The working world has changed dramatically over the past few weeks. A lot of difficult decisions were made and as a leader in your business, it can be a very lonely place. It is natural as a leader to find things challenging right now. Regardless of whether you are a manager, a HR professional or business owner, improving your emotional intelligence might help you to set the tone of your organisation during this time. Daniel Goleman defines emotional intelligence as “the ability to identify, assess and control one’s own emotions, the emotion of others and that of groups”. Emotional intelligence cannot be underestimated. For leaders, having emotional intelligence is essential for success. Leaders with high emotional intelligence have the ability to adapt easier and to motivate and connect with their teams better.
Daniel Goleman outlines 5 key elements of emotional intelligence:
Self-Awareness
Understanding your moods and emotions and how these impact on other people. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and values are another important part of self-awareness. Be honest with yourself as you reflect inwards to get the answers. It is important to look at both the positive and negative aspects in case some change is needed. As a leader ask yourself:
- How am I showing up as a leader at the moment?
- Is there anything I can / should do differently?
- What is working well at the moment?
Self-Regulation
It is a very emotional and challenging time at the moment. It is natural to experience a range of emotions that includes: helplessness, anger, fear of the unknown and sadness. Being self-regulated frees us from being prisoners of our emotions. It is the ability to think before acting and/or speaking. As a leader in your business, self-regulation is needed now more than ever to provide a source of hope and comfort to your teams. Some questions to consider:
- How am I dealing with this unknown and changing environment?
- Am I managing my emotions or are my emotions managing me?
- How can I help myself deal with my emotions?
Motivation
It is accepted that people who are motivated in their jobs will always achieve more. Motivation goes beyond money and status, there has to be a passion for what you are doing. As the saying goes “love what you do and you will never work a day in your life”! As a leader it is your responsibility to motivate yourself and your team during this time. Be honest as you answer these questions:
- How are your own motivation levels and can they be improved?
- What are you doing to motivate your team during this challenging time?
- What would be the most effective way to motivate your team right now?
Empathy
Empathy is considering other peoples’ feelings and to acknowledge them with effective and honest communication. Empathy in a leader, will have a huge impact on employee morale and employee retention. There is a lot of fear of the unknown and no one knows what the future will bring, but be the leader who shows up and communicates honestly with your team. Some questions to reflect on:
- How has your communication style been over the past few weeks?
- Can you make any improvements in this area?
- Has your communication been honest and provided support?
Social Skills
Having the ability to manage and build effective working relationships is always needed in any work environment. However during this time, these social skills will have a bigger role to play. With a lot of people working remotely and balancing family life and work life, having your team connected will play a huge part in maintaining employee morale. During this time:
- What are you doing to keep the team connected?
- What is currently working well?
- Is there anything else you could be doing?
Hope you have found something beneficial from these 5 elements of emotional intelligence. Please share this article with anyone you feel might benefit from it. If you would like to discuss how my services might benefit you and your team, please get in touch.
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