Emotional intelligence matters in the workplace. It’s a topic we’ve written about before — EQ (emotional quotient, a popular term for emotional intelligence) drives better interpersonal relationships, stronger communication and enhanced stress management and resilience among employees.
For leaders, it does all that and more. Here, we’re going to delve into the why, the how and the what to do if you or your leadership team need an EQ boost.
First, the lowdown on leadership
Leaders organise, guide and manage others in pursuit of specific goals. A critical role of leadership, according to McKinsey, is to motivate and inspire people — something that’s very hard to do without a deep and genuine understanding of what drives someone to succeed (or slack off!).
EQ, which Harvard Business School describes as ‘the ability to understand and manage your emotions, as well as recognise and influence the emotions of those around you’ (and what Forbes describes as ‘the other kind of smart’) is key to bridging this gap. In a work setting, emotional intelligence is about being able to recognise and direct your feelings, and those of your team, in service of organisational goals.
That’s because EQ is about valuing humanity and human interaction as key to achieving outcomes, rather than as an optional add-on. Or, in plain speak, it’s less ‘because I said so’ and more ‘let’s figure this out together’. It’s no surprise, then, that leaders with high EQ are likely to inspire loyalty among their teams.
Tackling the Peter Principle head on
EQ can feel like a bit of an amorphous concept, but you can simplify it by breaking it down into its component parts. According to Skillsoft, the key ingredients of emotional intelligence as they relate to work are:
- effective communication
- conflict resolution
- motivation and inspiration
- adaptability.
While these may sound like fundamental skills that every leader should possess, you’d be surprised by how many managers come into senior roles unprepared for the people-focused side of the job. The Peter Principle — that employees keep getting promoted until they reach a level of incompetence — is alive and well in the management space.
In fact, research from the Chartered Management Institute in the UK found that 82% of bosses are what’s known as ‘accidental managers’ who’ve had no formal management of leadership training.
Teachable skills, grounded in emotion
The good news is, all that EQ skills can be taught — they’re not innate, although some people will, of course, have more natural aptitude in these domains than others.
And these skills are worth investing in: people with high levels of emotional intelligence are not only likely to be to high performers, but they’re also likely to get the best out of others. A national survey from McCrindle of 1160 Australian workers found that 72% of respondents thought that EQ was important for leaders to possess — a full percentage point higher than those who thought the same of regular intelligence.
Are you ready to get your leaders in touch with their emotions? Plus UTS can help. Our expert trainers can design and deliver bespoke management training solutions that will take your high-performing leaders to the next level.
Visit Plus UTS or contact us to find out more.
