Emotional intelligence (EI)

Emotional intelligence (EI) 

Emotional intelligence is the ability to comprehend and manage one’s emotions and control and influence the feelings of those around them. The trait is particularly critical for organizational leaders. While vision, experience, and analytical skills are crucial, emotional intelligence is the most vital cornerstone for successful leaders. Leaders who exhibit emotional intelligence develop positively in a myriad of ways. Firstly, emotionally intelligent leaders are internally aware (Landry, 2019). They understand how their feelings affect their decision-making process, productivity, and attitudes. For instance, a leader who is not a good delegator understands their weakness. Consequently, such a leader can make a deliberate effort and delegate more duties. In addition, emotional intelligence bolsters self-regulation. That is because an emotionally intelligent leader can get hold of their emotions and avoid impulsive behavior (Landry, 2019). Impulsive leaders tend to lose the respect of their juniors in the long run.

Characteristics of Someone with Emotional Intelligence

A key trait of emotionally intelligent people is empathy. Empathy is understanding other people’s emotional states and responding accordingly (Yelkikalan et al. 2012). It helps maintain relationships. Also, emotionally intelligent people tend to be change-receptive. That is because they have that constant sense of self that is permanently fixated on them (Yelkikalan et al. 2012). Since change is inevitable, emotionally intelligent people pursue new opportunities instead of resenting change. Another trait associated with emotionally intelligent people is that they have balanced lives. While focusing on a single objective may ultimately bring success, other key life aspects may be ignored. Therefore, emotionally intelligent people practice balance and focus on self-care.

An Example

A few years back, I worked as an attendant in a local cyber café. The business was relatively small, and I was the sole employee. With that came the pressure to be consistently present to achieve financial goals. However, it turns out my boss was emotionally intelligent as she would offer me paid-off days, especially on weekends.

References

Landry, L. (2019). Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: Why It’s Important. Harvard Business School Online. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership

Yelkikalan, N., Hacioglu, G., Kıray, A., Ezilmez, B., Soylemezoglu, E., Cetin, H., & Ozturk, S. (2012). Emotional intelligence characteristics of students studying at various faculties and colleges of universities. European Scientific Journal, April edition, 8(8), 1857-7881.

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Emotional intelligence (EI) is the capability of an individual to recognize their own emotions and those of others, differentiate between different feelings, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one’s goals. Because emotionally intelligent people tend to get along better with others and be more empathetic and compassionate, they are likely to be better organizational leaders. This makes EI one of the most important traits of any organizational leader.

Emotional intelligence (EI)

Explain why you think emotional intelligence (EI) has become a cornerstone of modern organizational leadership. List characteristics of someone with emotional intelligence. Share an example of someone you have worked with or for who either demonstrated EI or a lack of EI.