Answer

Emotional Intelligence and Effective Leadership

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to understand personal emotions and manage them effectively. It also features the capability of using this personal emotion to influence the emotions of others. When most companies are seeking leaders, they tend to focus more on the individuals who have years of experience in leadership. However, it is preferable to also consider the emotional intelligence strengths which play a major role in the success of the recruit. Such a leader will be able to be more connected with the team, thereby making it easy to motivate them.

Importance of Emotional Intelligence for Effective Leadership

            It is evident that emotional intelligence is beyond the traditional leadership approaches used. It enables a leader to identify how personal emotions affect others, thereby leading to positive outcomes (Görgens-Ekermans & Roux, 2021). It helps a leader to learn how to put the needs of employees first, thereby creating happier and more productive teams. Since emotional intelligence triggers an internal awareness, the leader will become more aware of his or her emotions, weaknesses and even strengths (Goel & Srivastava, 2019). For example, there are leaders who will realise that they are weak at task delegation. This awareness will enable them to put extra efforts in trying to delegate more and to trust those who are being assigned to work on the tasks.

            Emotional intelligence also features self-regulation. The leaders who tend to lose the respect of employees feature those who make impulsive decisions and are unable to control their emotions. That easily ruins any rapport that may have been built with the employees. Fortunately, through emotional intelligence, self-regulation is achieved (Görgens-Ekermans & Roux, 2021). It ensures that such uncontrolled reactions are avoided and properly managed. When a leader has strong emotional intelligence, he will also experience increased empathy. Through an understanding of personal emotions, it becomes easier to accurately gauge what others may be feeling (Görgens-Ekermans & Roux, 2021). This factor enables a leader to make decisions that are more deliberate since the goal is to trigger a certain emotion from the employees.

            Another importance of emotional intelligence features the introduction of collaborative communication. As the leader will be able to properly understand the employees by relying on mood and emotion, it is easier to take action based on the kind of tone showcased (Goel & Srivastava, 2019). It will ensure that any unresolved tensions are dealt with immediately and swiftly. Finally, considering the fact that workplace stress cannot be entirely avoided, emotional intelligence enables leaders to manage the situation more effectively (Goel & Srivastava, 2019). Any negative feelings and unthoughtful decisions are avoided. Such a leader is able to avoid using the employees are objects for relieving the pressure. Hence, a proper work-life balance is achieved.

Behaviours related to Emotional Intelligence

            Considering the importance of emotional intelligence discussed above, it is clear that the leaders who showcase this characteristic also portray specific behaviour when managing groups. Such leaders are aware of their personal emotions, which they refer to when making decisions to prevent any bias or emotional and unthoughtful decisions (Goel & Srivastava, 2019). They are able to regulate themselves so that any personal and negative feelings do not cloud the right judgment. Overall, they behave in ways that prevent any negative emotional reactions, by being conscious of their current emotional state and that of others.

Conclusion

            Emotional Intelligence is important for effective leadership since it helps in managing negative emotional reactions and using the awareness of weaknesses to trigger better outcomes. When a leader has emotional intelligence, he is able to properly manage personal feelings as well as that of the team, thereby leading to improved performance. That is why leaders need to acquire this characteristic to ensure that they can interact better with employees and guide them towards improved productivity.