Emotional Intelligence
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One challenge that faces all people in leadership roles is how I am going to be an effective leader. One of the most crucial ways that someone can do that is to have or develop emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman explains that “Without it, a person can have the best training in the world and he still won’t make a great leader” (Goleman, 82). The first attribute to emotional intelligence is Self-Awareness. This important trait allows leaders to know how their actions are affecting others. They are able to decipher others emotions and use an appropriate way to fix the problem. Leaders who are self-aware also know their bounds, “They know and are comfortable taking about their strengths and limitations” (Goleman, 85). These leaders are able to use criticism of others to better themselves. The next attribute of emotional intelligence is self-regulation. This may be one of the hardest things a leader can deal with. I know from my own personal experiences of working as a restaurant manager, having self-regulation can take a lot. Leaders dealing in customer service usually have high self- regulation. They often deal with angry frustrated customers that in turn can create a heated moment. Goleman tells us that “Fewer bad moods at the top mean fewer thought the organization” (Goleman, 86). I think that this relates to the phrase monkey see monkey do. If you have a hot head manager that can’t control his emotions, the lower level employees see this as an acceptable way to act. The third trait that all leaders need is motivation. They need to possess a desire to achieve the highest goals. Not only do they have to strive for those goals themselves, but to motivate others around them to the same goal. Goal setting theory is one of the ways our organizational text book describes motivation. It defines goals as the “primary drivers of the intensity and persistence of effort”, (CLW, 171). When there is a difficult job in front of people it often makes the accomplishment mean much more. Another aspect Is Empathy, mangers have to be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. If they are able to see where others are coming from they will be a more effective manager and create a good relationship between their coworkers. The last component of emotional intelligence is the ability to have social skills. Having the ability or talk about current events and deliver a persuasive argument can be crucial. Although it can seem as a waste of time chit chatting, it often leads to a good solid relationship between leaders and the others around them. All of these traits of emotional intelligence lead to making an effective leader.