The Leader and Emotional Intelligence
We all know what it feels like to become emotionally triggered—often sparked by an event, a circumstance, or someone’s words. But it’s how we respond in the moment that truly matters. Our ability to control our words and actions following the emotion we experience determines the level of our emotional intelligence (EQ). And the great news is that we can all strengthen and develop our EQ.
In this article, we define emotional intelligence, share why it’s important, and discuss how it can impact your leadership effectiveness.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power of emotions to enable higher levels of collaboration and productivity. It includes these five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, social awareness, and social regulation. Essentially, it’s how we show up. When we’re functioning from a place of high EQ, then we’re able to face challenges well, responding versus reacting. But when we’re operating from a place of low EQ, we often say or do things we end up regretting, not addressing challenges in the way that we want.
Why is EQ important?
It’s important to strengthen your emotional intelligence because how you show up to those around you matters. A high level of EQ can be a gift to others because they know that you won’t allow negative emotions to rule your words or behaviors when they bring you a challenge. It doesn’t mean that you don’t feel negative emotions, it just means that you’re able to control your behaviors and walk through challenges with clear thinking and appropriate actions.
Understanding your current level of emotional intelligence is key to growth. Take some time to reflect upon the experiences (both positive and negative) that tested your EQ. What instances triggered you? And did you respond (a thoughtful choice) or react (an impulsive choice)? If you reacted, how can you work toward responding in the future?
Once you have a clear understanding of your own EQ and how it shows up in your words and behaviors, then you’ll be able to pause and respond the next time you feel emotionally triggered instead of reacting in a manner that you might later regret. This will build trust and gain influence with those around you.
How does EQ impact your leadership?
As humans, it can be easy to let our emotions dictate our choices, but as a leader, it’s important to remain calm and clear-headed even when you’re feeling emotionally triggered. Emotions are informative (and it’s important to understand them and process them), but they can’t be directive. You get to direct the outcome of your emotions.
Research reveals that 75% of careers derail because of emotional competencies, meaning your emotional intelligence can either help or hurt your leadership effectiveness. This is why it’s vital that a leader take the time to understand their current level of EQ and then put in the effort to strengthen it. A great way to gauge where you’re at is by taking an EQ assessment (we’ve got a great assessment and debrief to recommend).
As a leader, you get to practice healthy self-leadership and choose your words and actions. This is such a privilege—especially when the words you say, actions you take, and choices you make impact those you love, lead, and serve.
Interested in learning more about EQ? We’d love to facilitate a Team Workshop on the topic of Emotional Intelligence so that your team can increase their collaboration, productivity, and understanding of both themselves and one another.
