Goleman who popularized the term “Emotional Intelligence (EI)”, found direct ties between EI and measurable business results. High IQ and technical abilities are still must, but not sufficient for executive positions. EI is necessary for high quality leadership.
Everyone is born with certain level of EI skills but these can be learned and strengthened as well. This is possible through regular practice and feedback.
There are 5 main components of EI. A leader with good Self Awareness knows his own abilities, weaknesses very well and acts in self-confidence. He makes realistic self-assessments and he is open to talk about his limitations in a humorous manner. Self-Regulation helps a leader control his disruptive impulses and emotions and act in a manner which will not jeopardize the team dynamics or the interests of the team/organization. Such a leader maintains integrity and is trusted upon. High level of Motivation for a leader is identified by a strong desire to achieve for the sake of achievements. Such a leader not only raises the performance bar but also measures it regularly and keeps the optimistic view even in case of grim situations. This needs a strong commitment to the organization. A leader must have an Empathy towards his team members so that he can understand emotional make up of others which is important to build and retain high performance teams. Cross cultural sensitivities always help to build relationships with clients in the globalized industry. Since a leader alone cannot achieve objectives of the organization, Social skills are very important to build a network and good rapport with the team so that you can make people move in desired directions. This helps when you are trying to bring about any important change in