Social and emotional intelligence are qualities that are valued in a leader equally to experience and professional skills. Together, these types of intelligence enable the leader to motivate and coordinate teamwork and gain high performance from team members. Moreover, people can develop these qualities to become successful managers. Hence, this paper will examine the characteristics of social and emotional intelligence to determine the impact on leadership skills.
Social and emotional intelligence are similar concepts; however, they differ. Emotional intelligence refers to one’s ability to recognize and manage their emotions and the feelings of others (“Social Intelligence,” 2017). At the same time, social intelligence is manifested in the skill to communicate with a wide range of people in a tactful and supportive manner, play different social roles and make a good impression (“Social Intelligence,” 2017). High levels of social and emotional intelligence benefit the leader as they influence employees, find a personalized approach to motivating them, and build a team and its members’ loyalty (Isaah, 2018). For example, a socially and emotionally intelligent leader can identify each employee’s strengths and weaknesses and use them to work as a team effectively. Understanding employees’ motives and feelings also play a significant role in this process because it helps a manager build trust and a safe work environment.
Another example is the social communication skills with top managers, which allow the leader to act as a mediator between the team and managers. This approach helps both parties understand each other’s needs and satisfy them. This skill is essential in the case of the company’s financial difficulties since the connection creates understanding among employees in the event of a decrease in wages but not aggression. Another example of the practice is conflict resolution because understanding and managing the parties’ emotions help resolve the dispute and reconcile participants. In addition, recognition of employees’ emotions allows the manager to solve hidden problems. For example, an employee’s reduced performance may be associated with personal issues, and, in this case, support and a day off for the employee will have a more favorable result than punishment. Thus, a socially and emotionally intelligent leader influences teamwork because of his or her strong ability to deal with stress and understand people’s needs.
Moreover, social and emotional intelligence is a quality that people can develop throughout their lives. Since emotional intelligence includes the ability to recognize and control my emotions and understand and influence others’ feelings, this skill can be trained (Isaah, 2018). For example, keeping a diary and analyzing a situation, especially a conflict one, and studying the personal characteristics of other people will help develop emotional intelligence. Social intelligence can be acquired through the study of literature on communication, participation in social events, and networking. At the same time, coaching can be an effective method of training other people’s intelligence (Dippenaar & Schaap, 2017). In addition, the assistance of professionals such as a psychologist and a public speaking teacher can also be appropriate to develop skills.
In conclusion, social and emotional intelligence are essential aspects of the development of leadership skills. The ability to understand and influence employees with words is key to personnel management since everyone has different needs and motivations to work. In addition, although social and emotional intelligence often depends on a person’s traits, these skills can be developed through training and constant quality communication with various people.
References
Dippenaar, M., & Schaap, P.. (2017). The impact of coaching on the emotional and social intelligence competencies of leaders. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 20(1), 1-16. Web.
Issah, M. (2018). Change leadership: The role of emotional intelligence. SAGE Open,1-6. Web.
Social intelligence vs. emotional intelligence and how making the distinction can help you lead. (2017). Web.