It is hard to disagree that successful and effective leaders should possess specific qualities and skills that may help them in decision-making, creativity, and other business processes. One of the main components of leadership and management is emotional intelligence (EI), which distinguishes a real leader from ordinary staff members with the same technical skills. The purpose of this paper is to define EI and its elements and provide an example of a leader being emotionally intelligent.
To begin with, this component may be described as a leader’s ability to manage and understand their own and employees’ emotions. Interestingly, many employers also prefer to hire those candidates who show a high level of EI because this emotional element provides them with many advantages. They are, for example, empathetical reactions to co-workers, staying calm under pressure, and resolving conflicts more efficiently (Laundry, 2019). Furthermore, the four significant components of EI are social awareness, self-awareness, relationship management, and self-management. The first two allow a leader to understand and control their own emotions and reactions of their workers, which is crucial for setting the tone of the company (Laundry, 2019). An example of these two elements’ manifestation would be a situation in which the employer can track the feelings and attitudes of workers towards inconvenient policy updates and show empathy and support while also explaining the need for this change.
Further, self-management helps leaders to stay positive and friendly even in stressful and irritating situations. This may be helpful in managing workplace conflicts or communicating with unpleasant business partners in order not to spoil the relationships (Laundry, 2019). Finally, relationship management refers to the ability to mentor, coach, and impact the staff members or co-workers, preferably in a positive and appropriate way (Laundry, 2019). As a result, one may say that leadership emotional intelligence actually plays a great role in companies and allows their owners and directors to maintain a friendly workplace environment and increase performance.
Reference
Landry, L. (2019). Why emotional intelligence is important in leadership. Harvard Business School Online.