Why leaders must demonstrate emotional intelligence daily. When you think of a leader in any capacity, you think of someone who is poised, ready to make the hard decisions, and of someone who leads a group of people in a solid direction with a plan. You view them as though they are on a pedestal of some sort. Even envy them to a point. However, what you don’t see behind the scenes of a good leader is the effort they put into the emotional intelligence required to hold that space for a group of people.
Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to manage your emotions as well as aid others in navigating their own, and understanding what is happening internally. What is not often mentioned is that emotional intelligence is also what stimulates inspiration, kindness, motivation, and comradery amongst your team. Good leaders know their team, what encourages them, how they respond to criticism, and how to lead them without missing a beat.
Leaders have to educate themselves constantly and demonstrate this skill daily because they are inspiring the next generation of leaders to come forth. They are the guiding post for their employees or team. The worst leaders in history lacked in this area and this has led to war and destruction. They may have been able to talk the words that inspired others, but when it came to leading the teams that they fought to have, they didn’t demonstrate this skill set and it showed in their team.
Practicing emotional intelligence as a leader is the cornerstone of a good leader and what ultimately makes a great leader. As John Maxwell has been quoted saying: “A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” If we want to raise powerful leaders who know how to regulate their emotions and educate others on how to do the same thing, you have to first show up in the same way for the people you have now.Â
As women in business, I would say that we have an advantage over men in the emotional intelligence space; to a degree. With our hormones, we are raised in a way that requires us to become intimate with ourselves and if we want to grow in our careers, that involves us becoming radically emotionally intelligent. Women need to be able to respond appropriately to high-tension situations, cope with the emotions of being a mother and working, and all while in heels.
Women have been working on this skill for generations and when they use the power of their cycle to anticipate the environments they will operate in week by week in their work and home, they can be self-aware as a leader to know when they can show up at full capacity for their team or clients. Depending on what phase of their cycle they are in, they are more in tune with emotions and be able to hype up the entire team and get them ready to take action. Other phases allow for strategic planning and big business decisions.
If you’re a leader in the industry, emotional intelligence is an irreplaceable skill that every leader should invest in. When you have others who are counting on you to motivate them, encourage them, and lead by example, you have to be able to hold that space for them in a way that feeds their need whilst also being self-aware enough to know how to support yourself the same way.
