Change is sweeping across businesses. The burden to successfully navigate the impact of these changes is being keenly felt at the executive level. C-Suite and senior executives are making critical decisions in real time with ever-shifting parameters. Today more than ever, the success of your organization depends on the emotional intelligence and competency of your leadership.
“Extraordinary times reveal the true character and maturity of a leader, for it is during such times that people need guidance, compassion, and understanding the most.”
~ John Mattone
The critical impact of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and to understand how those emotions affect, and are affected by, other people’s emotions. The emotionally-intelligent leader is able to manage emotions, connect with others on a human level, and ultimately, influence and lead them.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman, the father of the emotional intelligence concept, breaks down emotional intelligence into four key domains:
Emotionally Intelligent Attributes:
- SELF AWARENESS
Tune into your emotions - SELF MANAGEMENT
Control over disruptive emotions and impulses - SOCIAL AWARENESS
Understanding other people’s emotions - RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Motivate, inspire, and harmonize with others
Applying Emotional Intelligence
When you gain a vantage point over your emotions within a situation, you secure a degree of control over them. Emotional intelligence gives you the ability to manage negative thoughts and emotions. Such an ability is extremely important in times of crisis. By managing your emotions this way, you will enhance focus, make wiser decisions, be more adaptable, and be more prepared to lead change.
Understanding and empathy lead to influence. A good leader anticipates the needs and concerns of the workforce, especially in times of crisis. When you fully understand the emotions, challenges, and desires of your team, you are able to effectively communicate in ways that will raise the organization to higher success levels. Emotional intelligence helps resolve conflict and foster teamwork, which boost well-being.
“Socially-aware leaders are able to relate to many different types of people, listen attentively, and communicate effectively.”
Finally, emotional intelligence leads to deliberate action. In a time of crisis, a strong leader will meet challenges head-on and look for ways to turn a loss into a gain on the go. In this time of crisis, the value of courage is multiplied. It inspires the leader to take the right action and it inspires and rallies the people. A manager is able to deal with immediate impacts of a crisis, a leader inspires and looks toward the needs of both now and those of the future, and guides others to the new vision.
