How to be an Emotionally Intelligent Leader… When Everything is Changing
I was chatting with a brilliant executive who is struggling with her team.
Her department is going through a lot of changes, which is exhausting and frustrating for everyone.
“Vanessa, why are my team members so disengaged?” she asked me despondently.
“I wish they were more adaptable and resilient in dealing with all this change.”
This is a reaction that I hear quite often from leaders.
So, we did some digging and realized through our conversation that, as a leader, she is not setting the right tone on her team to manage all the change.
She is grumpy sometimes.
She is demanding sometimes.
She often shows her frustration to her team.
What do you think the impact of this behaviour has on her team?
While too much change can make us all grumpy and frustrated… it is how you respond to the change that matters.
This is where your emotional intelligence really matters.
In fact, there are two critical components of emotional intelligence that you need to focus on to develop a more motivated team, especially in a changing environment. They are:
- Self-Awareness: Understanding your own emotions and how they affect your behaviour, decisions and, ultimately, those around you.
- Self-Regulation: Managing these emotions productively rather than being hijacked by them, especially under pressure.
We are all human.
This means some days you will:
- Feel frustrated by stakeholders who may question everything or be demanding
- Want to respond with sarcasm in the third meeting about the same issue
- Be tempted to visibly display your exasperation when deadlines are missed
- Feel overwhelmed when everything seems to be changing at once or too quickly
The difference isn’t whether you feel these emotions as we all do. The difference is how you respond to them.
What can you do to be more self-aware?
Can you notice how your emotions impact you and the people around you?
What can you do to self-regulate when you are stressed?
Can you manage your emotions by thinking before you speak or taking a few deep breaths before you respond?
Take one small step this week to build your emotional intelligence!
What action will you take?
Is your Emotional Intelligence driving your success as a leader or holding you back?
Are you leading with emotional intelligence?
Take this quick self-assessment to find out!
Discover your strengths, uncover areas for growth and get practical strategies to elevate your leadership impact.
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