By: John Muller, MD Candidate
For centuries society has pondered what makes a great leader. Machiavelli questioned if it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. Sun Tzu promoted leading by example and not by force.
More recently, the concept of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) has been introduced and suggested to be a requirement for being an effective leader. In 1997, EQ was defined as the cognitive ability to correctly perceive, use, understand, and regulate emotions in the self and others. This has important value for understanding the emotional topography of yourself and others.
In this article, we will introduce the concept of EQ and its relationship to leadership.
Emotional Intelligence: the intersection of emotions and thoughts
EQ, has many different definitions; however, all stem from the ability to understand and regulate your emotions. This field is a perceptive intersection of emotions and thoughts. One must be able to efficiently reason with emotions in addition to being able to use emotions to enhance thought.
One can see how this cycle can be useful in a setting where a leader may reason with a team’s emotions, as well as his or her own emotion, to increase team performance. An effective leader instills enthusiasm and buy-in from team members so the team can achieve a level that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The ability to understand your own emotions, and the emotions of those around you, is an important part of reducing stress in the workplace. Often during disagreements, people with high EQ can identify areas that might be emotional triggers and can thus make less impulsive decisions.
Remember that one time you got angry at a meeting? And you did not even realize why you were angry? Your heart was pumping. Your mind was racing with thoughts, but you did not know how to express them. This experience probably stuck with you and ruined your day. A strong awareness of your emotions helps you to understand the situation and direct the energy toward productive outcomes.
The most effective leaders have a high degree of emotional intelligence
The idea of EQ and its relevance to leadership has been highlighted by Daniel Goleman in Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads “On Emotional Intelligence.” Through his studies, he found that the most effective leaders all have a high degree of EQ. In fact, he found EQ to be twice as important to achieve excellent performance when compared to technical skill and IQ.
At the highest level of a company’s leadership, where differences in technical skills are of negligible importance, it was found that 90% of the difference between star performers and average performers, defined by yearly earnings, was attributable to EQ rather than cognitive abilities.
Another study administered the Mayer Salovey Caruso EQ test (MSCEIT) to 38 supervisors within a large manufacturing organization and found that EQ acts as a strong predictor of leadership effectiveness.
Questions related to experiential EQ were particularly important predictors of leadership skills. Much of our interactions with people stem from previous experiences of similar situations.
Emotional Intelligence Consists of five skills
Goleman suggests that EQ consists of five skills that enable the best leaders to maximize both their own and their followers’ performance. These skills include: Self-Awareness; Self-Regulation; Motivation; Empathy; and Social Skill.
Importantly, these skills can be improved and strengthened through persistence, practice and feedback from colleagues or coaches. With a little reflection and work, you can be an EQ genius.