Topic > The importance of emotional intelligence in leadership

The Oxford Learners Dictionary (2019) defined emotional intelligence as “the ability to understand one's own emotions and those of other people and to behave appropriately in different situations." Leadership is about the influence by which the leader uses personal experience and examples to influence the follower to follow a similar path. In a work context, it is typical for a leader to attempt to motivate the follower to achieve common goals through commitment, dedication and achievement of organizational goals according to Morton & Wendy (2012). Mark Manson (2019) defined self-awareness as understanding yourself and your behavior on three main levels, namely what you are doing, how you feel about it, and understanding what you don't know about yourself. These three things are part of what a leader needs to survive in a stormy sea because he will have self-control that is strength in its own way, such that he is open to criticism and willing to use it constructively. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A good leader should know how to channel their emotions well. Negative emotions like anger can be channeled into creativity, a typical example is what Huffpost wrote in 2017 that we can think of negative emotions as a fuel that can be burned on the path to creation. Negative emotions might simply help you delve deeper into the problem and find a possible solution that your happier self would never have discovered. Another key attribute is empathy, in my opinion it can be defined as the process by which an individual feels what another person is experiencing by putting themselves in the position they are in. A good leader who is not empathetic with staff members and colleagues may not get the desired respect and cooperation because he may feel that he is not appreciated and this may have a negative impact on his work performance. A good example is if a female subordinate with a child comes late to work due to her child's poor health and the manager should be able to understand what she is going through by feeling empathy towards her. Adaptability is another key ingredient to having good emotional intelligence. Rob Waugh (2018) said: “To survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world, businesses must keep pace to stay on top.” Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation.” Ricky Martin, during his Telegraph interview in 2018, said that being able to adapt to changing priorities in the business world is a vital skill that many companies value in getting their work done. I believe an ability to adapt is feeling comfortable in an uncomfortable position. Critical thinking plays an important role in emotional intelligence. Alison Doyle (2019) defined critical thinking as the ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment. It involves evaluating observable phenomena, data, and even facts. Therefore, leaders must be critical thinkers, to be able to be objective about a situation. Emotionally intelligent leaders should be able to benefit from constructive negative criticism by removing the emotional attachment to it. It's a vital skill because when they take advantage of criticism like that, they tend to improve what they received criticism for. A good example is the habit that Hult International Business School is inculcating in its students by doing/