How Emotional Intelligence is Critical to Leadership and Life

So, the landscape of business has changed, permanently.

Companies are scrambling in the “Great Resignation” to retain their top talent and attract the best that are in the market looking around. Teams are no longer onsite 100% of the time with hybrid and even full-remote teams becoming commonplace.  

While the face and shape of business has undergone a massive makeover, one thing remains the same: we need proper leadership. 

Now, I get it, most companies and individuals will stand confident in their ability to produce and develop leaders, but the statistics show something totally different. According to Zippia Research, there is a massive disconnect between perception and reality that is likely causing your company to leave a TON of money on the table:

·       79% of employees will quit due to a lack of appreciation. 

·       While 83% of organizations believe it’s important to develop leaders at every level of the company, only 5% of businesses have implemented leadership development at all levels.

·       78% of business leaders actively and regularly focus on engaging with their employees.

·       Only 48% of employees view their company’s leadership as “high quality.”

·       Only 10% of people are natural leaders — another 20% show some qualities of basic managerial talent that can be cultivated into high-quality leadership.

·       US businesses spend $166 billion on leadership development each year — nearly halfof the $366 billion that’s spent globally.

While these statistics tell a sobering story of missed opportunity and impact, many of the issues that leaders are facing nowadays come down to engagement and communication. Often deemed a “soft skill” (don’t get me started on that) emotional intelligence (EQ) is a critical skill to bridge the gaps that companies are seeing between their “leadership” and employee engagement. 

So why is emotional intelligence so important in leadership? Emotional intelligence accounts for 58% of your performance as a leader and almost 90% of all top performershave a high emotional intelligence. 

Let’s take a look at a couple of key emotional intelligence factors that help increase engagement, productivity, and profitability:

1.     High EQ = High Communication – With a blended format of teams, communication has never been more important for success in organizations. Whether it’s in-person, virtual, or digital communication, leaders need to encourage open dialogue while building a culture of trust and transparency to get the best out of their teams. Emotionally intelligent leaders are also great active listeners/observers and are more in control of their emotions in high-stress situations. Have you ever worked for a boss who flew off the handle at someone or panicked? That’s why I called them a boss and not a leader.

2.     They Manage Their Emotions Properly – Most of us feel like we know our feelings well, right? Wrong. According to organizational psychologist, Tasha Eurich, 95% of people think they’re self-aware, but only 10%-15% actually are. When you are not self-aware, you also have a harder time managing your emotions when they occur. This internal disconnect leads to higher stress and anxiety, lowered motivation, and a massive fracture in trust.

3.     Changes, Setbacks, & Pivots – If you take one lesson away from the past 3 years that will help you tremendously moving forward, it’s that change, setbacks, and pivots are going to come and they do NOT care about your schedule or plans. Due to the surprisingly low self-awareness and management, this becomes problematic when dealing with these unfortunate events professionally AND personally. Being able to take a breath and understand what’s next goes out the window when you are not in tune with your emotions.

The best news is this. No matter where you stand with your emotional intelligence, it can be improved with subtle, easy, and fun tweaks. In just a few minutes a day, leaders (and anybody really) can improve their emotional intelligence:

1.     Track Your Triggers – Every time I speak about emotional intelligence to companies and organizations, this activity is one of the top feedback points of my sessions. By taking a few minutes in the morning, at lunch, and at the end of the day to jot down any and all things, situations, conversations, or people that altered your mood significantly can help you identify the issue, change the behavior, or remove the stimulus altogether. It can be as simple as writing down the person's name and the emotion they made you feel, but it will be key to helping you understand where the landmines of your day exist.

2.     Take a Walk – Those who have taken a Peloton workout with one of my favorites, Adrian Williams, will recognize the phrase “Take an emotional lap.” In between sets, he encourages you to pace around the mat to get your mind and energy right for the rest of the workout. When you’re in your office and something derails your emotions, get up immediately and take a walk. In just a couple of minutes, you will be able to sort through your response, emotions, and follow up communication. Better to take a walk than issue an apology.

3.     Adult Passing Periods – In high school, we had passing periods in-between classes. 5 or so minutes to leave one class, switch books in your locker, say hi to friends, and make your way to the next class with a mindset shift from algebra to history. Nowadays, we don’t implement the same in-between grace that our schools gave us. By padding 5-15 minutes on either side of a meeting in your calendar, you give yourself time to digest what just happened in the last meeting, delegate where needed, reach out and/or answer any communications, and grab some water and a deep breath. This can also be time to talk with a team member, even if it’s small talk, to build rapport and trust. It also prevents the snowball effect of a day where you’re running from one meeting to the next with no time to shift gears. Sounds nice, right? 

Your time, your energy, your mood, and your performance as a leader are all entirely up to you when you exercise your emotional intelligence. Would you rather be hanging on for dear life to the runaway horse of your day or be balanced, in-control, and confident in your abilities to manage the day? 

Rich Bracken is an energetic keynote speaker and marketing executive who blends data and research with emotion and case studies to share insights and strategies on how to implement sustainable positive change. His focus and passion is to help individuals and organizations perform at a higher level both personally and professionally through emotional intelligence. He has served numerous Fortune 100 clients and global organizations as a keynote speaker and consultant and is a Professor of Leadership and notable media personality appearing in such outlets as ABC, ESPN, Thrive Global, Vice, and Goalcast, and this fall he will be presenting on the TEDx stage.

To inquire about Rich's speaking availability for your next event or conference, contact him at rich@richbracken.com.