Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?

cheyaucamp
Apr 8, 2015
2 min read

Over the last few decades there was a common belief that a particular set of skills, educational background and expertise in a certain field will make you an outstanding leader. Partially, I would agree on that, because our skills and qualities are the entry requirements for a leadership position. However, being “the smartest guy in the room” is not enough to make you an effective leader and to let you stay in the leadership position for a long time.

Effective leaders are focused on getting the right things done, they are enthusiastic about embracing change, they make others feel important and help others succeed. But, as it turns out, high level of IQ or availability of technical skills can’t fully predict effectiveness and high performance of a leader. Why?

Daniel Goleman, author of the New York Times bestseller Emotional Intelligence that was published in 1995, found that, besides such common qualities that are generally associated with leadership (i.e. vision, determination, cognitive abilities) emotional intelligence is crucial for leaders. The author states that our ability to recognize and regulate emotions in ourselves as well as others will not only help us to become outstanding leaders, but will also increase our performance and the performance of the whole team.

Daniel Goleman was the first to apply the concept of emotional intelligence to business methods. Until that time most scientists were focused on studying cognitive intelligence and its influence on decision making and human behavior. In his book Daniel Goleman illustrates a number of evidences that emotional intelligence is an essential ingredient for effective leadership and success.

As it turns out, human beings make decisions in an emotional manner and then justify them rationally. When we are presented with particular external stimuli or triggers, the part of the brain responsible for emotions is the first to react. By understanding their emotions, being aware of the cause behind a particular emotion, leaders can manage their response to external stimuli, and, thus, perform in a more effective way and make better decisions.

There is no short-cut to making the right decisions, but there is an evidence that leaders with a high level of emotional intelligence make better decisions, because they pay attention to what their emotions are telling them, they trust their guts and they don’t make decisions based on the first impulses. Furthermore, since individuals with highly developed emotional intelligence regard challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, they rarely think of themselves as victims of their circumstances or get stopped by hurdles. Instead, they are the ones who, as a general rule, make things happen and take the first step towards change.