Integrators have a toolkit that’s packed with specialized skills like strategy development, process implementation, and business foresight. But what about Emotional Intelligence? Is that a skill you have readily available? If you aren’t sure about where you stand on the EI scale or how it applies to the Integrator role, keep reading. You’ll quickly see how you can weave Emotional Intelligence throughout all your leadership tools.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical tool for understanding, managing, and guiding emotional dynamics in yourself and within your team. It helps you step outside your emotions to make goal-based decisions and helps you navigate tricky interpersonal situations that seem to arise more frequently than we care to admit.

Understanding Emotions

Emotional intelligence begins with the ability to accurately perceive emotions. This includes recognizing your own emotional state and that of others. It allows for better interpersonal relationships and decision-making. Leaders who recognize anxiety in their team might take steps to address concerns and alleviate stress.

It seems basic at first but really developing the ability to perceive and understand your perceptions is quite complex and can take years to master.

Self-Management Techniques

Once the emotions are understood, the next step is to manage them. Self-management involves techniques that help you control your own emotional states and impulses. Techniques like deep-breathing exercises or taking structured breaks can help you maintain your composure, even when high-pressure situations arise.

The Role of Empathy

Empathy is a cornerstone of EI. It encompasses the ability to understand and appreciate others’ emotions. A leader skilled in empathy can quickly build trust and rapport which leads to a more cohesive and cooperative team. They’re in-tune with the emotional undercurrents of their teams and are able to appropriately respond with compassion and understanding to difficult situations that may pop up.

Using Emotional Intelligence in Your Leadership

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is pivotal in shaping effective leadership. It’s through the lens of EI that leaders should manage their emotions and understand those of their team. Doing so can help your decision-making process, help smooth over conflicts, inspire your team, and help you communicate effectively.

Decision-Making with EI

Imagine you’re in a heated discussion during a leadership meeting and you’re the swing vote whether or not to move forward with terminating a key employee. Half the team wants them gone and the other says they should get another chance. 

What do you do?

Below are a number of ways Emotional Intelligence can work into this situation:

  • Use empathy to understand the situation the employee is in. Take into consideration that they’re  human with family and friends and they need to be respected regardless of the decision made. 
  • Use empathy to also understand the situation the leadership team and company is in. Consider that this decision will also affect them and potentially their ability to perform their duties in the future. 
  • Use self-awareness to check your own feelings and remove any biases or emotions that would affect the validity of the decision. Self-awareness will help you step back at the situation and see how your decision will affect the overall well-being of the team. 

It’s not a comprehensive list for sure but it shows how you can immediately begin to use the EI principles in situations you encounter each day.

Conflict Resolution

Unfortunately, conflict is inevitable when working with people. And since we all work with people, we’ll have to deal with conflict at some point.

For example, when was the last time you had to sit down with someone and talk about their performance or terminate someone? 

I bet it wasn’t very long ago and I bet there was the possibility of your employee getting upset at what you had to say. 

One of the ways using EI in this situation is to check to see if you’re the right person to have the conversation in the first place. Is there someone else who may be better to deliver this coaching or termination? In some scenarios, we’re too close to a situation to effectively coach or discipline a team memebr. Maybe someone from HR would be better. Who knows, but being able to step outside yourself and look at a situation from different angles gives you the opportunity to see things differently or consider things you may not have seen before. 

Team Motivation and Recognition

Motivating and recognizing a team goes beyond just setting goals and incentives. This isn’t news to anyone. But leaders with a high Emotional Intelligence can inspire their teams by connecting with them on a more emotional level. 

For example, some employees like to be rewarded publicly. Others don’t. 

Some are encouraged by reward systems while others couldn’t care less. 

And when promotions or raises come about, does your employee want more money or would more flexibility in their schedule be more motivating for them.

When you utilize EI to get to know your teams and really understand what drives them, you’re able to create plans that motivate and reward them in the way they want to be rewarded or motivated. Rewards without this understanding tend to be a waste of time and money.

The Wrap Up

It turns out that Emotional Intelligence isn’t just a fleeting business trend but a fundamental shift in how we approach leadership and team dynamics. EI can be a powerful tool for enhancing your ability to make sound decisions, resolve conflicts, and motivate your teams but only if you take steps to learn about yourself and learn how you can be more emotionally intelligent. 

Whether you’re a seasoned leader or on your way to becoming one, take time to invest in your emotional intelligence. It can be a game-changer for you and your team.