelligent leader
The traditional means of measuring intelligence actually has little to do with an individual’s ability to be successful in life. For many years, the standard measurement of an individual’s potential was the result of an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test designed to score an individual’s ability in logic, problem solving, math skills and language abilities. While people with high IQ scores have contributed great things to our world, many of the world’s most successful people may not be gifted in this traditional understanding of intelligence. According to current research on successful individuals, a person’s emotional intelligence score (EQ) serves as a more effective measurement of potential success in business and in life.
When learning about emotional intelligence, a common misconception of EQ comes from our tendency to understand EQ in the same way that we understand IQ. When a person has a high IQ, it means that are very smart, and upon hearing the term EQ, we naturally assume that a person with a high EQ must be very emotional; however, an individual will have a low EQ if their emotions seem to overwhelm them, if they allow their emotions to easily get out of control or if they demonstrate a reactionary temper. In contrast, individuals with high EQ scores display self-confidence, emotional control and adapt easily to new circumstances – all while displaying a good sense of humor about themselves and the world around them.
Emotional intelligence teaches us the power of learning to learn through strong self-motivation and self-management. Daniel Goleman, the leading authority on EQ, defines emotional intelligence as, “The capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.” Developing these capabilities can propel us forward in our business and personal lives, and consistent practice of the four areas of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management, defines every great leader. Increase your own EQ score by learning more about these four competencies:
Self-Awareness
People high in self-awareness recognize how their feelings affect them and their performance. Because of a deep attunement with their own guiding values, they are often able to rely on their intuition. By being accurate in self-assessment they have an awareness of their own strengths and limitations which allows them to have a good sense of humor about themselves and be graceful learners who seek out feedback for improvement. Highly self-aware people can play to their strengths and exhibit self confidence and self assurance that often helps them to stand out in a group.
Self-Management
Developing self-management allows us to take control over our own emotions, remain flexible in rapidly changing environments, and take initiative to achieve our own goals. People with high ability in self management remain calm in the face of crisis and can work through their own challenging emotions, like stress or anger, and succeed in turbulent environments. They have a sense of transparency about them which allows them to openly admit mistakes or faults and willingly hold themselves to a high standard of integrity. Most importantly, individuals who have mastered self-management are optimists who see opportunities instead of threats and have an outlook that leads them to believe that changes in the future will be for the better.
Social Awareness
Socially aware individuals possess empathy and team awareness allowing them to read the emotions of others. They have the ability to get along with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures by seeing things through multiple perspectives. They also have an organizational awareness, instantly perceiving the culture and political forces at work in a company, family or social group. Social awareness incorporates the value of service and you will often find socially aware people thinking about the customer relationship before taking action.
Relationship Management
The final area of emotional intelligence involves people who have strong relationship management skills that are inspirational and can appeal to many people by providing the right information for a given listener and building buy-in from key people. This assists them in being catalysts for positive change by having the ability to resolve conflicts and redirect energy toward shared ideals. Masters of relationship management are excellent developers of others and willing team players who build enthusiastic commitment to the collective effort.
For many years, the common wisdom had been to leave emotion at home. Work was for the head, not the heart. We now know that being successful at work means working with people, and when we work with people, we work with emotions. We set the tone for employee morale, influence people to take action, and inspire organizations toward their vision. By honing your emotional strengths and being aware of areas to improve in, you will be more successful as a friend, family member, colleague and leader.
