There is no doubt about the fact that the business world has become quite competitive and intense in today’s time. Managers and leaders need to have qualities such as integrity, courage, vision, humility, etc., Education is always challenging, in that educators are entirely overwhelmed and burnt out. Healthcare’s demands on nurses and doctors, especially during a worldwide pandemic has perhaps made this the most challenging field of all? To successfully lead teams and departments toward the objectives requires an investment in emotional intelligence However, it is rather surprising to observe that in spite of its significance, many leaders do not invest time in learning about emotional intelligence. It is good to have intelligence, skills, knowledge, and expertise about your business. However, if you lack the ability to connect with your own emotions and the emotions of others, all the aforementioned qualities would not be enough to make you a top leader.
In simpler terms, you need to possess the ability or capacity to be aware of your emotions, know how to control them, and express them effectively. It also includes knowing how to deal with interpersonal relationships judiciously. In this blog, we will tell you some common mistakes that leaders make with emotional intelligence. Try to steer clear of them if you want to successfully lead your team. Let’s take a look at those mistakes.
Becoming Inaccessible as A Leader
Leaders who are not able to control their own emotional state will struggle to deal with their team members, mentees, and colleagues emotionally. Emotional intelligence is primarily about becoming aware about our own emotions. Once you become aware of them, you gradually start to regulate them and express them clearly. Yes, it is true that negative experiences in life may make us guarded and reserved but if you become that, you will unknowingly become inaccessible as a leader. Emotional intelligence is necessary in the workplace because it brings transparency, openness, and vulnerability, all of which are required in a leader.
Assuming Emotional Intelligence Is an Innate Quality
Some leaders make the mistake of assuming that emotional intelligence is a quality that only some people have. They think of it as an innate quality, which is not true at all. When you hold this view, you lose the ability to influence the EI of those around you. Anybody can learn emotional intelligence as it is a learnable skill. If you’ve learned it and wish to teach it to your team members or colleagues, firstly you shouldn’t assume they can’t learn it and secondly you should try to make an impact on them by demonstrating emotional intelligence. How do you do that? By becoming self-aware, controlling your emotions, showing empathy, dealing with conflicts calmly, and respecting others around you.
Ignoring Or Putting Off Your Own Needs
Again, emotional intelligence starts with you. Before you begin to positively influence others around you, you should first focus on yourself. As a leader, it is essential for you to take some time out once a day or at least every couple of days to sit down and ask yourself,” how am I feeling and why am I feeling this way”, without any judgement. You need to ask yourself whether my emotions are affecting others around me or not. Doing this is necessary because it allows us to become more aware of our emotions and control how it affects others around us.
Now, it is important to understand that it is not easy to learn emotional intelligence on your own. You can try and you may even learn it, but it is always better to seek help from those who are experts in this intelligence. When you learn emotional intelligence from experts, you won’t make the above-mentioned mistakes. If interested, you can get in touch with Star Factor Coaching for social emotional learning and professional development training. Our goal is to bring out a leader’s best self. To know more about our services in detail, call us at 917-474-6952 or 914-8936-954.