All Things Workplace: 13 Questions Every Leader Must Ask, Part 2

Number forty-six in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.

This week's special guest contributor: EQ expert, Galba Bright

Why Today’s Successful Leader Must Be Emotionally Intelligent

Executives who raised their Emotional Intelligence were roughly 25% more productive than before.--
--From “Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose,” by Sisodia, Wolfe and Sheth.

Daniel Goleman, the author of the 1995 New York Times bestseller “Emotional Intelligence, Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” defines Emotional Intelligence as:

“The capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.”

In this article, I describe 4 questions to help you think about your leadership behaviour.

Question 1: How do I behave towards the people that I lead?

The relationship between your intent and your business results is discontinuous, not linear. Your behaviour communicates your intent. The words you use, how you deliver them and your body language are the tools of your craft.

Do you review your behaviour? If 10 were the highest score, how would you rate your emotional management at work last week? What was the high point? What was the low spot?

Question 2: How does my behaviour impact the people that I lead?

Can you remember a time when you were shocked or surprised by how a team member responded to something that you said or did? What happened and why?

When was the last time you inspired your team? How did you know that you had ignited their passion?

Flickr Creative Commons Attribution: Image by Burning Image

Gain insights to improve your effectiveness as a leader. Improve your understanding of your team, their needs and dreams.

After reviewing your behaviour, your next step is evaluation.

Question 3. Do I behave flexibly?

Steve Roesler has explained why situational leadership is important when you are leading an organisation change process. The effective situational leader harnesses an appreciation of herself, the context and the people around her to get the best results.

Last year, a client told me how her manager successfully communicated an inspiring vision of a planned organisational change. He had failed to connect with his team at first, so he reviewed his approach.

This time, he added military metaphors (his passion is model fighter jets) to his earlier presentation. He delivered his address with great animation. His presentation ignited a lively discussion. The team enthusiastically committed themselves to the company’s new strategic direction.

Do you explore alternative ways of delivering your messages to your team?

Question 4. Is my behaviour appropriate?

During a meeting that I was facilitating in 2003, I insisted that the high ranking Jamaican Government officials present stood up and recited their names and departments to the rest of the participants.

The Prime Minister, who was leading the event, had set the emotional tone. My actions mirrored the sense of urgency that he wished to convey. An appreciation for the context enabled me to take action that was unusual, yet appropriate.

What factors guide your judgment of appropriate behaviour? Do you take account of your own and others’ emotions when assessing the situation?

These four questions encourage you to think about how your emotions affect your behaviour. In part 3 of this series, I’ll describe four more questions that help you to evaluate your behaviour, followed by three more that help you act on your evaluation.

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