Emotional Intelligence In Leadership

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and those of the people around you. People with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they 're feeling, what their emotions mean, and how these emotions can affect other people. Sometime our emotions can get in the way of our sense of judgement but, the ability to control and separate emotions from work is very crucial in the field of leadership. Invariably, the traditional concept of intelligence would be a person’s ability to solve problems, logically and critical. Sometimes, these traits of intelligence are labeled raw intelligence. In other words, how each and every one of us comprehend, examine and, respond to outside stimuli, be it solving math

While many ingredients are required for a good leadership, the most important aspect of effective leader is giving people accurate feedback. Most of us are generally unaware of how others see us and this especially true for managers. Sadly, it is remarkable how many smart, highly motivated, and apparently responsible people rarely pause to contemplate on their behaviors. Many of us find it increasingly difficult to connect in the modern world, both with ourselves and others. An important factor in our ability to successfully connect is emotional intelligence. And when it comes to happiness and success in our relationships, career and personal goals, emotional intelligence matters just as much as the more well known, intellectual ability we possess. We need emotional intelligence to turn intention into action, in order to make informed decisions about the things that matter most to us, and to connect to others in productive and nurturing ways. There is so much value in focusing on an individual working to increase their emotional intelligence. Based on my EQ self-test, I have high

A typical exam was an incident with two junior sailor involved in a food fight. The food fight escalated into a big fight involving ten more sailors. In an attempt to stop the fight, the manager intervened and noticed that senior ranking sailors were involved. During investigation; the manager was questioned, he displayed a high level of intelligence by controlling and handling his frustration with the whole situation and chose his words properly that ended the case in a peaceful way without causing punishment to the sailors involved. I also worked with managers that have exhibited a low level of emotional intelligence. This type of managers gets frustrated and angry when under pressure or instant changes to work schedule. Example, a chief in the Navy who showed tremendous potential and a strong ability to drive results for the department, when asked to describe him, his colleagues would say things like: “he’s a bull in a china shop;” “he has sharp elbows;” and “he leaves dead bodies in his path.” His approach to executing projects was not sustainable as he wasn’t able to motivate, attract and retain good talent. His direct reports pointed out how frequently the chief seemed oblivious to how he demeaned others. His boss commented on the chief’s impatience and his tendency to lash out at his peers. The feedback was shared with chief, he seemed confused and was convinced that