Emotional intelligence is one’s ability to identify and manage emotions. In addition, one who shows emotional intelligence can understand others’ feelings. Emotionally intelligent people are conscious of their emotional states- everything from joy to frustration- and understand how to manage those emotions. In the workplace, it can help to lead with emotional intelligence. Here are eight ways to lead with emotional intelligence.
1. Hold Yourself Accountable:
Your employees will appreciate it when you hold yourself equally accountable and hold yourself to the same standards you expect from your employees. Typically, leaders tend to keep an authoritarian role among their employees; however, most employees support approachable, trustworthy, and reliable leaders. Holding yourself accountable will help your employees see that you are a capable leader.
2. Embrace Differences:
Learn how to embrace others’ differences in your workplace. People bring unique ideas and allowing inclusivity and diversity will allow you to have a broader range of opportunities.
3. Be Empathetic:
Empathy has three components, including feeling the same emotion as another person, your feelings of distress in response to another, and compassion towards another person. It is essential to consider these three components when working with your staff. Employees want their leaders to care about them, and showing empathy is a great way to show that you care
4. Don’t Claim to Know it All:
Be honest. If you don’t know something, let your employee know that. It doesn’t do anyone service when you lie about knowing something. One of my go-to’s when someone asks me something I don’t know is, “That’s a great question. I don’t know yet, but let me find out and get back to you.”
5. Be Active:
Many employees complain that their bosses don’t know what it is like, as they are in higher positions and do not face the same daily challenges. Show your employees that you are there and willing to help out where you are needed. A great tip to be active in your office is to spend the first few minutes of the morning stopping by your employees’ offices to say hi. You don’t need to spend time talking about business during these minutes, but rather show them that you are there.
6. Be Accessible:
Be available and accessible to your employees. If they need something from you, provide support and be there for them. When I am accessible to my employees, I have often found that they feel more comfortable sharing their ideas and raising concerns when needed. In my office, I have an open-door policy. I always want my team to know that they can talk to me.
7. Ask for Feedback:
When employers ask for feedback, they show a vulnerable side of themselves. Although you may have a higher position, you show you care about what the staff needs and wants from you as a leader. Once you get feedback, make sure you reflect on it and make changes where required.
8. Care about people:
Although this one seems simple, most leaders lack simple decency among their employees. For instance, learn everyone’s name- correctly. So often, I hear people call their employees the wrong name. That is their name- how they identify- so I can assume one of the most important things to them. Yet, some leaders refuse to learn names or learn how to pronounce them correctly. Doing small things like this will show you care about people. In addition, never put yourself above anyone in the company just because you may have a higher position.
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