Our emotions have an influence over every interaction we have throughout the day. They determine how we respond to conflict, challenges, and opportunities; they play a part in the effort we demonstrate, the behaviors we express, and how we interact with others. Simply put, our emotions are powerful!

Psychologist Daniel Goleman coined a concept encompassing the influence of our emotions over our everyday lives, called emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence assesses a person’s ability to both recognize and control their emotions, harness their emotions for an appropriate response, and to be aware of and sensitive to others’ emotions. People who have a high level of emotional intelligence are able to gauge how they are feeling, know what their emotions mean, and handle interpersonal relationships with empathy.

Being able to connect emotionally with employees is essential for leadership effectiveness. This is because it can impact how they manage their teams, how they interact with their employees, but also in part because the way a leader makes their team feel has an influence over the engagement and productivity of the workplace.

When it comes to assessing emotional intelligence, there are four components to consider: 

1. Self-Awareness: Self-awareness describes your ability to not only know your emotions, but your strengths and weaknesses, and be able to recognize how they influence your relationships and the impact they have on your team’s performance.
   
2. Self-Management: Self-management refers to the ability to manage your emotions. It recognizes the ability to control both positive and negative impulses, and to be flexible and display a positive outlook despite a stressful situation. A leader with a lack of self-management would have a harder time controlling their impulses.
   
3. Social Awareness: Social awareness assesses your ability to recognize and empathize with others’ emotions, and to understand the present dynamics within your organization. It is essentially knowing how to read a room.  A leader with social awareness will strive to understand the perspectives of their team, which will improve communication and collaboration within the workplace.
   
4. Relationship Management: Relationship management refers to your ability to effectively resolve conflict within your team, and to influence or mentor others/your employees. Often people try to or prefer to avoid conflict, but addressing these issues as they arise is very important for the productivity of your organization.

So what happens when a leader is emotionally intelligent?

Leaders who demonstrate emotional intelligence tend to nurture a safer and healthier environment and company culture, where employees feel comfortable to voice their opinions and ideas and work collaboratively in the workplace.

These leaders have the capability to use emotions to drive the progress of their organization. By having awareness and an understanding of their employees’ emotions and the potential emotions that may arise, they are able to plan and prepare the most optimal way to effect any necessary changes within the organization for a better organizational output.

Do you want to enhance your leadership skills? Get in touch today to learn more about our leadership assessments and get started on improving your management success today!