3 EQ Skills to Make You a Better Leader
One of the top attributes that a leader can have is a high level of emotional intelligence. This will allow you to build strong relationships, reduce your stress, create a healthy environment, and make better decisions.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your emotions and be aware of the emotions of others and respond appropriately.
There are a number of different components and skills that make up emotional intelligence. Below are three of the most important skills that I have come across that leaders can focus on.
Respond instead of reacting in challenging situations. All leaders will come across challenging situations. Do you quickly react in these situations or do you respond mindfully? A method that I use for this is pause, breathe, and respond. This will create the space necessary to respond skillfully.
Allow yourself to process your emotions before making a decision. Psychologists nowadays talk about the importance of allowing yourself to experience your emotions. To bring an awareness to what you are feeling and experiencing within your mind and body. In leadership, you want to give yourself the time and space to process your emotions before making any big decision. By doing this, you are giving yourself a much better chance of making a successful decision.
Practice empathy with your colleagues. Start to put yourself more often in your team member’s shoes and what they may be experiencing. Ask questions to see how they are doing and what they may be struggling with. Practice active listening by listening to understand rather than respond. When you show more empathy you will have to develop a stronger relationship by showing the person that you care about them.
While these skills may seem obvious, it is the consistent application of them that will make you a more effective and impactful leader.
