Did you ever wonder what makes someone a great leader? What are the specific characteristics that set apart a leader from a regular person? There has been quite a bit of research on this and after much deliberation, the specific trait of emotional intelligence is now recognized as a personality component that is indigenous to all those in successful leadership roles.

According to a report by the Harvard Business Review, emotional intelligence is the most essential part of leadership and accounts for almost 90% of what sets apart great leaders from everyday people.

But what is emotional intelligence, and can we adopt it? In this article, we’ll understand the significance of this disposition and how you can improve yours to be the leader you always wanted to be.

Understanding Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

Emotional Intelligence can be described as a combination of capabilities, non-cognitive skills, and competencies that support us in managing and controlling our emotional responses to external situations. Your emotional intelligence shows your ability to comprehend and manage your own emotions as well as recognize and influence the emotions of others, in light of different events.

The term was first used by psychology professors John D. Mayer of UNH and Peter Salovey of Yale back in 1990 in their research paper. However, according to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), the true significance of emotional intelligence was only realized almost a decade later due to a highly impactful article “What Makes a Leader” by psychologist Daniel Goleman, where he described the importance of this trait, saying that emotional intelligence is one critical component that is common in all effective leaders, whereas IQ and technical skills were a basic requirement for executive roles.

Further studies have now cemented the fact that emotional intelligence is the most important trait for effective leadership, with a report by the World Economic Forum stating  Those with a high degree of emotional intelligence are capable of managing their own emotions, are perceptive of the influence of their own emotions on others and can read the room in a social setting, which helps them in staying calm under pressure, be a conflict-resolver, and be empathetic.

Key Elements of Emotional Intelligence

Goleman has identified 4 key elements of emotional intelligence. Effective management and mastering of these components will enhance your emotional intelligence and help you to develop better leadership qualities:

Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness is one of the most essential elements of emotional intelligence. Your ability to listen to your emotions, value yourself, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and manage them in a positive way while simultaneously recognizing the effect of these emotions on those around you is a quality that will help you grow tremendously, helping you become not only a better leader but also a better person.

However, despite self-awareness playing such an important role in our lives, very few people are truly self-aware of their emotions. According to research by Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist, 95% of us have a perception about ourselves that we are very self-aware, however, in reality, only 10-15% of individuals are actually self-aware. Research also shows that working with co-workers who are not self-aware can be very detrimental and can considerably reduce the success of the team.

It is only after you strive to be at your best and value yourself that you will be able to make others feel valued and help them in bringing out the best in them. This cohesion between your own emotions and the effect it has on your team will help you to keep your team motivated and make beneficial decisions for the organization.

You can improve your self-awareness in a number of ways:

Feedback – One of the most effective ways to enhance your self-awareness is to complete 360-degree feedback, where you will analyze your performance and then compare it to the opinions of your colleagues and bosses. This will help you gain insight into your own behavior and the perception that others have of you.

Have a journal at hand – Writing down your daily thoughts every day will help you to reflect more on your behavior and become more self-aware.

Motivation

Self-motivation is a skill that those with emotional intelligence possess. They are dedicated to accomplishing their objectives and bettering themselves because they have a strong sense of personal motivation. They have a positive outlook on situations and are persistent. They also view challenges as possibilities rather than roadblocks. Employees are more likely to work to the best of their abilities because of this encouraging attitude that spreads across the team.

You can improve your motivation in a variety of ways:

Re-evaluate Your Role and Purpose in Your Job – You can sometimes overlook aspects of your job that you truly enjoy. Recall and tap into your past motivation for applying for this job. You can frequently gain a fresh perspective on your situation by beginning at the source. Additionally, make sure your objectives are fresh and new.

Know your Standing – You will need to have a clear understanding of your level of motivation to lead your team. You can try various forums and take assessment tests to have a clear picture of your motivation level.

Remain Optimistic – Regardless of the challenges they face, motivated leaders typically remain upbeat. It could take some practice to develop this mindset, but the work will be well worth it. Try to look for at least one positive aspect of every difficulty or failure you encounter. It could be something simple, like making a new friend, or something with lasting ramifications, like understanding a crucial lesson. But if you look closely, there's nearly always something good.

Social Awareness

Understanding and controlling your own emotions is a crucial part of being self-aware, however, you will also need to be able to assess different social situations and make effective decisions accordingly. Your capacity to discern the feelings of others and the organizational dynamics of the workplace will help you be socially aware of all such situations.

Leaders who have a strong awareness of their social surroundings and can read the room practice empathy. They make conscious efforts to comprehend the thoughts and viewpoints of their coworkers so they may communicate and work together more efficiently. Empathy has been ranked as the number one leadership skill by the global leadership development firm DDI. The report also states that empathetic leaders are more than 40% better at coaching, influencing others, and making decisions, as compared to those who are not.

Empathic communication will help you to support your team more effectively while also enhancing your own performance.

You can try to be more empathetic by practicing the following:

Put Yourself in the Shoes of Someone Else – Supporting your own viewpoint is simple. But you should spend some time considering things from other people's viewpoints and put yourself in the situation and position of others. This will help you to understand their perspective in a better way.

Observe Body Language – You will need to pay attention to how you're acting when communicating with someone. You might cross your arms, tap your feet, or bite your lip while listening to someone. This body language conveys to people your true feelings about a circumstance, and it might convey a wrong message. In a leadership position, being able to read someone's body language will help you better understand their true emotions and react appropriately.

Be Responsive to Feelings. You might have requested your junior employee to stay late at work. Even though he agrees, you can’t help but notice the disappointment in his voice. In order to respond accordingly, you will need to speak to his feelings. You need to make him realize that you value his willingness to put in extra time and that you share his annoyance at staying late. Find a solution that will reciprocate his act of going the extra mile.

Managing Relations

Relationship management is the capacity to persuade, coach, mentor, and successfully resolve disagreement with others.

Although some people want to avoid conflict, it's crucial to effectively handle problems when they come up. According to research, each unresolved argument can cost the organization up to eight hours as employees tend to gossip and indulge in other unproductive activities, depleting resources and morale.

You must have those difficult conversations if you want to maintain the satisfaction of your team: According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, "respectful treatment of all employees at all levels" was cited as the most important component in job satisfaction by 72% of respondents.

Conclusion – Emotional Intelligence Matters

Leaders determine the atmosphere of their organization. Lack of emotional intelligence could have more serious repercussions, such as reduced employee engagement and a higher likelihood of attrition.

Technical prowess is one thing, but if you can't work well with others or communicate with your team, people will overlook your technical prowess. You can also work on developing your confidence. Self-disappointment frequently leads to insecurity. Developing your mindfulness skills will also enable you to focus on the areas you know warrant improvement. Your confidence and emotional intelligence will rise as you consciously choose to focus on your areas of weakness.

You can develop your career and take the company to new heights by mastering emotional intelligence.