BRX Pro Tip: Embracing Emotional Intelligence for Better Leadership
Stone Payton: Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips, Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, as we are in the midst of our third season of doing a coaching series, I’m coming across the term Emotional Intelligence, EQ, a great deal. What are you learning about emotional intelligence lately?
Lee Kantor: I think that the companies and the individuals that embrace emotional intelligence, having better leadership, their organizations kind of run better, their employees tend to be happier and more productive. Emotional intelligence is that ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions, and to recognize and influence the emotions of others.
Lee Kantor: I mean, it’s not that complicated, but leaders that have that high EQ are going to be better at active listening, they’re going to communicate clearer, and they’re going to respond thoughtfully even under pressure. And I think that’s really where kind of the rubber hits the road. It’s when there is chaos, where there is pressure is how people behave. And if you have kind of this higher EQ, you’re able to handle kind of those situations a little more calmly, which is a lot more effective when you’re dealing with your team.
Lee Kantor: This type of EQ creates trust. It reduces conflict. It boosts team morale. All that stuff’s pretty obvious. And the good news is that emotional intelligence, it can be developed. The first step, I think, is just practice some type of self-awareness. Notice your own reactions. Notice your own triggers. What are the things that get you fired up? What are the things that calm you down? Are you replying in a similar way when a person asks a certain type of question? Once you kind of hone in on your own behavior, this type of self-awareness is going to kind of help you deal with other people more effectively.
Lee Kantor: The next thing to do after you kind of become more self-aware is work on your empathy. Ask your team members how they’re doing. Really listen to their answers. And then, finally, you can then manage your responses based on this new calmness that you’re kind of acquiring. Deep breathing is at the heart of a lot of this. Taking deep breaths before reacting, just pausing for split seconds before you respond, all of this stuff is important to keep you calm and to keep your people happy. And then, it’s important to kind of create these pauses rather than just reacting. It’s that space between kind of cause and effect that you’re really controlling that brief pause in between those two activities.
Lee Kantor: So, at Business RadioX, we think emotionally intelligent leaders make the biggest impacts in their organizations and communities. We’re always looking to partner with folks who have high EQs. We believe they build strong relationships. They’re able to adapt to change. And they create workplaces where people want to give their best. Remember, no one is working in a hostage situation. Every one of your people are volunteers, so treat them well.
