Emotional Intelligence (EQ) refers to the competence and capability to control and develop personal feelings while also being able to help others to manage their emotional responses in events and pressures. EQ has evolved into a must-have skill for leaders in the modern business world becoming the strongest predictor of performance (Landry, 2019). Leaders must first achieve personal competence before moving to social competence, meaning that a leader requires managing their emotions and behaviors in order to influence how people around them understand their own moods and behaviors. Self-awareness is one of the five elements that a leader must capitalize on. It refers to a leader’s ability to not only analyze their weaknesses and strengths but also understand how their emotions affect their team’s performance. Practicing self-awareness makes a leader a proactive, creative and productive (Ovans, 2015). It builds on responsiveness to challenging situations, improves ability to adapt to change, and strengthens social awareness.
Leaders with a high degree of self-awareness motivate their workforce to push beyond the boundaries and achieve success. They are not afraid to approach difficult situations and remain focused and self-driven. Practicing on self-awareness develops a leader’s ability to make sound decisions that are not affected by their emotions (Ovans, 2015). Subordinates respect a leader who can control their impulses and self-regulate their own emotions. Self-awareness also builds on communication within a group making a leader more approachable and empathetic towards others. James realizes that most of his subordinates refrain from talking or holding long discussions with him. He does not understand why this is happening because he already does his job perfectly and shows exceptional skills and talent. James consults a colleague who informs him that most people around the office fear him due to his strict nature. He does not take time to understand his workforce, often reprimanding them for the slightest mistakes. James decides to fix his problem by taking some EQ classes. Over the next few months, he starts paying more attention to his colleagues’ feelings and they finally begin warming up to him. In the same year, the company surpasses its goals because of the changes James implemented.
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References
Landry, L. (2019). Why Emotional Intelligence Is Important in Leadership. Harvard Business School . Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership
Ovans, A. (2015). How Emotional Intelligence Became a Key Leadership Skill. Harvard Business Review . Retrieved April 8, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2015/04/how-emotional-intelligence-became-a-key-leadership-skill
