Great Leadership in life…..requires high emotional intelligence. Many reject the merits of emotional intelligence because they construe it to mean that you have to be touchy feely, and wearing your heart on your sleeve. Not so. It’s about working from a high level of emotional intelligence that facilitates shared enthusiasm, genuinely caring for others, the willingness to build relationships, and the appreciation of the strength that people bring to their work. Developing your leadership skills, requires you to understand the elements of a great leader. That the three levels of excellence must be realized. The science is the how to; the art is the refinement of our skills, and the heart is when we join our skills with strong emotional intelligence. They are powerful when we master them all.
While our technical knowledge and area of expertise will take us so far on the journey; we will not realize our best contribution until we can successfully merge our expertise with a strong emotional intelligence. These leaders excel at being visionary. When others cannot see the way forward, they can. When many believe it’s not possible, they believe. When people are weary with change fatigue, they recognize it and change the focus to something that leads to stability. When people see themselves as connected rather than separate, they automatically begin to cooperate. This is what the healing process is all about. Remember conflict is a violation of harmony. If you participate in it then you’re part of the problem, not the solution. Raise your emotional intelligence in all that you do….and all that you do will rise up.
Deepak Chopra said “Emotions are the invisible allies of successful visionaries. To carry out your vision, you need to master this next area. Traditionally, leaders have sought to exercise control, authority, and power. In the long run this strategy doesn’t succeed; when motivated by fear, people perform either reluctantly or not at all. So leaders must create real relationships. In every situation, make it a habit to ask yourself the key questions of emotional intelligence: How do I feel? How do they feel? What are the hidden stumbling blocks between us? A leader working with positive emotions, is able to unfold the potential of everyone. If you are truly the soul of the group, you lead and serve at the same time.”
By Lisa Scott Executive Life Coach