Leadership – Weekly Analysis
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WK4.docxMGMT331 | LESSON 4
Leader as a Manager of Emotional Intelligence
· LESSON TOPICS
· Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
· Measuring and Developing Emotional Intelligence
· Emotions at Work
· Emotional Leadership Styles
· KEY TERMS
· Affiliative Leadership
· Coaching Leadership
· Commanding Leadership
· Democratic Leadership
· Emotion Regulation
· Emotional Contagion
· Emotions
· Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
· Pacesetting Leadership
· Self-Awareness
· Self-Management
· Social Awareness
· Relationship Management
· Visionary Leadership
· INTRODUCTION
· As you continue to expand your mind about the various roles that leaders play, think about the leader as a manager of emotional intelligence. In this lesson, you will first learn about emotional intelligence and the competencies that researchers believe comprise emotional intelligence (or EQ). Additionally, you will explore the measurement of emotional intelligence through assessments developed by researchers in the field. Assessment of EQ is quite valuable because emotional intelligence is viewed as a trait that can be developed over time. You will also determine ways that emotional intelligence can be developed, which are highly valuable to leaders as they build relationships with those in their organization. The impact of emotions in the workplace are evaluated in addition to considering the role that leaders can play in creating a true climate of positivity within their organizations. Additionally, leadership styles with implications for emotional intelligence and organizational climate are explored.
· Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
· As you have learned, leadership trait theory suggests that certain qualities in individuals are likely to result in their success as leaders. One example of a trait that many deem valuable for leaders is that of intelligence or IQ, which is the ability to learn information, apply logic to situations, solve problems, and think abstractly. On the other hand, many have recognized that an additional trait is required for leaders to succeed: emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, also called EQ, refers to an individual’s ability to perceive, understand, express, and manage emotions within one’s self and in relation to others as well (Northouse, 2010). Emotions are defined as, “intense feelings directed at someone or something” (Robbins & Judge, 2014).
· Daniel Goleman suggests that emotional intelligence exists within four domains and that effective leaders exhibit competencies from each domain (Cutler, 2014):
· SELF-AWARENESS
· The ability to assess one’s own emotions and understand why you are feeling a certain way. Competencies: “emotional self-awareness, accurate self-awareness, and self-confidence” (Cutler, 2014, p. 83).
SELF-MANAGEMENT
The ability to control emotions in a positive way so that they do not affect logical thinking or accomplishment of initiatives or goals. Competencies: “emotional self-control, transparency, adaptability, achievement orientation, initiative, and optimism” (Cutler, 2014, p. 84).
SOCIAL AWARENESS
The ability to assess others’ emotions and empathize or see the situation from their perspective. Competencies: “empathy, organizational awareness, and service orientation” (Cutler, 2014, p. 84).
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
The ability to engage, persuade and resolve conflicts with others through actions such as kindness and humor. Competencies: “developing others, inspirational leadership, change catalyst, influence, conflict management, teamwork and collaboration” (Cutler, 2014, p. 84).
DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Goleman also asserted that leaders can learn or develop the competencies of emotional intelligence (Kreitner & Cassidy, 2011). Leaders can and should make a conscious effort to understand how emotions affect themselves and others. Each of the four domains does not exist in a vacuum. They are all related to one another and excellent leaders recognize the connections and utilize them to their advantage.
For example, if a leader of a company had to make the difficult decision to downsize and lay off several employees, the leader may experience emotions of disappointment or even anger. After reflecting upon her own feelings, the leader realizes that she is disappointed in herself and her abilities to run the company profitably and successfully enough to keep those employees on board. When she meets with each employee to deliver the news, the leader should anticipate a wide range of emotional responses to the news from those who are being let go.
The leader can make a conscious effort to deliver the message with transparency and empathy. If she anticipates some will react in anger, she should make efforts to ensure the safety and security of herself and other employees as well. Lastly, once the remaining staff learns about the news, they may have emotional reactions as well such as concern that they may be next. The leader can assure them that the current staffing changes are completed and she will do her best to turn the company around. She should ask for buy-in from the remaining staff. Although the leader may be upset at times, she must manage her emotions well, remaining calm and professional throughout the situation.
Measuring Emotional Intelligence
It has been suggested that it may be difficult for leaders to assess their own level of emotional intelligence (Kreitner & Cassidy, 2011). Therefore, it may be beneficial to have others evaluate your EQ because they are objective and unbiased. If it is not possible to be evaluated by others, one self-reported assessment available is the Bar-On EQ-I questionnaire. Originally developed by Dr. Reuven Bar-On in 1997 (2014), the EQ-I, or emotional quotient inventory, was developed to measure respondents’ emotional and social functioning within five realms:
INTRAPERSONAL
Self-awareness, independence, and self-actualization
INTERPERSONAL
Social responsibility, empathy, and relations with others
STRESS MANAGEMENT
Stress tolerance and impulse control
ADAPTABILITY
Flexibility, problem-solving, and testing reality
GENERAL MOOD
Optimism and happiness
MAYER-SALOVEY-CARUSO EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEST (MSCEIT)
Another emotional intelligence assessment developed by Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso (2002) is the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). The test measures an individual’s self-reported abilities in the four branches of emotional intelligence.
FOUR BRANCHES OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
PERCEIVING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to recognize and differentiate between emotions experienced by one’s self or others.
USING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to utilize emotions effectively to solve problems or think critically.
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to recognize even nuanced differences or complexity of various emotions.
MANAGING EMOTIONS
This is the ability to regulate one’s own emotions and manage others’ emotions to achieve originally intended goals.
In addition to these two assessments, there are many other instruments that have been developed to achieve the same purpose: the assessment provides insight into emotional intelligence levels for purposes of self-reflection and development. Unfortunately, since research on emotional intelligence is relatively new, there are not many prescriptive models to aid leaders in navigating emotionally intense situations or challenges. However, many have ideas as to how EQ can be developed.
Developing Emotional Intelligence
Leaders can benefit greatly by viewing emotional intelligence as a skill that can be developed as opposed to a trait that you either have or do not have. Therefore, trying to assess one’s emotional intelligence and, additionally, developing the skills or competencies of EQ will go a long way towards increasing a leader’s chances for success. According to Preston Ni (2014), there are six ways to develop or increase your level of emotional intelligence:
Reduce Negative Emotions
Reduce negative emotions instead of jumping to a negative thought about someone or something, consider other alternatives to your concerns, or other perspectives of the situation, and stay as positive as possible.
Manage Stress and Stay Cool
Manage stress and stay cool and recognize that your body can react to stress and emotions so make a conscious effort to stay calm. Some do better with exercise to relieve stress while others may use an ice pack or cold water to stay cool.
Be Assertive and Express Difficult Emotions when Necessary
Be assertive and express difficult emotions when necessary and stand up for yourself and what is right when you have the opportunity or set boundaries if they are needed. Use statements that start with “I feel” and that focus on the other person’s behavior and not their personality or traits.
Stay Proactive, Not Reactive, in the Face of a Difficult Person
Stay proactive, not reactive, in the face of a difficult person and think before you say something or react in response to anger or frustration (your own or someone else’s). Put yourself in the perspective of the other person and look at the problem as objectively as possible.
Bounce Back from Adversity
Bounce back from adversity and recover from negative situations quickly and ask what constructive lessons you can gain from the experience.
Express Intimate Emotions in Close Personal Relationships
Express intimate emotions in close personal relationships and make a positive connection by sharing intimate feelings and expressions with those you are closest too, such as love and appreciation.
EMOTION REGULATION
It is interesting that Ni noted the usefulness of reducing negative emotions. Some research has shown that emotion regulation, or actively identifying and modifying emotions, make take too much effort and could even make the emotion stronger (Robbins & Judge, 2014). Suppressing emotions is not good. Alternatively, we should seek out positive emotional experiences as opposed to avoiding negative ones because the act of engaging in positive experiences is more likely to put us in a good mood (Robbins & Judge, 2014).
Can you think of a time when you made a conscious effort to avoid negativity? If you were a leader, what kind of people would you surround yourself with and why?
Emotions at Work
Clearly, leaders need a high level of emotional intelligence to create and maintain excellent working relationships with their followers. It’s crucial for leaders to understand how emotions can impact the behaviors of those in an organization, shape the climate or culture of the company, and affect customers too.
IMPACTS OF EMOTIONS
As you reflect upon how your emotion may affect your ability to accomplish goals in your personal life, think about how those same emotions would impact you at work. According to Robbins and Judge, “moods and emotions have important effects on decision making” (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 57). Research has shown that positive emotions can contribute to sound decision-making. However, the research is torn as to whether negative emotions may or may not impact decision-making. It’s also been shown that positive emotions can lead to increased creativity, flexibility, open-mindedness, and motivation.
Additionally, a matching effect referred to as emotional contagion has been studied. This effect is the passing of negative or positive emotions from employees to customers. For example, if an employee in a retail store is happy, smiling, and conveying positivity to customers, those customers are likely to respond in a positive manner and may even stay in the store longer to shop. It’s important to note that you do not just want your employees to act in a positive way, you want them to be positive and happy. If they are acting one way yet feel another, this could create emotional burnout among your employees.
Can you recall a time when you truly felt one way but also felt obligated to act another way? Maybe you thought you had to put on a happy face for others even though you were sad? Suppressing emotions like that can prove to be difficult and exhausting. How do you think the best leaders cope with those situations?
Organizational Climate
What can leaders do to create a climate of positivity within the organization? If you recall, we discussed upward communication and the potential feedback that can be solicited by leaders from those in lower levels of the organization. It’s important that leaders make those in the organization aware that they truly care about their emotions and feelings. Employees need to feel like they can safely express their concerns or moods about issues that affect their work or their job. Providing a formal channel or outlet for them to communicate those concerns, such as an anonymous feedback mechanism, could allow for the flow of upward communication and release of negative emotions.
For example, an employee is upset and angry because he feels a policy is not being instituted fairly across the organization. Some employees are granted their vacation requests while others’ requests are seemingly denied without reason. Why are they being denied – is it favoritism?
The employee submits an anonymous concern ticket through a formal communication system for the issue to be investigated and evaluated. This report gives the leader an opportunity to evaluate the vacation request process. She realizes that the process does not address denial of requests nor does it require managers to provide reasoning. Therefore, she modifies the process and updates the staff about the changes. Now, the employee feels that his concerns are being listened to and addressed appropriately.
LEADER RESPONSIBILITIES
ALLEVIATING STRESS
It is crucial that leaders consider the type of work that employees are being asked to do. Is the work unnecessarily stressful or emotionally draining? If so, why and can the work itself be changed? If the work must remain somewhat stressful now (for example, the office is temporarily understaffed due to turnover), what can you do as a leader to alleviate some stress? Could you offer flex time to the employees who are working overtime for the next few weeks? Perhaps, they can take a vacation once the vacancy in the office has been filled.
CHOOSING LEADERS
As a leader, you also have the authority and responsibility to select other organizational leaders and managers. You should make every effort to ensure that current members, and new hires, exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence and positivity. Research has shown that 90 percent of top performers manage emotions skillfully during stressful times by remaining calm and controlled (Bradberry, 2014). The aptitude for emotional intelligence is also important for individuals who will work as part of a team. Robbins and Judge state that, “selecting positive team members can have a contagion effect because positive moods transmit from team members to team member” (Robbins & Judge, 2014, p. 60).
IDENTIFYING EQ WHEN HIRING
Therefore, leaders can build questions into the selection process that will help them identify candidates with high emotional intelligence. They can provide an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate self-awareness, the ability to work well with others, and willingness to recognize accomplishments of an entire team as opposed to taking complete credit for successes on an individual level. Mark Murphy cited two excellent questions to ask job candidates to gauge their emotional intelligence and to demonstrate some of these EQ competencies (Murphy, 2016):
“Could you tell me about a time you made a mistake at work?”
“Could you tell me about a time you got tough feedback from your boss?”
MANAGING YOUR MOOD
Leaders should also realize that their mood can impact the mood of everyone in the office and in the organization. “How well leaders manage their own moods affects everyone else’s moods and, thus, the climate of the whole organization” (Cutler, 2014, p. 89). Can you think of a leader who was extremely negative or always seemed like he was in a bad mood? How effective do you think that leader was? How productive do you think his team members were amidst the negative energy? As a leader, you must set the tone and lead by example because your negative emotions can affect everyone in the organization. Be as positive as you can and convey that enthusiasm and energy to every individual in your organization and around you!
Emotional Leadership Styles
There is no doubt of the importance of emotional intelligence for leaders and how positive emotions and moods can impact the organizational climate and every person within it. Therefore, it’s valuable to explore various leadership styles that have been linked to emotional intelligence competencies or factors. In the 2002 work, Primal Leadership, Daniel Goleman, and others outlined six different leadership styles that resonate with others due to their impact on emotional intelligence throughout the organization (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002):
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
Visionary Leadership is focused on inspiring individuals to accomplish long-term goals.
COACHING LEADERSHIP
Coaching Leadership is the effective delegation of tasks to responsible individuals with decision-making authority while considering individuals’ strengths and weaknesses.
AFFILIATIVE LEADERSHIP
Affiliative Leadership is focused on the creation of a people-focused atmosphere and positive emotional environment.
DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP
Democratic Leadership is where leaders actively seek out input and ideas from all members of the group and those ideas are carefully considered.
PACESETTING LEADERSHIP
Pacesetting Leadership is ambitious goal-setting and constant progress monitoring, which is also referred to as management by objective.
COMMANDING LEADERSHIP
Commanding Leadership are instructions are given to individuals without solicitation of input or any listening from the leader.
Leaders can use any of the leadership styles or a combination of styles to appeal to the emotions of their followers. The first four leadership styles (visionary, coaching, affiliative, and democratic) are described as resonance builders and the last two styles (pacesetting and commanding) are viewed as dissonant styles because they do not involve listening to followers.
The first style, visionary leadership, is great when leaders want to communicate and emphasize a shared long-term vision for the organization. The coaching leader provides a layer of support for those seeking additional consultation but the primary goal of the leadership style is to let employees achieve goals once they are collaboratively established. Coaches provide a level of autonomy to followers as they allow them decision-making authority.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Affiliative
Affiliative leaders are focused on creating the ideal emotional climate within the organization. This style meets the emotional needs of followers but can leave work or task needs at the bottom of the list. Also, affiliative leadership can result in avoidance of any negative dissension or disagreement. Some conflict is good and meaningful as some issues and concerns must be addressed so that the team or organization can move forward in a positive way.
Democratic
The democratic leadership style focuses on gaining inputs and ideas from the followers through active listening, ensuring a great level of commitment and buy-in from the team. However, it’s not always feasible to ask followers’ opinions for every issue or task that needs to be addressed or completed. This could result in decreased efficiency or an appearance of a leader who lacks confidence or expertise to make decisions without the group.
Pacesetting
Pacesetting leadership must be utilized with caution as leaders may come off like they do not care about emotional intelligence at all because they are most concerned with goal attainment and objectives. The idea is that pacesetting leaders lead by example and they expect competent motivated team members to follow close behind, instinctually knowing the next step that should be taken to achieve results.
Commanding
The commanding leader directs individuals to complete tasks and comply with requests – no questions asked – and attempts to alleviate fears any members may have. Although they are concerned with negative emotions, commanding leaders may still elicit negative moods because followers are not listened to or given any real authority. It is obvious how the pacesetting and commanding leadership styles may create emotional challenges for followers if the implementation of the style is poorly executed.
Can you recall a time when you exhibited or experienced one of the leadership styles discussed? When you reflect upon that experience, did that style elicit an emotional response within yourself or from others? Was it a positive or negative emotional response? What did you learn from that situation?
There is no doubt that other leadership styles can be utilized to elicit emotional support or create positive work environments. This list is not all-inclusive. However, regardless of the style selected, leaders should carefully reflect upon the implications that the style may have upon the organizational climate before they implement them.
Conclusion
