Developing Yourself as a Leader Using Emotional Intelligence

Having a good grasp on Emotional Intelligence is invaluable when it comes to taking back control of one’s life. The reason being is that it can greatly help us manage our negative emotions and our responses to them in a purely logical way. So, it should come as no surprise that being a great leader is synonymous with being emotionally intelligent.

As leaders, developing Emotional Intelligence will grant you the self-awareness you need to improve upon your leadership skills. Once you have practiced and mastered that, you can become the leader your organisation needs. The question now is, how? What concrete actions could you take to become an emotionally intelligent leader?

Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Leader

Emotional Intelligence is not theoretical. It’s very much practical, and you can see it in the success of an organisation. That’s because their leaders took the necessary steps to become the most emotionally intelligent leader they can be. Now, it’s time for you to take those same steps.

So, here are just 3 ways you can develop yourself and your leadership skills to their full potential with Emotional Intelligence.

Take Time to Be Introspective

As leaders, it is not best practice to ignore the negative emotions that may arise from the workplace, not our employees’ emotions and especially not our own. Your emotions are a valuable source of information that is key to understanding just what exactly you are going through and how you can deal with it.

What you can do is use your breaks to their fullest by checking in on your emotions. Set aside some time to really listen to what your inner voice is telling you. If that means having to be physically away from your workplace for a while, then do so. Your work can take a backseat for a bit if it means taking care of yourself. By the time you come back to it, you will feel a lot better, and you will lead a lot better as well.

Check In on Your Physical State

It should be obvious that having a balanced physical and emotional state is important. However, sometimes leaders power through emotional stresses because they want to be seen as resilient and that they can take on anything. But remember, we all have our limits. Your employees will not think any less of you for that. So, pushing yourself to the brink is not going to benefit anyone.

Your emotional stresses will always find a way to come out of your body, which will lead to physical stress. It could manifest itself as headaches, tensions in the body, or just a general feeling of being worn out or worn down. The point is your body is trying to send you signals and it’s up to you to receive them. By listening in on those signals, you will be able to identify what your body is trying to tell you. Are you stressed? Anxious? Fearful? You will only know if you choose to check in.

Recognise the Source of Your Emotions 

As leaders, we like to think of ourselves as problem-solvers, and we know that the most critical part of problem-solving is identifying the source. But how do you expect to solve other people’s problems while continuing to neglect the source of your own? 

When negative emotions come up, you first must recognise what it is and then connect them specifically to a source, situation, or issue. Once you’ve done that, it will be easier for you to use that information to gain insight that could guide you in dealing with it. The same thing applies when handling other people’s problems. Using this exact same process will help you to be more effective in helping your employees.

Conclusion

There is no limit to how far you can take your leadership skills with Emotional Intelligence. Not only will you make better leadership decisions and actions, in turn, you will be able to create a culture of Emotional Intelligence in your organisation.

As Vincent van Gogh, one of the most prolific painters of the modern era, poignantly said:

“Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realising it.”

So, what actions are you going to take to develop your Emotional Intelligence? Do you think you’re at a place to confidently call yourself an emotionally intelligent leader?

We Are Here to Help

At People Builders, we have a team of expert trainers and coaches who can help you in building trust with your team. Contact us today for a quick chat to see how we can partner with you to train and coach you and your team.

If you are interested in becoming certified to be a trainer and coach in Social and Emotional Intelligence, Applied Neuroscience, or Extended DISC, go to our People Builders Institute website.