Career Center Emotional IntelligenceAs more organizations become aware of the importance EQ plays in their institutions, they must decide on best ways to implement it with their members. Leaders cannot expect their followers to pick up EQ naturally; it is something that must be instilled in them from a higher authority.
Having said that, the amount of EQ that any given team has, is a reflection of the leader of that team. Leaders who are lacking in EQ will by default pass these traits down to the members of their team. In an age of stiff global competition in a variety of different industries, studies have consistently showed that teams which emphasize EQ tend to function at a world class level, and they are capable of increasing both critical thinking and decision making abilities.
It is absolutely impossible for team members to enhance their EQ skills if the leader does not have and demonstrate them first. Those managers who are able to demonstrate their emotional intelligence skills are the individuals who will be most capable of enhancing the performance of the team.
One tip for increasing the emotional intelligence of your team is to engage in exercises which are highly interactive. Managers and leaders must change the way in which they teach employees. To illustrate this, developing EI is like learning a new language; studies have shown that people learn fastest when they are in an environment where they are immersed in the language.
As many of us know, trying to learn a foreign language in a classroom is difficult. It is difficult because it is alien to the way in which the language is naturally learned. Just the same, EQ cannot be learned in a classroom. Classroom learning is best reserved for things which are more analytical, such as mathematics or science.
The best way for leaders to develop emotional intelligence within their members is to make use of a style of teaching which is called "scenario based learning." In this style of learning, a person is placed in a situation where they must recognize and adapt to their emotions, as well as the emotions of others. The scenario based approach is good because it has immediate consequences that the student must consider.
Scenario based teaching is much more effective than traditional learning simply because it is more closer to the real world. As opposed to sitting in a desk listening to a teacher explain what EQ is and how to use it, the student is placed in a situation where they must use it, or deal with the consequences that may result, positive or negative.
This real world immersion will give the student a much sharper picture of what EI is, and their emotional intelligence will grow much more rapidly as a result. The goal of scenario based learning, which may also be known as situation based learning, is to create an environment where the members of a team are encouraged to cooperate and collaborate with each other. It is also important for group norms to be created.
Once your team is operating in such an environment, they will be able to function at a level that is rarely seen within a team. By going beyond the limitations of IQ, a team is able to function with a high degree of precision as well as camaraderie.
This must be seen as being a crucial components for teams to be more effective in the Information Age. Above all, a good leader is someone who is able to immediately recognize the emotions of their subordinates, and they are able to enhance the dynamics of the behavior of the team. By doing this, they will be able to gain a larger amount of influence with the team, because this leader is capable of tapping into their emotional construct.
In addition to the things discussed in the previous paragraph, it is crucial for leaders to manage the emotional relationships that exist among the group in order to enhance their productivity.
They must have an above average comprehension of the components that comprise emotional intelligence, those components that all leaders will need in order to be successful. These components are defined as management of self, management of relationships, social awareness, and awareness of self.
