After reading numerous research papers to figure out what makes a great leader I realized that although every great leader has his/her own style of leadership they all have something extremely important in common. Great IQ or technical skills are definitely not the dividing line between a good and a great leader but are merely threshold measures which makes an individual qualify for leadership positions.
Well, then what is that one common factor that unites all the great leaders of the world?
They all have a very high degree of Emotional Intelligence.
Large companies around the world employ professionals to assess the emotional intelligence of their employees which is a very important part of decisions relating to promotions.
Lets take a look at the five major components of Emotional Intelligence which you must keep in mind if you're aspiring for a leadership position at your company.
1. Self Awareness: Individuals with high degree of self-awareness recognize and understand their moods, emotions and drives. They also understand the effect their emotions have on others.
Traits of self awareness in a great leader:
- they are packed with self confidence
- they are very realistic when evaluating themselves which why false praises does not flatter a great leader
- they have a thirst for constructive criticism
2. Self Regulation: It is the skill of controlling and redirecting disruptive emotions and impulses. In layman terms self regulating is to 'think before acting'.
Traits of self regulation in a great leader:
- trustworthiness and integrity
- comfort with ambiguity
- openness to change
3. Motivation: Great leaders are very passionate about their work and the reason for this passion goes beyond money and status. Think of a great leader like Steve Jobs. Do you think his passion had anything to do with money or status?
Traits of motivation in a great leader:
- Great leaders have a strong drive to achieve
- failure can never bring down their optimism
- they are committed to their organization
4. Empathy: Great leaders possess the ability to understand the emotions of other individuals. They are also skilled in treating people according to their emotional reactions.
Traits of empathy in a great leader:
- great leaders understand other's emotions which is key in building and retaining the talent of his/her employees
- cross-cultural sensitivity which makes them great global leaders
- they are excellent in providing services to clients and customers
5. Social Skill: We all understand the importance of networking in today's business environment. Great leaders have the ability to manage relationships and build strong networks because they can easily find common ground with others to build a rapport.
Traits of empathy in a great leader:
- great leaders are extremely persuasive which makes them experts in building and leading teams
- they are very open to helping others in their network
We now reach the final question for this article. Can Emotional Intelligence be learned?
Are great leaders born or made? The answer is both. Scientific inquiry
strongly suggests that there is a genetic component to emotional intelligence. Psychological and developmental research indicates that nurture plays a role as well. How much of each perhaps will never be known, but research and practice clearly demonstrate that emotional intelligence can be learned.
Lets look at some ways to build better emotional intelligence:
Step 1: During a regular day packed with work take sometime out to observe how you feel.
Step 2: While paying attention to your emotions, pay attention to how you behave too. Notice how your emotion and behaviour affects your productivity and communication with others. Start attaching labels with the way you feel.
Step 3: Now that you understand your emotions and behaviour start taking responsibility for it. Giving an excuse like, "I'm sorry I was upset" is no longer an option for you.
Step 4: Understand the difference between reacting and responding. There is a subtle difference. You need to consciously build a habit of thinking before responding which help you grab a hold of your emotions.
Step 5: Before you go and talk to someone think about their emotional state at the moment. This is your clue to decide how you are going to approach this person.
Most importantly, remember that developing strong emotional intelligence is a lifetime process and will not happen automatically once you finish reading this article.
I would love to get some feedback on this article. Please feel free to get in touch with me.
Twitter: @virenbaid
Email: viren.baid25@gmail.com
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