Maya Angelou once said and I quote – “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. Over the years, human resource management has become more and more complex because just like technology, people are evolving at an incredible rate.
Human beings are the most diverse systems in the world, bearing in mind the multi-cultural aspects. It is therefore crucial for leaders or managers to develop a sixth sense and understand the individuals in the place of work. Therefore, leaders must try to understand the personality types present in the organisation. For some employees, the only way you’ll get better results is by frequently acknowledging them, while others can thrive quietly.
What then does emotional intelligence (EQ) mean in a corporate context?
Mayer and Salovey are well-known psychologists and developers of the popular model for emotional intelligence. In 1997, they defined emotional intelligence as “the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth.” In other words, emotional intelligence (EQ) is simply the art and ability of an individual to act and speak with tact whenever he/she is present with colleagues, peers, acquaintances or indeed strangers.
In a corporate context, EQ translates into employers realising and recognising that Emotional Intelligence plays a critical role in the success of the company. Possessing the much-needed emotional intelligence by those in management enhances how best they understand and motivate their subordinates. A better understanding of subordinates translates into a better working environment that also translates into fertile ground for career growth for employees and ultimately attaining the overall success of the business.
In my first article, Inevitability of technology dependence in the Accounting industry, I emphasised that technologies are birthed nearly every day. Similarly, human beings evolve to new theories and beliefs nearly every day. This means that Managers who decide to forego the authoritarian approach are more likely to have a huge employee retention which is critical. One may ask, but must a manager be liked for him to succeed? Absolutely not! But research shows that those managers who possess emotional intelligence bring out the best of each subordinate than those that don’t. The general rationale being, human beings tend to go above and beyond for those who appreciate their effort and will put in their best effort to not disappoint such leaders, thus, pushing a business agenda forward and increasing deliverables and productivity.
Leadership styles of top CEOs have definitely evolved over the years; many of whom have decided to forego the traditional “command and control “and “boss” kind of leadership which are now not popular and are deemed old fashioned. Contemporary leaders would rather go for characteristics that help an employee feel and be more productive in the workplace.
John Boitnott a renowned journalist and digital consultant wrote – “Any human organisation is dynamic; it pulses with constructive and destructive energies throughout the day, week and month. Where traditional managers have sought to harness the energy, contemporary managers are learning that productivity often has a lot to do with self-management. The point here is that our places of work ultimately become our “homes” (for lack of a better term) as we spend more time at work on average than at our actual homes. Therefore, managing emotions becomes crucial for Managers/leaders. Consequently, modern leaders are inclined to find collaborative conducive ways in which colleagues can comfortably be productive while working in a safe, friendly environment.
Therefore, as asserted by John Boinott, the main components of emotional intelligence are:
- Self –awareness- “Our unique ability to understand our individual tendencies, perceive our emotional state and proceed to behave in a certain way”
- Social awareness- “The ability to recognise other people’s emotions and inner thoughts. This coupled with self-awareness, comes in particularly helpful with relationship management”
- Self-management – the ability to be flexible and aware of our emotional state to ensure positive and constructive
A good example of a leader possessing emotional intelligence can be drawn from the Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. He encourages his staff to contact him directly when they are facing issues of concern in the workplace and does not tolerate the lack of empathy.
Conclusion
In my opinion, Emotional Intelligence among Leaders provides assurance to an employee that their leaders are aware and Intune to diversities of their cultures, personalities in the work environment and needs.
Emotional Intelligence is undoubtedly a key driver in achieving higher standards of excellence in the corporate sector which inevitably yields better results in the overall performance of the company. It is for this reason that emotional intelligence becomes a pertinent quality to possess without which, would result in compromised standards of general operations and delivery.
The author is IT Consultant at KPMG Zambia. The views expressed in this article are my own and not necessarily those of KPMG
References:
- https://www.inc.com/john-boitnott/3-ceos-who-are-using-emotional-intelligence-to- expand-their-business.html
- Daniel Goleman- Social Intelligence
- Emotional Intelligence Mayer Salovery- Caruso (Book)