Emotional Intelligence for Leaders: 7 Ways EQ Improves Your Leadership Skills
Emotional intelligence for leaders is critical to making an impact. It helps you connect with your team and guide them effectively. You might think leadership is all about making tough decisions and putting plans into action. But how you do those things matters just as much.
When you use your emotional intelligence, you become a better leader. You make smarter choices because you ask the right questions and listen carefully. Your messages get through to people more clearly. Team members feel comfortable coming to you with ideas or problems. And when things go wrong? Your group bounces back faster. People follow you because they want to, not because they have to.
If this sounds soft or “woo-woo” I promise you it isn't. The best leaders you can think of all are highly emotionally intelligent. If you want to be a great leader too, keep reading to up your emotional EQ.
What Is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand and manage your own emotions and mindset. It also includes the ability to have that appreciation in others. A high EQ means you can easily, “read the room”, know what’s going on and tap into what people need.
Emotional Intelligence determines how effectively you lead. Your EQ is what enables people to connect with and trust you. It doesn’t so much refer to what you do as a leader, rather how you do it.
Often a discussion about EQ leads you to believe that this is something you need to be certified in, read about or go and do a workshop on. The good news is that most people don’t need any additional training to bring their EQ skills to the table. You just need to build an awareness of what these skills entail, how you tap into them yourself and how they can impact your leadership.
The 4 Components of Emotional Intelligence
Self-Awareness
Self awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly through the lens of introspection and reflection. It's an honest acknowledgment of your strengths, weaknesses, emotions, and beliefs.
Self-Management
Self-management is the ability to assess where you are in relation to your goals and make midcourse corrections if necessary. You have the ability to zoom out to the 30000 foot view and adjust your goals accordingly.
Social Awareness
Social Awareness is that unique ability to “read the room.” You can tell where other people’s energy is at and match and/or change their energy if necessary.
Relationship Management
Relationship Management is the strategic approach to building, maintaining and nurturing your business relationships. The leaders with the highest EQ know that the best time to work on a relationship, whether it's with a colleague, customer or mentor, is before you need it.
How to Know If You Need to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence
If your initiatives, the hard decisions you're making, the stuff you’re putting into motion in the world isn’t sticking… you may need to assess your EQ. The best leaders have a highly developed emotional intelligence and they tap into it everyday.
When you tap into your emotional intelligence you will be able to…
Ask insightful questions
Seek out the right information
Develop a deeper sense of connection
Improve your communication skills
Build strong relationships
So if you feel like your team doesn’t “get” where you want to lead them or they aren’t able to problem solve when times get hard, dialing up your emotional intelligence may be the solution.
7 Ways to Boost Emotional Intelligence for Leaders
Practice Self Awareness
Pay attention to how you feel and act. This helps you manage your emotions and reactions. When you understand your triggers, you can handle stress better and connect with your team more easily. This leads to better results for everyone.
Tap Into Your Empathy
Try to see things from your team's point of view. Listen carefully and show you care about what they think and feel. This helps you get to the heart of issues and work together more smoothly. You don't need to know every detail of their lives, just show genuine interest in them as people.
Help Manage Stress
Find ways to manage stress that work for you. This might be deep breathing, taking walks, or other relaxation methods. When you stay calm during tough times, it creates a safe space for your team. They'll feel more comfortable sharing ideas and taking risks.
Improve Communication
EQ helps you communicate more clearly and thoughtfully. You'll pick up on how your messages are received and can adjust as needed. This includes both what you say and your body language.
Leading by Example
Your actions speak louder than words. When you use your emotional intelligence, your team will follow your lead. This has a big impact on the work culture and how people treat each other.
Seek Feedback
Get feedback from your team about how you're doing as a leader. This shows you're open to learning and growing. It also helps build trust and respect with your team.
Support Your Team's Emotional Development
Support your team in developing their own EQ. This can include training, mentoring, or simply modeling good behavior. When everyone on the team has strong emotional skills, it leads to better teamwork and results.
How Emotional Intelligence Affects Leadership
When you tap into your emotional intelligence as a leader you will enhance your influence. People will start to follow you out of inspiration and connection instead of fear and authority. The connections you build will be genuine and the impact in everything you do will be greater.
Don’t believe me? Think of the most influential leader you’ve ever worked with. Why did this person come to mind for you? I guarantee emotional intelligence was clearly on that list.
Be the leader that someone else names when they get asked that question.
Practicing emotional intelligence is one of the best ways to provide that example for your team so they can develop it for themselves. A highly developed EQ affects your own leadership and is one of the best ways to grow the next generation of leaders in all the right ways.
Improve Your Emotional Intelligence as a Leader
Hopefully these 7 ways to improve your emotional intelligence have helped stimulate some thoughts for you around this process. The first best step is to bring awareness to your own abilities. Put them into practice and see how they work with your team.
If you have additional questions about how to improve your emotional intelligence, share them with me below.
The fact that you’re paying attention to this blog is a great sign of your emotional intelligence.
