Emotional intelligence is an essential leadership skill. In this guest post, Liam Barrett explains why self awareness and understanding the needs of others leads to a happier workforce.
When it comes to great leadership skills, people generally think about someone who is brave, honest, and driven, which of course are all critical traits.
But are they the most important?
Many modern leaders lose sight of an essential leadership skill that differentiates the good leader, from the great.
Emotional Intelligence
The skill? Emotional intelligence.
My hope was that organizations would start including this range of skills in their training programs - in other words, offer an adult education in social and emotional intelligence. – Daniel Goleman
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, and react to your emotions, and the emotions of others. It helps leaders recognize stressful situations and react in a positive, more effective manner.
Reacting to an individual’s emotions may seem part of human nature, and it’s easily taken for granted as a leadership skill needed to be successful. But this is where many leaders go wrong.
