The skills needed to create a productive work environment where people will take responsibility for results and willingly do their best, have little to do with academic qualifications or industry experience. They have more to do with self-management and interpersonal skills.
A person who lacks self-awareness and self-management will tend to demonstrate:
- An inability to cope with stress
- Moodiness
- A tendency to react to feedback defensively
- A short fuse
- Casting blame on others for their reactions
Since self-awareness and self-management are a prerequisite to effectively dealing with people, this type of behavior may result in:
- Failure to listen to ideas put forward by others
- Being overly critical and insensitive
- Tendency to be aloof or arrogant
- Being manipulative rather than persuasive and influential
It is not hard to see that the result of a person who is deficient in emotional intelligence would be to undermine any attempt by the organization to get employees to be willing to give of their best, taking more responsibility for the results they achieve.
Tips for Leading with Emotional Intelligence:
- Deal with stressful situations in a calm and confident manner
- Accept feedback, admit mistakes and be optimistic about solving problems
- Build trust and be trustworthy
- Be sensitive to the needs and feelings of other people
- Be comfortable letting others take responsibility
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Jeff Ruby
Founder of RedRock Leadership