The leadership buzzword not talked about

Ahoy,

In leadership we have useful “Buzzwords”:

• Initiative

• Optimisation

• Empowerment

The we also have incredibly un-useful words:

• Agility

• Synergy

• Journey

Whether it’s useful or not, we tend to see the same topics pop up. A lot of this is because the things that work, work.

They are constantly repeated because they actually do make a difference!

However, there are other points that work that are often not talked about. Or at least they’re not talked about as often when it comes to leadership.

Today we’re covering just one of those: Emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence

Simply put, this is understanding the emotions of those around you…

…And your own.

It’s the management of emotions to improve interactions with those around you.

By understanding your own emotions as well as other peoples, you can adapt to ensure that every interaction is a positive one.

Easy right..?

So why do so many leaders come out with insane comments/decisions?!

Answer: They focus too much on the logical solution and not on the emotional responses.

This can be as simple as how you react to a team member when they are clearly overwhelmed and stressed - Do you react with:

A) “Hey, I can see you’re stressed but I need you to pick up the pace, there’s loads to do.”

OR

B) “Hey, I can see you’re stressed. There’s a lot going on today so if you think you need to spread the workload out a bit just let me know.” 

Chances are the team member will be able to deal with more, just because they know they have the support if they need it!

When it comes to making decisions as a leader, this means understanding the emotional reaction your team will have to the decisions you make, and taking that into consideration when making the decision.

“Oh but Reece, as a leader I need to make the tough calls that people won’t like”

Absolutely.

Does this mean you should always disregard the team’s emotional responses?

Absolutely not.

If every decision you make is one that you know people won’t like, you have a huge problem on your hands!

It’s true that leaders have to make unpopular decisions sometimes for the betterment of the mission or team. However, like all things, you need a balance.

As a team member, the unpopular decision is a much easier pill to swallow when it comes from someone that you know has your best interests at heart. If every decision is void of emotional intelligence then the team lose faith in your ability to look out for them ultimately, making the tough calls go down even worse!

As with every topic I write about, there is obviously way more detail that we could go into and thousands of examples we could talk through.

However, hopefully this has been enough of a nudge to get you thinking about it throughout your week.

As always, any comments or feedback is always welcome. Get in touch through X(Twitter) using the link below.

And make sure to share this newsletter with other leaders to improve the quality of leaders around the world.

Have a great day.

Reece