Emotional Intelligence Gives Strength to Leadership

Working for an emotionally unintelligent manager, or organisation, is akin to working in hell. If you’re not sure what emotionally unintelligent means, ask yourself this question:

Do you start your meetings looking displeased before asking: ‘John [or Stacy], how are you, yes YOU, going to hit your targets this week?’

Is this you? Don’t raise your hand.

It’s a misperception that being a good leader means being a serious leader and that enjoying what you do and being kind to others means you’re too soft. Business standards and expectations for results are not in question here…just our attitudes and emotional understanding of our employees and colleagues.

Perhaps, like my company’s CEO, you’re one of the lucky few who recognises the human in yourself and others, and therefore starts that same meeting with a joke and a smile: ‘I want to know, John/Stacy, how may I support you this week in achieving your goals?’

This difference in approach makes all the difference in the world. Who wouldn’t prefer to work for an emotionally clued-in Manager versus the robot manager, going through the motions of the day…ticking the boxes.

But do know, that good managers are not born with emotional intelligence (EI). EI is a learned behaviour, just like any skill acquired in life. And, although humour plays a big part in EI, no one expects their boss to be a professional comedian. It just comes down to putting some enjoyment in what you do.

‘EI competencies are not innate talents, but learned abilities, each of which has a unique contribution to making leaders more resonant and therefore, more effective.’

I believe that people pick up on our self-limiting beliefs; so if you’re a manager who’s looking to help others achieve their maximum potential, why limit yourself? Enhance your EI skills and everyone will take note.

Your thoughts?

Neda Bayat is Global Business Consultant for Cohen Brown Management Group, Inc. and Breakthrough PerformanceTech, LLC.