Do you know the #1 most important skill for leadership?

When I look back over all of the truly great and inspirational leaders and bosses that I had over the years, there is one thing that unites them.

Strong emotional intelligence.

Earlier this year, Forbes ranked emotional intelligence as the #1 leadership skill for 2024, and this skill is only getting more crucial in the face of so much workplace and cultural change.

I am talking about the ability to perceive, control, evaluate, and express emotions. People with a high level of emotional intelligence can regulate their own emotions well. They can choose to respond to situations and crises instead of reacting.

Here are a few characteristics of high emotional intelligence in leadership:

• Listen well. These people don’t just listen, they listen with understanding. They don’t interrupt, they don’t showboat, they don’t mansplain. They know how to provide constructive feedback, and compassionate support.
• Communicate openly and honestly. Not only do they communicate well, but they also provide the means for their employees to communicate freely. They cultivate an environment of mutual respect. They express empathy for their employees, and provide support and compassion.
• Cope well with change. These leaders know that change is essential to continued growth. They welcome new ideas, they are flexible, and adaptable.
• Invite creativity and differences into the workspace. Leaders with high emotional intelligence understand that innovation and creating a dynamic and strong workforce are only possible when you accept and welcome diversity into your team. They celebrate mistakes and even failure, because there can’t be any innovation without it.

Adapted from Thomas Emotional Intelligence Guide

What traits would you add to this list?

Leaders Finish Strong

Leaders, how important do you think showing empathy is in the workplace?

It isn’t something that we traditionally put importance on. Odds are good that you came up in a time that was more strict, where sharing personal information about your life was eschewed and always maintaining a “professional” (read cold and unresponsive) demeanor was considered critical.

Well, times are changing, and have been for a few years now. Now there is a realization that having a high EQ (emotional intelligence) is just as important, if not more so, than having a high IQ.

And empathy is a key part of this.

So, why do you need to get better at empathy? Being able to recognize and relate to others’ feelings is critical for developing meaningful relationships and becoming a leader. Empathy also

NextGen

So you think you want to be a leader?

You’ve got your college degree. You’ve got a great job at a great company. You have mapped out your path to success, and are excited to climb that ladder. Hooray!

But, there might be something that you are missing…how high of a priority do you place on emotional intelligence? Is it something you are actively seeking to develop? If not, then you should.

What will you try first?

Mentorloft Recommends:

Mentorloft is Reading:

A few years ago, Google embraced emotional intelligence as a critical trait that they look for in their leadership. And one of their OG engineers wrote a book about it.

From the publisher:

Chade-Meng Tan, one of Google’s earliest engineers and personal growth pioneer, offers a proven method for enhancing mindfulness and emotional intelligence in life and work.

Meng’s job is to teach Google’s best and brightest how to apply mindfulness techniques in the office and beyond; now, readers everywhere can get insider access to one of the most sought after classes in the country, a course in health, happiness and creativity that is improving the livelihood and productivity of those responsible for one of the most successful businesses in the world.

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Remember: Leaders don’t bail. Leaders FINISH STRONG.