Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

Emotional intelligence is defined as the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. It may be considered part of the softer side of business, but that doesn’t mean its effects should be minimized.

Emotional intelligence plays significant a role in team dynamics, company culture, work environment, communication, performance management and more. Once you start looking for it, you’ll see it showing up literally everywhere. And although it can be extremely hard to quantify the effects, there’s no doubt that emotional intelligence can contribute to (or prohibit) your organizational success.

Employees with high levels of emotional intelligence tend to be more self-aware and exercise better self-control, especially when it comes to feelings like anger and disappointment. They are also better able to influence their co-workers, and more flexible and adaptive when it comes to change. These qualities can be extremely beneficial in a dynamic work environment.

On the other hand, employees with poor emotional intelligence can have an extremely negative impact on your workplace. Signs of low emotional intelligence include not being able to read social cues, not recognizing which information is relevant or irrelevant, being unable to accept feedback graciously, constantly laying blame on others, exhibiting passive-aggressive behaviors, and lacking empathy.

When it comes to the workplace, it’s becoming more and more obvious that emotional intelligence is moving from the “nice-to-have” to the “must-have” category. Once you know what you’re working with, you can decide what needs to happen next.

Start building a workforce that lends itself to better results by filling your organization with emotionally intelligent leaders and employees. Your team (and your bottom line) will thank you for that.

The use of a relevant EI tool for individual and team development prior to the delivery of our workshop is highly recommended. Our Master Coach is certified to administer, coach, debrief and facilitate the EQ-i2.0 and EQ360 assessment tools.

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