Concerning Emotional Intelligence
Leadership Skills and the Core Competencies of EI
Research suggests a high relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership performance.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) in the context of leadership is seen as a leader’s ability to manage personal emotions and the relationships present with others. Leaders that effectively use EI consider decisions that are also sensitive to emotions. Elements of EI include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management as first categorized by Daniel Goleman. A leader’s inventory of leadership styles is dependent on his ability to deal with emotions in a compelling manner. Goleman contends that there is a high correlation between performance and emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence may come naturally to a leader, but Goleman also states that it can be learned and greatly improved upon.
Daniel Goleman proposed the phrase Emotional Intelligence with the publication of the book bearing this same title in 1995. Researchers in earlier studies had used the term, but this book was the first to be widely embraced by popular culture. Goleman identified five core competencies of EI that include knowing one’s emotions, managing emotions, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others, and handling relationships. Goleman narrowed these competencies into four domains in 2002. The domains include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
Self-awareness describes the ability to understand personal emotions and recognize how they impact other people. A self-aware leader would be able to accurately gauge personal assets and openly handle emotions that could influence decision-making and relationships with others.
Self-management describes the ability to control strong emotions that can upset the efforts of subordinates. Attributes of self-management include trustworthiness, adaptability and conscientiousness.
Social Awareness describes the ability to understand the emotional state of other people and how it will impact the organization. Social awareness can bridge many cultural differences and protocols. Empathy can allow a much better level of customer service and the ability to understand the aggravation experienced by employees.
Relationship Management comprises the ability to converse, persuade, collaborate and work effectively with colleagues. An understanding of relationship management is needed for inspirational leadership, managing change, encouraging teamwork, and building bonds across organizations.
Goleman and many other researchers in this field make a point that these competencies are not necessarily innate skills, but rather alternative forms of intelligence that can be learned if there is sufficient motivation. Palmer, et al. concludes in their research conducted in 2000 that there is evidence that a relationship exists between EI and effective leadership. Quantifying the skills involved with EI can be valuable as potential selection tools for screening future leaders and developing training programs to improve or enhance current leaders.
