The path to the top in both business and sport is exhilarating and packed with pitfalls. Building on research and my experience as a leadership speaker at Fortune 500 companies around the world, I believe that the characteristics of the best leaders in business and sport are similar; in particular, an often unnoticed yet crucial trait, emotional intelligence – or EI – is necessary for the long haul of sustained success. This integration of emotional intelligence in modern-day leadership is not just beneficial but a requirement for all leaders who seek to inspire and lead effective teams.
Understanding Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It involves aptitude in narrower simulations of social interaction, including interpersonal awareness and handling, and it was popularized by the American psychologist Daniel Goleman’s 1990s bestseller, entitled, ‘Guess what’, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. It relies on several core skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. On the hectic office floors of the corporate world, or on the battlefields of sport, these tools translate into taming one’s own emotions and understanding the ones of others – the secret ingredient of any leadership skills.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
1. Enhanced Decision-Making
Having a high EI score makes leaders more aware of what they feel; they are less likely to let their feelings cloud their judgment. This is essential when making highly consequential decisions that may change the direction of a company and influence how its people feel about their jobs.
2. Improved Communication
An essential element of communication, that emotionally intelligent leaders master, is being able to explain what they think and feel. If you understand the conversational undercurrents and can seize the emotional tides, then you’ll be able to navigate the waves of discourse and organize them into a smooth flow that will lead people to a desired destination without either capsizing your ship or leaving passengers angry.
3. Stronger Team Relationships
Because of the link between emotional intelligence and relationship skills, emotionally intelligent leaders are better able to engage with their team members. They are more empathetic, more aware of others’ emotional needs, and thus more likely to be trusted and more often be not just accepted but liked. If this happens, it adds to team cohesion, and can even facilitate the team functioning if it needs to accomplish a goal together, like, for instance, manning a warship.
4. Effective Conflict Resolution
Conflicts are also inevitable in any dynamic business environment and, hence, EI-empowered leaders are well-equipped to deal with conflicts well and effectively, so that they lead to solutions rather than disruptions.
5. Increased Resilience As any business person knows, the vagaries of the marketplace demand that we bounce back, and display a ‘mental elasticity’ that allows us to move on and handle change better. People with higher EI are much more likely to embrace defeat with optimism, and to cope with new realities, than those with lower levels of the trait. They are likely to help their teams do the same.
Emotional Intelligence in Action: A Business Perspective
Suppose an organization is in the midst of a major structural change that generates lots of anxiety among employees. Instead of denying the emotional climate, an emotionally intelligent leader understands the heightened emotions, acknowledges them, and addresses them through town hall meetings, QAs, and clearly communicating about the changes so that fear is minimized, trust is established, and stability is fostered in the midst of turbulence. Or when a project starts to go awry, instead of casting blame or falling back on denial, the emotionally intelligent leader shepherds a constructive discussion about what went wrong, not only softening the experience of failure but also converting the experience into a constructive endeavor that makes the team more resilient and capable of tackling future struggles.
Emotional Intelligence in Action: A Sports Perspective
When coaching a sports team that has just lost in a devastating manner, a coach with emotional intelligence will take a step back to evaluate his or her own emotional state, and then address the team using empathetic communication. For example, the coach could make a game analysis that recognizes the strengths and weaknesses that were demonstrated, lifting the team’s spirits and letting them know they matter, but still remembering that change should be expected.
Similarly, a tone-deaf coach’s tendency to panic during high-stress moments in an important game could be contagious, but a coach with high EI tends to remain calm and keep players calm and able to perform at their best when the most is on the line.
Cultivating Emotional Intelligence
Developing emotional intelligence is a continuous process that involves:
Self-reflection: Make time to think about your own feelings and reactions. Notice when you get triggered and think about how you responded to a difficult situation. Use self-reflection to identify personal strengths and areas for improvement.
Ask for feedback: Encourage feedback about how your behavior and style are affecting others, including the kinds of emotions they are picking up. Practice empathy: ‘When you walk in someone else’s shoes, you may discover a shoelace endangering both your toes and ankle bones.
Practicing empathy, similar to other perspectives on anomalous richness, entails examining the situation at hand from the viewpoint of a third party – which in turn expands your emotional vocabulary and projective extensibility.’
Deal With Stress: Exercise and practice stress management techniques. Staying calm under pressure helps you make better decisions and keep your emotions in check.
Practice Communication Skills: Communicating clearly and effectively (including listening) is vital for all kinds of relationships and is crucial for managing and navigating emotional currents.
Conclusion:
As we inexorably change our perceptions of what constitutes an effective leader, emotionally intelligent leaders will emerge.
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