Webinar Recap: Develop Emotional Intelligence In Leaders

Emotional intelligence (EQ) encompasses a set of skills that help us recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions and comprehend the emotions of others. In the workplace, EQ has many benefits including improved communication, stronger relationships, heightened performance, and career growth. If developing emotional intelligence is a priority for you and your workplace, be sure to engage with the video clips below featuring coaches Taiwo Olajide, Shari Jo Watkins, and Teresa Muller.

The Importance Of Emotional Intelligence

Having emotional intelligence benefits everyone around you to be more intentionally engaged and effective in the workplace. Learn about the importance of emotions with a relatable analogy from Coach Teresa below.

How your emotional state interprets and receives information has a powerful impact on the interactions you have with others.

Key takeaways:

• “Knowing yourself and knowing your own emotional landscape is vital,” says Coach Teresa, especially as a leader, because it models behavior to those around us.

• What you tell your brain impacts its emotional capacity and will therefore impact how you share and receive information, and interpret events.

• Emotional intelligence can help us to stop, reflect on our emotions, and move us from a threat mindset to a reward mindset.

The Role Of Self-Awareness

Self-awareness (the ability to notice and understand your own thoughts, feelings, and actions) is the foundation of emotional intelligence and a critical skill for leaders and managers. Learn how to improve yours with Coach Taiwo below.

Key takeaways:

• Self-awareness results in a better understanding of our skills, weaknesses, values, and strengths. 

• Journaling can be a powerful tool to support self-awareness. Note thoughts, feelings, things you’re good at, events that elicit a strong response, etc. to learn more about yourself.

• As leaders, every behavior that’s projected outward affects the people who are people being led.

Practice Active Listening

Active listening encompasses being present, listening to understand before you respond, and avoiding judgment. Learn how to build better relationships through this important aspect of emotional intelligence with Coach Taiwo.

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Key takeaways:

• “Questions open doors,” according to Coach Taiwo, “when you are constantly giving your team the answer, you are killing their creativity.” Part of active listening is learning to ask meaningful questions where you genuinely care about the answer.

• Empathy is critical in leading a diverse team so you can better understand where your team is coming from.

• Increasing trust and respect through active listening can lead to greater influence.

Lead With Empathy

How can leaders and managers gain a better understanding of their team members’ points of view and contribute to psychological safety? Coach Teresa shares how empathy can be a powerful tool to influence without authority.

Key takeaways:

• Miscommunication is a common barrier to empathetic conversations. Says Coach Teresa, “I can be speaking about one thing and you’re hearing something totally different.”

• Compassion and empathy are often mistaken. This may result in employees avoiding conversations that touch on emotional well-being for fear of expectations to support another person (for which they may not have the emotional capacity).

• Empathy requires vulnerability. When operating from a place of curiosity (rather than fear), you can choose alternative behavior fueled by authenticity and innovation.

Manage Emotions Effectively

Effectively managing emotions has many benefits, including reduced stress and improved decision-making. Gain strategies from Coach Shari Jo to manage and regulate your emotions to create a positive work environment and build emotional resilience at the same time.

Key takeaways:

• Emotional regulation (managing emotions and emotional comfort) is an important aspect of emotional intelligence, both of which take practice. 

• Emotional intelligence can allow us to separate the emotion from the problem or person, helping us take breaks when necessary and more easily adapt to (and recover from) stressful situations.

• Helpful questions to ask yourself include: “Am I doing things in the way I would want someone to do for me? Am I listening? Am I managing myself well?”

Ready to lead by example and take action to empower your team to tune into their emotional intelligence? Connect with a Coach 1:1 to create a strategy specific to your work context.

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Webinar recorded June 2023