Posted by “You may believe the world around you is as you think it is, but those living in the world around you may think otherwise” — JSP
Genuinely Love-driven leaders are emotionally intelligent leaders; they’re motivating and energizing. Keenly in touch with their feelings, desires and motives equip them with empathic intuitiveness that immediately touches hearts.
- Understanding our thoughts influence our emotions, which drive our decisions and impact our relationships.
- Self-awareness allows us, with great clarity, to be effectively intentional in all our relationships and all we do.
Never Underestimate the Power of Perception
Changing how we think about what’s happening around us transforms our perceptions and responses to them.
For instance, if two people are having a discussion, person “A” says something to person “B,” and person “B’s” response will be formulated and delivered according to their level of self-awareness.
- They may respond cordially yet be offended if the statement is internalized as personal.
- They may respond accordingly, thus enhancing the dialogue if the statement is received at face value within the context of the discussion.
I always found it interesting how people can experience something together and come away with different perspectives, thus holding different memories of what they experienced together.
The above scenario plays out the same way within our business environment; coworkers can have different takeaways from the same team meeting.
- On the positive side, different perspectives can generate ideas and assist in problem-solving.
- On the negative side, some members feel the meeting was about them.
Getting Ourselves Under Control
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.” — C.G. Jung
Many people believe they can change the world and set out to do so, only to realize that the challenges they face are beyond their control. Understanding how to navigate their responses to those challenges allows them to overcome them.
It is impressive to see the transformation when people become aware and understand their tendencies; their personal development accelerates, as do their relational skills.
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders are Aware of their Impact on Others
“They are conscious of how their emotional state influences their team’s decision-making, cognition, and performance. They use their capacity to selectively generate emotions to energize their team or to inspire confidence. These leaders benefit from the powerful effects of “emotional contagion” and “empathetic matching” to skillfully steer the emotional pulse of the team to drive positive outcomes.
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders are both Cognitively and Emotionally Empathic
These leaders are highly attuned to the states of others and understand that empathy involves both a cognitive component (understanding what others are going through) and an emotional component (feeling what others feel). If you’ve worked with an emotionally intelligent leader, you’ll likely have found that when they ask, “How are you doing?” they genuinely want to know what you’re experiencing and have a keen interest in identifying opportunities to support you.
If you respond with, “I’m fine,” they might come back with, “No, really, what’s going on for you?” They’re sensitive to the emotional pulse of a group, exercise empathic perspective-taking, pay attention to the human side of business and demonstrate genuine care.” (1)
In Conclusion
“Life is all about perception. Positive versus negative. Whichever you choose will affect, and more than likely reflect your outcomes.” — Sonya Teclai
End Notes
(1) Seven Traits of An Emotionally Intelligent Leader https://bit.ly/3S7lRnJ
* Photo by John S Picarello
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