Top 10 Emotional Intelligence Skills For Leaders To Improve Business Performance (Part 1)

Great leaders come in all shapes and forms. While various reasons make a leader stand out, one of the most common is a great capacity for crucial emotional intelligence skills. 

There are countless benefits of emotional intelligence abilities in the workplace, from being able to communicate more effectively, dealing with stress better to resolving conflicts efficiently. With the way the market has changed, IQ and technical expertise alone are no longer sufficient to be successful as a leader or to move up in an organization.

Of course, leaders do not start out with all of these skills at the beginning. They acquire them over time and master from experience constantly. These are the most essential skills that represent high EQ.

1. Sharpen self-awareness

By being self-aware – checking emotions and moving personal feelings aside – leaders and their teams can potentially experience more satisfaction and less anxiety. Self-awareness means leaders focus on listening, show empathy, and consider alternate perspectives. When leaders understand how employees view them, they tend to have better relationships and satisfied teams. 

2. Accountability thinking

Strong leaders approach problems with a “What is my impact on this situation?” mentality, while poor leaders adopt a victim mentality, point fingers, and assign fault. We use a management training exercise called “Victim Language Versus Accountability Language” to challenge our managers to turn a victim statement into an accountability statement. Leaders show their employees how to be accountable.

3. Move through disappointment

There will be moments when you encounter failures that leave you feeling terrible. To face disappointment, you need to take time to acknowledge and accept that what has happened has happened cause nothing can change the pass. Dwelling on what failed to materialize keeps you stuck and unable to move past the disappointment. After reflection, you have to move forward and think about what can be done.” Consider new ways of doing things with thoughts that begin with “It might help to…” or “I could… ” or “Now, I’m going to…” instead of “I should have… ” or “I shouldn’t have…”

4. Ability to understand dynamics

Leaders need to inspire and encourage others to follow them. Being able to influence others into moving in the same direction is a key skill an executive needs. To do this, one needs to be able to understand current dynamics and plan for future dynamics. Managers need to take a break from execution and learn to work on the business. The fastest way to develop such skills is to work with a mentor. 

5. Giving constructive feedback

Strong emotional intelligence enables a manager to bravely interact in times of conflict or negotiation. A good leader should be able to motivate others in various ways, and providing constructive assessments is a good example. This skill not only helps leaders revamp their communication and influence on team members but also supports leaders in boosting individuals’ motivation, which ultimately builds a more positive and engaging team culture. Delivering constructive feedback can be honed by interacting daily with employees or having personal sessions. Interaction paves the way for a stronger, more trusting relationship, one where feedback can go both ways.

>>> Continue to read Part 2 which displays the last 5 emotional intelligence skills for leaders to improve business performance.

According to Forbes

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