“If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” Daniel Goleman

High-Performers

You’ve seen it!  The co-worker or supervisor that is wicked smart.  Everyone in the organization describes them as being smart and maybe technically among the best in the business.  Any time high-performance is mentioned, their name is included in the conversation.  When these individuals speak, people notice.

Its also not uncommon for these “high-performance” people to have a common and equally destructive “dark side”.  While they may be technically competent and capable, they can be known for leaving a pile of human carnage as they move through the organization.  When these people speak, people notice.

These individuals are usually right about the technical aspects of the job so often that when they tell you you’re wrong you double check yourself.  Unfortunately, these individuals have the tendency to rip your arms off and beat you about the head and shoulders with the fact that you were wrong.  Instead of being a guiding light, these people are viewed more as a being a black hole that sucks the life from everyone around them.

Competent and Relevant!

You must be competent in your job to be a success.  Technical skill is important.  That’s a given, but the ability to understand the impact you have on those around you is also important.  No matter your technical ability, if you leave emotional victims in your wake you will become a liability to the team, organization, and mission.  At best, becoming an organizational liability will result in you being marginalized (read ineffective) and untrustworthy.  At worst, being a liability will result in you being separated (aka fired).  Either way, you are no longer part of the solution.

On the other hand, you see those on the team who are recognized as being in tune with those around them and the organization.  They may not be as technically superior as others, but they are among the most trusted and respected.  These are the individuals who bring an air of peace and calm wherever they go.  The emotional wake they leave behind them is pleasant and reassuring.

Things Are Different

Being emotionally intelligent is something that sets leaders apart in a highly competitive environment.  The work environment has changed drastically for a variety of factors.  Among these factors are multi-generational issues as well as the impacts of COVID 19.  Employees (and customers) have realized that they have choices and options when it comes to where they work (and spend money).  Authoritarian and dictatorial work environments simply aren’t acceptable anymore.  You now have options and can vote with your feet as to where you want to spend your time and money.  You don’t have to stay in an environment in which emotional human carnage is normal.

Historically, processes for promoting people into positions of leadership have been designed to measure technical abilities alone.  The belief that if you are good at making widgets you must be good at leading people is pervasive.  However, there is not an automatic correlation between the two.  The making of things and the leading of people require distinctly different skill sets.

Emotionally Intelligent Benefits

In an article written by Emily May of the Niagara Institute, she outlines the benefits of emotional intelligence.  These include benefits to the individual through career advancement as well as benefits to the organization.  Individuals demonstrating strong emotional skills tend to make more in salary annually (average $29,000) and create environments in which followers are more inclined to stay (read retention) https://www.niagarainstitute.com/blog/emotional-intelligence-statistics.

Leaders who demonstrate a high degree of emotional intelligence, and organizations that value it, set themselves apart.  Gone are the days of employees settling for whatever they can get from a job.  You as an employee probably want to be part of something bigger than yourself and live a life of value.  As a leader, you have followers that want the same thing.  Customers are no longer simply satisfied receiving goods and services from an organization that doesn’t place value in them and what is important to them.  You can set yourself and the organization apart through emotional intelligence.

Being emotionally intelligent sets you and your organization apart.  You have the ability to make a difference, not just in your life, but in the lives of those around you.  You make your leadership relevant, and along the way place value into those who have chosen to follow you.

“When you make people angry, they act in accordance with their baser instincts, often violently and irrationally. When you inspire people, they act in accordance with their higher instincts, sensibly and rationally. Also, anger is transient, whereas inspiration sometimes has a lifelong effect.” Peace Pilgrim