The #1 Skill for Leadership
The number one skill for any leader to possess is emotional intelligence. There are three major reasons that I believe this to be the case.
#1 Emotional intelligence is essential for building meaningful relationships. And as we know relationships are at the core of leadership.
#2 It helps you deal with high-pressure and challenging situations.
#3 It allows for better decision-making. When you can properly process your emotions you can make well thought out decisions.
Now that we see how important it is let's take a look at how to develop it. Here are seven strategies to improve your EI.
*Allow yourself to feel your emotions - Bring your awareness to whatever emotion that you are experiencing. Notice how it feels and where you are experiencing it. The main thing to prevent is emotional bypassing where you avoid or ignore the emotion.
*Respond mindfully rather than react - Allow yourself to have a space or gap in between the stimulus and your response to it. This is critical in challenging situations. In this space lies your power and your choice of how you want to respond. You can use PBR: Pause, Breathe, Respond.
*Practice self-awareness - An essential part of emotional intelligence is having self-awareness. To develop this you can do reflections, get feedback, and understand who you are and your core values.
*Be aware of others' emotions - Oftentimes, people will let us know how they are feeling by their body language, vocal quality, and what they say. For you to recognize it, you need to be fully present with that person.
*Practice compassion and empathy - People are going through situations that you may be completely unaware of. Even if you are fully present with them you may not pick up on it. That is why showing kindness, respect, and compassion is so important.
*Be open to talking about your emotions - This is something that can be very challenging, especially for men. When you talk about your emotions you are better able to process them. It can often feel like a weight being lifted off your shoulders when you share how you are feeling.
*Develop self-regulating skills - One of the best ways to regulate your emotional state is by using your breath. Simply allowing yourself to breathe naturally and watching your breath will help calm your nervous system. Other ways are exercising, meditation, journaling, and performing hobbies.
Taking the time to invest in your emotional intelligence is always a worthwhile pursuit. By doing this you will notice the changes in how you feel and the quality of your relationships.
