Leading with Emotional Intelligence

As humans, we have been gifted with various emotions. Emotions are great, they allow us to feel excitement, joy, fear, sadness, etc. and allow us to protect ourselves if needed. For example, if we are experiencing fear, we may opt to leave what could potentially be a threatening situation. Leaders are not exempt from experiencing emotions, but our responses can greatly affect the emotions of those we serve and leave lasting effects on our teams. We should strive to be aware of our emotions and how we react to those who report to us. This concept is labeled as, Emotional Intelligence. According to Psychology Today, Emotional Intelligence is defined as "the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others."

Here’s a scenario:

 You and your team recently worked on a big project that was submitted to senior leadership for approval.  After reviewal of the submission, feedback was received from your supervisor. A crucial financial document was missing which resulted in the project receiving a lower rating. 

Right now you are probably feeling a variety of emotions: furious, disappointed, self-doubt, kicking yourself and ready to scream.

 How would you react to your team?

Here are some tips on how emotional intelligence can be applied:

• Take a moment to check in with yourself and identify what you may be feeling right now. 

• Try your best to separate your emotions from the situation as best as you could.  Although I am feeling furious right now, what is the real issue at hand?

• Demonstrate some form of empathy in the situation. Think about those that you serve and ask yourself what reaction would you want from your leader? How would my reaction impact my team and future projects?

 Emotional intelligence is not minimizing your feelings for the sake of leadership, but being aware and managing them and how your reaction could affect others. 

What other emotional intelligent strategies have you used or would like to use as a leader?