“Emotional intelligence is the key to both personal and professional success,” writes Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. One of the most important aspects of leadership is developing the emotional intelligence required to lead from the front. While smart and hardworking leaders make an impact, the best leaders understand themselves and their people. Here are five key aspects of emotional intelligence:
- Self-Awareness: The first aspect of emotional intelligence is self-awareness or the ability to understand ourselves. Highly-effective leaders truly understand their core values by writing them out and living them each day. These leaders also know their strengths and weaknesses. They play to their strengths, but they work to improve their weaknesses to become well-rounded. How well do you know yourself in order to lead others?
- Self-Regulation: The second characteristic of emotional intelligence is self-regulation. Highly-effective leaders understand how to control and manage stress in challenging situations. During stressful situations, they’re able to effectively de-escalate conflict and remain aware of the core challenges. Managing stress and conflict allows them to lead change over time. How well do you self-regulate and manage stress?
- Motivation: The third trait of emotional intelligence is motivation. Really great leaders are not just externally motivated; they are also deeply committed and internally motivated to reach a larger vision. This internal motivation drives leaders to make a significant impact on many people. Highly-effective leaders rarely need external motivation, but reaching goals and impacting others continues to excite them. How well do you use internal motivation to reach goals?
- Empathy: The fourth foundation of emotional intelligence is empathy. Empathy refers to a person’s ability to understand the emotions of other people. Although this seems like an intuitive skill, many people struggle to both recognize and understand emotions. Highly-effective leaders understand the dynamics between the people they lead and their position of power. Understanding this dynamic allows them to lead in a way that creates change. How well do you understand the feelings of other people?
- Social Skills: The fifth aspect of emotional intelligence is social skills. Great leaders with elite social skills truly understand how to listen to what people are saying before they respond. They practice active listening to support others. A lesser discussed topic is that social skills also align with nonverbals and body language. Awareness of nonverbals helps send the correct message even when we’re not saying anything. How well do you understand and implement nonverbals?
One separator of highly-effective leaders is their emotional intelligence. Great leaders utilize these foundational skills in order to reach the larger vision for their organizations. Although many great leaders naturally have these skills, they can be developed and grown over time with a continuous improvement mindset.
How well do you utilize emotional intelligence skills to positively impact others?