We’ve known about the importance of developing emotional intelligence as a leader for some time now, but there are still some misconceptions about exactly what emotional intelligence is (or is not) and how to increase it. Emotional intelligence isn’t just about having “soft skills.” And it’s not a set of mindfulness practices.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and control your own emotions and recognize and empathize with the emotions of others. Leaders with high emotional intelligence find their teams have better discussions and make better decisions. Emotionally intelligent leaders give better feedback and are better able to communicate and be understood.
In this article, we’ll outline ways of developing emotional intelligence as a leader based on the four elements in Daniel Goleman’s original research: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and social skills. (Goleman’s model is sometimes presented with a fifth element, motivation, but we’ve covered motivation a lot in the past.)
Please select this link to read the complete article from David Burkus.