How to Lead With Emotional Intelligence in 2019

Are you ready to lead with emotional intelligence in 2019?

Emotional intelligence (EI) has rapidly become one of the most sought-after skills in upper management and across the board in many organizations. This is because businesses are waking up to the fact that the best bosses are those who show empathy and manage their teams with care.

With the start of the new calendar year comes a fresh opportunity to re-frame how you lead your workplace teams, and how to do it with the thoughtfulness and consideration needed in the modern workplace.

Are you ready to get started? Here are four ways:

1. Show You Care About People

Most of us care about the people we see and work with each day, but many leaders fail to express that caring on a day-to-day basis. Often, their role as C-Suite leader or manager causes them to focus more on what’s required of their staff, which can make team members feel devalued and dehumanized.

With 66% of workers reporting that they would “likely leave their job if they didn’t feel appreciated” (source: Robert Half), making sure that team members feel heard and valued not only reduces employee turnover, but also improves productivity overall.

As leaders, we need to make sure that we show maturity along with our passion, and put a focus on being more compassionate towards our teams and staff in 2019. Make the extra effort and be consistent in your actions: take time to mentor motivated employees, engage in 1-1 discussions on a regular basis, and show people that you care.

2. Make a Big Difference by Embracing Differences

Globalization has changed our world forever, and the differences between people’s values, beliefs, and motivations are more pronounced than ever. To that end, employees want to be able to be their authentic selves, and to feel comfortable (respectfully) expressing their thoughts and opinions in the workplace.

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to be sensitive to others, and to make an effort to manage and leverage the differences between different employees in order to assemble a team that is supportive, cohesive, and productive.

Luckily, accomplishing this task is easier than you may think, just follow these steps:

• Look for common ground. Find a “rallying cry” for your workplace teams that can gel them together and help them stay focused on achieving the same goal.
   
• View differences as a mosaic instead of a melting pot. Our differences are what fuel our unique perspectives, so find ways to highlight what each team member brings to the table.
   
• Understand how team members react to change. Everyone responds to change differently, and learning to identify and work with these differences is the key to long-term organizational success.

3. Help Employees Find Significance in What They Do

Too often, leaders get caught up in trying to shape their employees in their own image. However, the key to motivating employees is to focus on how their job can benefit their life, not just the business’ bottom line.

Employees in the modern workplace want to feel as though they are having an impact both on their place of work and on the world around them, so finding ways to help them feel empowered is an essential leadership skill.

How can you help employees find significance? Try these tactics:

• Show some gratitude. Tell your team members that they matter, and make a point to highlight specific actions they took to solve a problem and share it publicly with the rest of the team.
   
• Get to know your employees. Take initiative to team building activities, like going out for lunch together or spending an afternoon bowling or playing laser tag. Further enhance employee’s commitment to your company by hosting Family Day BBQs and other larger events where staff can bring their families to mingle and get to know one another.
   
• Show the impact of their work. Too often, bosses ask employees to work harder than usual and don’t follow up by communicating the results of their efforts. Take time to share company successes so team members feel included and empowered.  

4. Be As Accountable As Everyone Else

Just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean that you aren’t an equal in your organization. Of course, you have different responsibilities than your staff, but that doesn’t mean that you are any less accountable for your mistakes than they are.

As a leader, practice using your emotional intelligence by holding yourself equally accountable and enforcing the same rules of engagement at work that you expect from your employees. Make sure to admit when you are wrong, and be transparent with how you lead your team as a whole.

Your employees will want to know they can trust you, and being receptive to input and feedback, and being accountable, go a long way towards helping employees feel empowered to work their hardest for you.

Leading With Emotional Intelligence in 2019

Being a better leader means focusing on your own leadership capabilities and developing strategies to guide and build your teams into successful, productive and cohesive groups of people who love coming to work and giving it their all.

Ready to start your professional development journey? Join us in one of our upcoming online Emotional Intelligence Certification sessions and become certified with the skills you need to lead successfully in 2019.

Want to learn more about how our services can help you improve your team’s overall performance? Contact us today or reach out on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.