Managers are exposed on a daily basis to difficult, stressful situations that trigger a torrent of emotions, both for them and their teams. Good emotional intelligence can make a difference both in how that situation is perceived and how it is resolved to achieve the best results. 

There are even studies that affirm that a good level of emotional intelligence is more relevant to success than IQ.

Findings by Daniel Goleman and the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations indicate that emotional intelligence is the most important success factor in any career, more so than IQ or technical expertise. 

Emotional intelligence is responsible for 85% to 90% of the success of organizational leaders.

Often my Leadership Development clients request sessions to work on emotional intelligence. They often present me with different situations where they are aware that with greater emotional intelligence they would have solved more effectively many of the difficult situations they have to face in their daily lives. Undoubtedly, a good emotional intelligence has a decisive influence on the success of both our personal and professional life.

Next, I would like to expose different facets of emotional intelligence that have direct application in the day-to-day life of any manager (and, of course, of any person).

What is emotional intelligence?

In principle, emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and manage emotions effectively. We have to distinguish two facets of emotional intelligence: intrapersonal and interpersonal.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that what really matters when it comes to superior performance in management positions and leaders in large companies is not just their resumes and IQs, but also the way they relate to themselves and others.” (Goleman).

Intrapersonal emotional intelligence: that is, the ability to recognize and manage our own emotions. Within this we would distinguish in three parts:

• Self-awareness: knowing how to identify our emotions, recognize our body’s response and how we react.

• Self-control: ability to manage our emotions adequately.
• Motivation: ability to generate a positive attitude that helps us to face difficulties in a more effective way.

Interpersonal emotional intelligence: the ability to recognize and interact with the emotions of others. It would comprise two parts: 

• Empathy: as the ability to recognize and understand the emotions of others.
• Social skills: such as the ability to interact with others.

The importance of emotional intelligence is on the rise within companies.

How can emotional intelligence help us in our day-to-day work with our teams?

Let’s look at five ways emotional intelligence can help us as leaders:

1-Self-awareness: Knowing how to identify our emotions, being aware of how they affect us, our work and our relationship with our team can be crucial. This can help us to know how to detect how we are reaching our limits and act before it is too late. For example, if our weak point when we get stressed are migraines and we detect that we are starting to suffer from them, maybe it is time to start doing something (sport, meditation, etc.) to prevent it from getting worse. 

This self-awareness can also help us choose the right time to have a difficult conversation with a colleague. If we are able to recognize that our level of anger or stress may not be appropriate, we will be able to make wiser decisions.

2-Self-management: Have you ever sent an e-mail when you were too angry and then regretted it? So, once you have identified that emotion, it is time to learn how to manage it to prevent it from having negative effects on our productivity and our team. For example, stress and anger are emotions that should be properly managed before they take their toll on us. In addition, emotions are contagious, if we do not manage them properly they can have a negative impact on the team (bad atmosphere, stress, conflicts, talent drain...). 

3-Motivation: Being able to generate a positive attitude that helps us to face difficulties in a more effective way is essential, especially when we have a high responsibility and lead a team. There is a proven relationship between productivity and motivation, as I explain in my book Motivated Teams, Productive Teams. In addition, positive emotions are also contagious. An enthusiastic and motivated leader will most likely transmit that positivity to his team.

4-Empathy: Being able to detect the emotions of others gives us valuable information that can help us optimize our relationship with others, and of course with our team. Being able to understand their point of view, even when we do not share it, allows us to connect better with them and have much more constructive dialogues.

5-Social skills: A leader must be able to express his opinion in an assertive way, defending his position without offending others. Sometimes we will have to make a criticism, or say ‘no’, or perhaps manage a conflict. It is important to do this in a way that takes care of our relationship with others. Being assertive does not mean that we cannot have a cordial relationship.

Some people are born with a special ability for all these facets of emotional intelligence. For those who do not have it innately, the good news is that this is something that can be learned and trained. Is it not great?

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Did you like this post? You can find all this and much more in my book "KEYS TO SUCCESFUL LEADERSHIP" . You can get it in both paperback and ebook format.

Inma Ríos

Expert in Leadership and Development of High-Performance Teams, is dedicated to guiding Leaders and Teams to achieve their goals, through Training, Mentoring and Personal Development. Engineer with 15 years of experience in multinationals in several countries. Top Women Leaders Award 2022. Speaker and Agile Coach Professional Certified.

More information at www.inmarios.com and Linktree .