Generally when companies are looking to hire people in leadership roles, they tend to go for someone with the right kind of experience and hard skills. However, time are changing. These days soft skills or emotional intelligence are an integral part of what makes a great leader and such individuals are in high demand. Loads of workshops are carried out helping people tap into their emotional intelligence.
Leaders who possess emotional intelligence are known to have teams which are dedicated towards the cause of the company and have a high success rate as well. It allows them to become effective managers. These are the individuals who become role models for the employees within a company. Their integrity, dedication and kindness makes them someone who people can look up to. Emotionally intelligent leaders motivate their employees to do better and become more productive.
So what exactly is emotional intelligence in management?
According to Psychologist Howard Gardner, the simple ability to understand others and motivating them and working cooperatively with them is emotional intelligence. It’s very easy to recognize individuals who are emotionally intelligent. They usually come across a people who know themselves well and have an innate ability to understand others around them. A leader who possesses emotional intelligence has the following five qualities:
- They possess self-awareness. They know how to understand their feelings and emotion. They have an idea of their strengths and limitations.
- Self-regulatory behavior. They have the ability for controlling their impulses and are flexible in nature. At the same time they are also responsible and take responsibility for all their actions.
- Self-motivation. They possess the ability to understand how to take up opportunities and align those with their resources.
- The ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and then understanding what they are going through.
- Social skills. The ability to diffuse problematic situations if and when they arise and keep harmony in all situations.
When it comes to management skills, the right leader would possess all these innate soft skills. On the other hand emotional intelligence in management is a skill which can be honed through practice. In fact there are several conferences and platforms where individual are trained to hone their soft skills and in turn become better leaders.
In order to become an effective leader, individuals should have an idea of how their emotions and actions affect others around them. The leader should be able to relate to their employees. It would help them become more successful.
How to improve emotional intelligence?
A leader can improve their emotional intelligence in a variety of ways. Often it is a learned skill which comes through practice. In order to better themselves leaders should start practicing the above mentioned five qualities required for emotional intelligence.
A true leader knows ways in which they can manage their stress. It is stress which often takes us out of our comfort zone. However, those who can handle stress can control their emotions and know which initiatives they should take to manage the situation and prevent it from getting out of control.
