Improving your emotional intelligence can often be the catalyst needed to take your life and business to the next level.
The days of the screaming, red-faced drill sergeant of a boss are now considered archaic. We are all human beings and there are better ways to inspire people to do and be better. Now more than ever, leaders need to display emotional intelligence.
Why is it so important?
Emotional intelligence means a deeper, better understanding of the issues that team members face daily. Here are a few important factors behind proper emotional intelligence.
"Having self-awareness and taking feedback from the team can help to pinpoint those potential problem areas."
Self-Awareness
Some leaders do not feel they have to control their emotions. After all, they are the boss, right? More often than not, these leaders aren’t aware of the impact that they are having mostly because the team is too afraid to say anything.
Having self-awareness and taking feedback from the team can help to pinpoint those potential problem areas. Moreover, it gives leadership a better idea of just how their tactics work (or don’t).
Social Awareness
The key here is recognizing that, in social interactions, effective leadership tends to focus on the other person more so than themselves. They tend to miss important cues because they are thinking about their own needs or what to say next.
By having social awareness, they get a better sense of where their team is struggling and what can improve. It also lets the team know that leadership is paying attention and that they care to help. That recognition can be enough to keep team members on task and improving themselves moving forward.
Self-Management
The best leaders are always managing themselves as well as others. They look at the areas where they can improve and set goals to make those changes. Self-improvement as a leader is a must-have ability because it keeps you evolving and growing.
Self-management can also be done in numerous ways. Try keeping a journal and reviewing it to see how you behaved in certain spots. Set small but measurable goals to keep you moving forward. These small tasks require self-assessment and provide a clear path to self-improvement and proper management.