Here's how you can enhance your team connection by developing emotional intelligence as a leader.

In 2013, when I took over the command of the oldest counter terrorist unit in the Northern Command, my unit was being moved out due to a dismal operational safety record. Developing emotional intelligence as a leader significantly enhanced my team of 1200 spread over 3 districts. Here’s how we did it: 1. Self-awareness: 2. Empathy: 3. Emotional regulation: 4. Social skills: 5. Recognize and utilize emotions: 6. Build trust: 7. Cultural sensitivity: 8. Lead by example: 9. Provide feedback: 10. Promote a positive work environment: It took me nearly 6 months to change perceptions and create a cohesive team which outperformed all units to become the best unit in the entire Army in next 3 years. We call ourselves #TeamOne

One of the first things to remember is that emotional intelligence is also realizing that this is not about you. Emotional intelligent people considers that it’s about the project itself. Thinking about the project as a whole before figuring out how you can contribute.

Developing emotional intelligence as a leader is not just about improving personal skills; it’s about creating a work environment where everyone feels connected, valued, and motivated. By fostering self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skills, and motivation, leaders can build stronger, more resilient teams that are equipped to navigate the complexities of the hospitality industry.

Here are my two cents: emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of effective leadership. By mastering self-awareness, we can identify our triggers and understand their impact, allowing us to navigate our emotions skillfully even in stressful situations. Self-regulation keeps us grounded, while motivation fuels our pursuit of goals with persistence. Empathy enables us to connect deeply with others, fostering trust and collaboration. Finally, strong social skills help us build and maintain relationships, essential for teamwork. Embracing EQ not only enhances our professional interactions but also cultivates a positive and productive work environment.

?? Self-Awareness: Understand your emotions and reactions to manage them effectively. ?? Empathy: Listen actively to understand team members' perspectives and feelings. ??? Effective Communication: Express yourself clearly and validate others' emotions. ?? Conflict Resolution: Handle conflicts constructively by empathizing and seeking mutual solutions. ?? Adaptability: Adjust your approach to different personalities and situations. ?? Inspiration: Motivate your team by connecting emotionally with their goals and aspirations. ?? Inclusive Decision Making: Involve team members in decisions to foster ownership and commitment.

I’ve found that sharing the bigger picture with the team how their efforts contribute to the overall success of the organization can be incredibly motivating. By aligning their Leaders with high EI are adept at motivating their teams. This involves setting a clear vision, providing encouragement, and recognizing and celebrating achievements. A motivated team is more likely to be engaged, productive, and loyalty tasks with the organization’s goals, team members feel a greater sense of purpose and commitment.

As a leader managing a few team members, I’ve observed that not many leaders engage in active listening. They often push their strong opinions onto their team members. Active listening goes beyond simply giving members a platform to speak; it involves understanding their deeper meanings, emotional conditions, and motivations that might be difficult for them to express. Providing a safe environment for honesty and understanding is crucial for growing and managing our team members as individuals with emotions. This fosters trust, openness, and drives better performance and innovation.

It is a good practice to bullet back in a concise way your understanding of the message delivered by the speaker. By doing so you make sure that you both are truly on the same page and let them feel heard. It works both for coaches and leaders

Active listening is a critical component of emotional intelligence. It involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said. As a leader, practicing active listening means giving your team members your undivided attention, asking clarifying questions, and providing thoughtful feedback. This shows respect and appreciation for their perspectives, strengthens trust, and enhances communication. By being an active listener, you can better understand your team's needs and concerns, leading to more effective and empathetic leadership.

Creating a feedback culture is indeed crucial for both leaders and organizations. While mandatory EQ training is common, it often falls short of its goals. One effective approach could be to provide transparency of Key Responsibility Areas (KRAs) to juniors, fostering a more open and accountable environment. This can help in aligning goals, improving performance, and building trust within the team.

I try to provide and get feedback as often as possible from my team. By integrating their feedback in decisions which are relevant for the team I ensure that I'm not only taking my point of view into account but also my teams view which leads to even better decisions. When my team is working on different topics I try to give positive formulated feedback on their work and when needed also critical feedback to help them learn from their "mistakes"

Creating a feedback culture is essential for developing emotional intelligence within your team. Encourage open and honest communication where team members feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback. As a leader, model constructive feedback by focusing on specific behaviors and outcomes rather than personal attributes. Regularly seek feedback on your own performance and demonstrate how to use it for growth. A feedback culture fosters continuous improvement, enhances team dynamics, and helps individuals develop their own emotional intelligence, contributing to a more connected and resilient team.

O mais crucial do feedback é a abordagem empática e construtiva. Isso implica n?o apenas transmitir críticas, mas também cultivar um ambiente seguro onde os indivíduos se sintam encorajados a crescer e aprender com os erros. Um feedback bem-sucedido n?o mina a autoestima, mas sim capacita os indivíduos a alcan?arem seu pleno potencial.

Establishing a culture of constructive feedback is crucial for leadership and emotional intelligence. It involves giving and receiving feedback in a supportive manner. As a leader, encourage open communication where team members feel safe sharing thoughts and ideas. This openness fosters continuous improvement and personal growth. Clear and considerate feedback helps team members recognize their strengths and areas for development, enhancing their professional growth and the team's overall effectiveness.

L'empathie dans le leadership est une réelle force et doit accompagner chaque leader dans la montée en compétences de ses équipes. Ecouter, Partager, Entreprendre avec ses équipes , Ressentir , Evaluer les forces et les Faiblesses du collectif sont autant de codes que le leader empathe va poser comme cadre. La mission et l'objectif ne peuvent etre alors que partagées par tous . Le leader empathe posera un cadre dans lequel chacun y apportera sa "touche" emotionnelle pour ne former plus qu'une et une unique équipe et surtout faire en sorte que celle-ci soit créative, pertinente, agile et unie. Cette équipe sera alors un incontournable et un véritable pilier quant à l'atteinte d'objectifs.

Trabalhando com grandes equipes, percebi que a empatia é fundamental para uma gest?o eficaz. Compreender as perspectivas e desafios de cada membro da equipe e parceiro de negócios facilita a resolu??o de conflitos e promove um ambiente colaborativo. A empatia n?o só melhora o desempenho individual, mas também fortalece as rela??es comerciais e contribui para o sucesso de projetos complexos.

Em um mundo onde as diferen?as s?o inevitáveis, a empatia se torna uma ponte essencial para a compreens?o mútua. Ao colocar-se no lugar do outro e tentar ver o mundo através de seus olhos, abrimos espa?o para um diálogo mais construtivo e significativo. Isso é crucial n?o apenas em contextos pessoais, mas também no ambiente de trabalho e na comunidade em geral. Além disso, a empatia em a??o envolve n?o apenas reconhecer as emo??es dos outros, mas também agir de maneira que demonstre apoio e solidariedade. Isso pode significar oferecer um ouvido atento durante momentos difíceis, compartilhar responsabilidades para aliviar o fardo de alguém ou defender a justi?a e a equidade quando necessário.

Empathy in leadership means understanding and sharing your team's feelings. By showing genuine care for their well-being and development, you foster a supportive environment where team members feel valued and engaged. Empathetic leaders anticipate needs, providing proactive support and guidance. This approach cultivates a positive, collaborative work culture, enhancing team commitment and productivity.

In our team, we take emotional intelligence seriously. We see ourselves as coaches for each other, helping navigate the ups and downs of work. We use a tool called the "Mindset Meter" in our app, to track our mindsets and what triggers them throughout the week. Then, every Wednesday, we have a dedicated meeting to openly discuss this. It's a safe space to share frustrations, positive experiences, and give honest feedback. This approach makes us more resilient individually and as a team. We build trust by being open and vulnerable, which leads to stronger collaboration. Plus, by learning from each other's experiences, we develop better ways to handle stress and setbacks.

é inevitável que ao longo da vida as pessoas passem por momentos críticos, seja no trabalho ou em casa, o dia difícil sempre chega e causa desequilíbrio emocional das pessoas. Associado ao ambiente de trabalho “leve” a chave é identificar o que motiva cada indivíduo da sua equipe e nestes dias difíceis, é importante acolher e motivar, a motiva??o se bem trabalhada: trás for?a, animo e esperan?a.

Emotional coaching focuses on guiding individuals to understand and manage their emotions effectively. It involves helping clients recognize emotional triggers, develop self-awareness and regulate responses. Through empathy and active listening, emotional coaches build trust and provide constructive feedback. By teaching skills like self regulation and empathy, emotional coaching supports personal growth, stronger relationships and overall well being. It empowers individuals to navigate challenges with resilience and clarity, fostering continuous self-improvement and emotional intelligence.

Providing emotional coaching equips team members with the tools to navigate their emotions effectively, resolve conflicts constructively, and build stronger, more authentic relationships, enhancing team cohesion and productivity.

As a nonprofit leader, EQ is essential for the success of our team. This can be fostered in a number of ways. 1. Encourage your team to be reflective about themselves and others. This can be done through free or low-cost online assessments like 16personalities.com. 2. Include reflection as part of your mid-year and year-end reviews. It's always helpful to me as a leader to understand how my direct reports view their performance in advance of our meeting. 3. Be courageous and work on areas where you can improve your own emotional intelligence. A great place to start is with empathy. I find that if I can empathize cognitively and with my heart with a person who might be disagreeable, it leads to a better outcome.

Regular reflection on EQ practices allows leaders to gain insights into their emotional responses, communication styles, and leadership impact, fostering continuous growth, self-awareness, and improved connections with the team.

In essence, enhancing team connection through emotional intelligence is a multifaceted approach that requires continuous effort and dedication. By prioritizing these skills, leaders can create a thriving work environment that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of both their team and their guests.

One thing I found it very useful in enhancing team connection is to arrange for real social activities not related to work activities. These activities should be lead by the heads and associated by the team member. In this way the head will send clear message to his team that he is close to them in and out the work environment in the same time he will be able to open an other channel with his team members which will not impacted by the work environment negative emotions and load stress. This second channel should be available for all and in between all team team member. In this way the relationship for the team will take the shape of star pivoted around the leader.

Considering additional factors like diversity, inclusion, and individual strengths and weaknesses can further enrich team dynamics, promote understanding, and create a culture of appreciation, respect, and collaboration.

I sincerely believe that for a team to function in the best possible way, it should be treated as a team from an organization's POV as well. The KPIs and KRAs defined should not be individualistic in nature; they should be collective. Also, to ensure everyone contributes to those KPIs, a peer review mechanism should be established, with the end product being a binary rating of satisfactory/unsatisfactory and subjective feedback on areas of improvement.