Leadership and Emotional Intelligence

Doug is a senior manager at a well-known tech company. He is brilliant, and everyone who knows him believes he has the potential to achieve great things. His primary strength is strategic thinking; colleagues say he has an uncanny ability to predict and plan for the future. As Doug has advanced in the organization, however, his dark side has become increasingly apparent: he often lashes out at people, and he is unable to build relationships based on trust. Doug knows he is intelligent and tends to use that knowledge to demean his co-workers. Realizing that Doug has extraordinary skills and much to offer the company in terms of vision and strategy, some of his colleagues have tried to help him work past his flaws. But they’re beginning to conclude that it’s a hopeless cause; Doug stubbornly refuses to change his style, and his arrogant modus operandi has offended so many people that Doug’s career may no longer be salvageable.  

Every company probably has someone like Doug—a senior manager whose IQ approaches the genius level but who seems clueless when it comes to dealing with other people. These types of managers may be prone to getting angry easily and verbally attacking co-workers, often come across as lacking compassion and empathy, and usually find it difficult to get others to cooperate with them and their agendas. The Dougs of the world makes you wonder how people so smart can be so incapable of understanding themselves and others. 

What Doug is lacking is emotional intelligence. There may be little hope of salvaging Doug’s career, but there is good news for managers who are similarly deficient in emotional intelligence capacities but willing to try to change their ways: emotional intelligence can be developed and enhanced. 

The concept of emotional intelligence was popularized by psychologist Daniel Goleman in his books Emotional Intelligence and Working with Emotional Intelligence. He focused on four basic competencies— 

(1) self-awareness, (2) social awareness, (3) self-management 

(4) social skills—that influence the way people handle themselves and their relationships with others.  

He argued that these human competencies play a bigger role than cognitive intelligence in determining success in life and in the workplace. Observers believed these skills were more important than intellect or technical skills in determining success.  

Nowadays, leadership is impossible without emotional intelligence: - 

As organizations realize that the command-and-control, hierarchical model of leadership is no longer effective, they are increasingly moving toward a more participative management style. You can more easily embrace this change and adapt to this style when you have certain emotional intelligence abilities—forming good working relationships, being cooperative and constructive members of a group, controlling anger and other impulses, and in general being pleasant to be around. Co-workers view managers with these characteristics as being effective in the participative style. 

Being centered and grounded is a valuable quality for managers. It’s important for Managers to give the impression that you are in control of yourselves, understand yourselves, and know your own strengths and weaknesses. The degree to which managers are perceived as being self-aware, straightforward, and composed and as having a balance between your personal and work lives is based largely on how you react under pressure and in difficult situations. If you fall apart or flare up with anger, then your leadership abilities are liable to be questioned; if you are imperturbable and resist flying off the handle, your managerial skills are likely to be confirmed. 

A willingness and ability to take action is key to effective leadership. Decisiveness and doing whatever it takes to achieve a goal are associated with independence in thought and actions. Managers who are independent do not ignore the opinions of others but are also not dependent on such input. This self-reliance helps them think strategically, make good decisions, and persevere in the face of obstacles. 

Organizations are placing increased value on interpersonal relationships, and if you are in those managers who don’t handle their emotions well, who lack understanding of themselves and others, and who are abrasive or abusive make others feel uncomfortable. Then you are at the side of to derail. 

Now What Practices you can do: - 

Emotional intelligence can be developed and enhanced, although doing so takes a lot of effort. Be honest if you are in those Managers who are in danger of derailing because of poor interpersonal relationships then you have to work on your emotional intelligence. In general, workshops are good ways to begin improving emotional intelligence, followed by goal setting and a developmental experience that may take the form of coaching, or learning from a role model. 

You should identify and address any obstacles to your goals, practice new behaviors in a supportive environment, and review and reassess your behavioral changes to help lock in what you have learned.   

More specifically, organizations today value managers who can put the needs of the group ahead of their personal needs—in other words, those who have the emotional intelligence capacity of social responsibility. One way to develop this ability to involve yourself in the community through charities, nonprofit organizations, and other worthy causes. Devoting time and energy to such groups can help you see beyond your own concerns and improve your ability to be a valued member of a group. Another way to develop social responsibility is to review your individual work goals, then consider them from the perspectives of your team and organization. Ask yourself whether your individual goals facilitate and are aligned with the group and organizational goals, and what you can do to contribute positively to the larger goals.   

The ability to handle stress is related to a range of leadership skills and derailment factors. If you are lacking in these related characteristics, you may consider stress management training.   

Finally, the Emotional Intelligence ability of impulse control is one of the most important parts that you have to care with working on EI. The manifestations of poor impulse control—such as aggression, hostility, irresponsibility, and frustration— are highly conspicuous to colleagues so, learning to restrain impulsive behavior can do a lot to improve a manager’s interactions at work.  

If you have problems with impulse control, you might want to consider coaching as a way to develop composure, patience, self-awareness, adaptability, and coolness under fire. A coach can help you pinpoint your hot buttons and learn how to respond more effectively in situations of conflict or adversity. 

Be careful, however, to choose a program or workshop that is well-designed and has a record of good results. Some better programs include assessment, feedback, modeling and practice of new skills, and ongoing support to keep people from lapsing back to their old ways.    

Thanks for Reading.  

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