Five Reasons Why Emotional Intelligence Is Essential In Effective Leadership
Rose Bryant-Smith (main photo) is founding co-owner of workplace advisory firm Worklogic and author of Fix Your Team (Wiley, 2018) and Workplace Investigations (Wolters Kluver, 2018). In her latest post for B&T, she says emotional intelligence is too often overlooked as an important office skill…
Anyone who pretends that emotional intelligence is a ‘soft’ skill has never managed a bullying claim, told an employee that their position is redundant, or been involved in an industrial negotiation. Many management tasks that are essential in today’s workplace require understanding of the emotional issues that employees and teams face. Resolving them takes strength, decisiveness, compassion, strategic thinking and integrity – and the importance of these skills shouldn’t be underestimated.
Emotional intelligence can be understood to be the ability to recognise and understand your own feelings and the feelings of others, and to choose how to respond to them. Rutgers psychologist Daniel Goleman named five elements of emotional intelligence back in 1998:
- Self-awareness;
- Self-regulation, being the ability to manage constructively your own emotions, in order to act in your long-term best interest;
- Motivation beyond money and status;
- Empathy for others; and
- Social skills, such as managing relationships and building networks.
Other skills more recently discussed as important in leadership include cultural intelligence, which is the ability to adjust to different contexts, and contextual intelligence, which enables leaders to identify and work within implied norms.
These emotional elements of leadership are worth thinking about, and developing like a technical skill. Here are five reasons why.
- Your business will be more competitive by improving employees’ engagement
Whatever your management style, being able to build relationships with your direct reports and the broader team is essential. Inspiring and engaging staff will not only make the company a ‘nicer’ place to work, but it will also make it more competitive. Inspired employees are twice as productive as satisfied employees, and three times more productive than dissatisfied employees (Bain & Company, 2015). Employees’ engagement with their manager and with the workplace is another indicator of productivity: organisations with a high level of engagement report 22 per cent higher productivity (Gallup Organization, 2013).
- Conflict between your team members is inevitable, and you’ll need to get them back on track
In 2016 research by Dr Lindsay McMillan, 20 per cent of Australian workers had experienced major problems in communication with a co-worker, and 50 per cent had experienced serious incidents of conflict at work. Conflict is distracting and stressful, and employees look to their manager to help them through it. Low-level interpersonal issues should be resolved by the employees themselves, but if the conflict continues, you’ll need to intervene – holding the employees accountable for their conduct and how it is impacting on the team’s achievement of its objectives, and supporting them to resolve the issues between them.
- One in 5 of your co-workers will suffer from a personal crisis or mental illness in the next year
When you employ someone, you don’t just enjoy the benefit of their skills, experience, industry connections and work ethic. You might also manage them through tough times in their lives, as they experience personal issues such as illness, divorce, or addictions. For example, according to BeyondBlue, 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental health condition in any given year, and 45 per cent will experience a mental health condition during their lifetime.
Employees’ behaviours in the workplace and their relationships with the rest of the team – including their happiness, ability to focus, constructive input into interactions and discretionary effort – can be significantly impacted by what is going on at home. As their manager or leader, your guidance and support through difficult times can make a profound difference to the individual and the broader team.
- Change can’t be effected without engaging people’s hearts and minds
Change initiatives designed to improve business performance commonly fail; leadership and people issues are the most commonly cited reasons. A leader who is able to ‘read the room’ and support employees through their fears about the change will be far more likely to create a credible, guiding vision for the future. They can influence the team’s emotional state proactively, building optimism and enabling cooperation during the transformation process.
- Your workforce increasingly cares about EI
As younger people join the workforce, the value of leaders’ emotional intelligence will only increase. In a 2017 study by the Levo Institute, 80 per cent of the Millennial respondents reported that emotional intelligence is something they actively focus on as they develop their careers, and 87 per cent of Millennials indicated a strong connection between their personal motivation to help the company succeed and the emotional intelligence of the company’s leaders.
Emotional intelligence is hard to learn, and self-reflection can be uncomfortable, but they are both increasingly important in today’s workplace. Organisations with leaders who demonstrate strong character and emotional intelligence – including letting go of mistakes, showing empathy and genuine concern for the common good – have been found to have an average return on assets of 9.35 per cent over a two-year period, which is almost five times the ROA of organisations with low-rating leaders (KRM International, 2015). Leaders, can you afford not to build the emotional intelligence of your leadership?
Latest News
TV Ratings (18/04/2024): I’m A Celebrity Wins Prime Time And Key Demos
Aussie viewers can be a harsh lot at times. Only days after Ellie Cole bled her heart out, she has been sent packing.
Effie&co Launches New ConnectAsia Division To Help Aussie Brands Market To Asian Consumers Overseas & At Home
Not provided is advice on using chopsticks and not spilling ramen down your shirt.
Cashrewards Sets Out Stall For New CMO
Thinking of applying for the Cashrewards CMO gig? Here are some insider tips that, yes, are tantamount to cheating.
‘I Ask For The TV Industry To Stand Up And Defend Itself’ – Seven Boss James Warburton Steps Down
The Seven supremo heads for the exits after five years. Here's hoping the Spotlight team organised the farewell bash.
Poh! Jamie! Adriano! Paramount ANZ reveals its tasty plans for this year’s MasterChef
It's your fan's guide to this year's MasterChef! Although no tips on how to pronounce crudités or use a un fait-tout.
Dentsu’s iProspect Partners With MOOD Tea Ahead Of May Campaign Launch
We love a Mood Tea here at B&T. Although we do store old screws and nails in the International Roast caterer's tin.
Opinion: When Culture Starts Eating Itself: Navigating The Age Of Self-eating Nostalgia
Born boss David Coupland asks is adland going through a nostalgia period? But please, no repeats of Best Of Red Faces.
Who’s Going To Cannes?! The TikTok Young Lions Winners!
It's Aussie adland's next gen! They're off to Cannes with high hopes of bringing back a Lion & a foot-long Toblerone.
Adobe Launches Express Mobile App With Firefly AI
Want to be the coolest kid at Friday staff drinks but forgot your retro Nikes? This new Adobe wizardry may do the trick.
ThinkNewsBrands & IMAA Extend News Publishing Education In Brisbane
Industry duo takes its publishing roadshow to Brisbane. Was disappointed no male attendees were wearing walk socks.
B&T Chats With Wavemaker’s Provocative Pioneers On Their Cross-Pacific Sojourn
B&T TV heads to Wavemaker's Sydney digs to interview two staffers from its New York & LA digs. If that makes sense?
HoMie & Champion Launch “Give One. Get One” Campaign Supporting Youth Homelessness Via Town Square
Much like the fête's prized chutney wears a blue winners sash, so too should this top initiative from HoMie & Champion.
Thinkerbell Takes Us Back To Summer In Latest Work For XXXX
This beer ad wants to take you back to summer! Just minus any chance of a shark attack on your morning bus commute.
Cannes Lions Unveils 2024 Programme Featuring Queen Latifah, Jay Shetty & P&G’s Mark Pritchard
Are you one of the lucky ducks heading to Cannes in June? Check out the headliner acts you'll be queueing hours to see.
Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch
Costa Panagos set to bring South American flair to the Scroll offices. Assuming that he is, indeed, South American.
Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs
Born around the 2000s? Need to amp up your AI creds? This guide's for you (although it's not really that age specific).
General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania
Do you rage about oversized American cars on our roads? You need to bail up Heath Walker at parties & industry events.
VML Launches New “Envoyage” Brand For Flight Centre
VML unveils new brand for travel operator Flight Centre. Alas, no sign of those paid actors pretending to be pilots.
Subaru Places Media Account Up For Review
Subaru puts media up for review, as adland journos get set for mandatory "agency drives off with..." headline.
TV Ratings (17/04/2024): Contestants Faced With Harsh Realities As Alone Australia Heats Up (Or Cools Down)
Alone still doing the business for SBS. Overly long train journeys not doing the business, but they persist anyway.
Ben Fordham Loses Number One Spot As Ray Hadley Celebrates 156th Ratings Win
The radio numbers are in! Discover who's off for a boozy lunch today & who's waiting for the dreaded HR death knock.
Gourmet Ice Cream Brand Connoisseur Launches New “Thrill Your Senses” Iteration, Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
Rattling the old "truth in advertising" adage comes this ice-cream spot full of noticeably thin people.
Paramount’s Global Sales Boss: ‘Australia’s Converged Model Is A Blueprint For How I’d Like All Of Our Markets To Be’
Paramount's global sales boss gives local sales ops the thumbs up. Didn't weigh-in on the Lisa Wilkinson debacle.
TikTok Starts Testing Its Instagram Rival In Australia
In exciting news for piano playing cats & brattish pranks in shopping centres, TikTok unveils its Insta rival plans.
Man Wrongly Named By Seven As Bondi Killer Hires Lawyers
Struggling to save for a house deposit? Why not get wrongly identified by Sunrise!
Smartsheet Appoints Indie Agency Sandbox Media To Its Media Account
Can't stand your colleagues? Like to dob them in when they miss a deadline? These work management platforms are ideal.
Boss Not Letting You Come To Cannes In Cairns? Use This Business Case To Convince Them!
Stingy boss won't spring for a ticket to Cairns? Add this to your persuasive argument repertoire. Or grovel.
Alt/shift/ Brisbane Builds Portfolio With Ausbuild Creative, PR, Content & Social Account Win
The Brisbane comms/PR agency lands constructor Ausbuild. Also hoping for a discount on its new glass conservatory.
Young Guns Versus The Old Guard: Who Adds More Value to Our Industry?
Cannes In Cairns poking this hornet's nest in a lively debate. Just so long as the oldies can get up the stairs.
70% Of Aussies Don’t Have Green Power Plans ENGIE Says In Major Brand Campaign Via HERO
Are you the notorious "light leaver on-er" in your flatshare? Quell any infighting with this green energy news.
PrettyGood Launches Offering Brand & Media Solutions For Australasian SMEs
B&T applauds the charitable nature of this new agency. Although we'd hate to see it impact any Chrissie present sends.
A Blunt End: Dolphins Medicinal Cannabis Sponsorship At Risk
Yes, it's another NRL drug story. Yet, thankfully it doesn't involve coke in Kuta during the off-season.
Slew Of New Creative Hires At Leo Burnett Australia
Ahhh, all black! The outfit of choice for agency creatives, David Jones staff and everyone in Melbourne.
Under Armour Unveils Local “Live in UA” Campaign
American apparel brand set for yet another tilt at the Aussie market, as Nike declares "we'll see about that".
Pepsi Launches New Look, Refreshing Classic Fashion Staples Via Special PR
Are you always the bridesmaid, never the bride, as the old saying goes? How do you think Pepsi feels?
Pure Blonde Returns To A Place Purer Than Yours In New Campaign Via The Monkeys
B&T's always been a huge fan of the 'drink yourself thinner' diet plan. So big thanks to Pure blonde, vodka & tequila.