Emotional Intelligence: What Is Your Emotional IQ? Author - Brenda Richardson

Leadership Handbook
Leadership Training Team of Indiana

Contents

Emotional Intelligence: What is Your Emotional IQ? Author - Brenda Richardson

Personality Traits and Leadership Styles of Great Leaders Author - Robert Reiter

Leading High-Performance Teams Author – Christina Pitcock

Interpersonal Skills for Leaders Author – Robert Reiter

Leading Through Effective Communication Author – Robert Poole

TIme Management Author - Richard Riggle

Leaders as Motivators Author – Xochitl Rodarte

Leading and Managing Conflict Resolution Author – Robert Poole

Moral Leadership and Ethics Author – Richard Riggle

Leading Intergenerational Groups Author - Brenda Richardson

Leadership Vs. Management Author – Christina Pitcock

Leading Culturally Diverse Teams Author – Xochitl Rodarte

Emotional intelligence: what is your emotional iq? author - Brenda richardson

Examine the following pictures. How does each one make you feel?

Emotions are powerful!

They affect how we perceive, interpret and respond to situations and can have profound physical ramifications. They define our needs, establish boundaries and motivate us to act. Emotions influence every aspect of human experience. Their magnitude should NEVER be underestimated or discredited.

Most would agree that successful leaders are intellectually intelligent; BUT, what about emotional IQ?

What is it
Why is it important?
How is it developed?

What is Emotional Intelligence?

"Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict" (Segal & Smith, 2013, para. 2).

EQ consists of four distinct attributes:

Self-awareness: identifying your own emotions, recognizing how they affect your thoughts and behavior.
Self-management: the ability you have to manage emotions and adapt to change.
Social awareness: empathy for people.
Relationship management: communicating, inspiring and influencing others.

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?

90% of top performers have high Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
EQ is responsible for 58% of your job performance
People with high EQ make $29,000 more annually than their lower EQ counterparts

(Schmidt, M, 2012)

Employee perceptions of and attitudes toward the organization, known as organizational climate, are directly impacted by the behaviors of their managers. Some of these behaviors include: resolving conflict, building trust, inspiring team members and establishing leadership credibility. It is compelling to note that each action listed is influenced by emotions. Developing a high emotional intelligence allows leaders to be more effective in all of these arenas subsequently enhancing the organizational climate. Additionally, when organization climate is strengthened, employees enjoy greater job satisfaction increasing productivity and organizational success!

How to Develop Emotional Intelligence

Becoming a leader with high emotional intelligence involves continual analysis of self, your emotions, the behaviors they elicit and the impact both have on co-workers and subordinates.

There is much research and practical advice available including: books, web-based study courses and seminars, recommended for enhancing and honing this process; however, here are some fundamental strategies to get started:

Care About People

Lead with a balance of heart and head. Employees want to feel appreciated and valued. Say "thank you", be genuine, be human. Remember, timing is everything. Dealing with difficult situations is uncomfortable for everyone. Tact and sincerity go along way.

Embrace Differences, They are a Mosaic of Opportunity

The workplace is a diverse climate. Employees want to be respected for their unique skills and abilities. Remain sensitive to these differences when determining work assignments and group projects. Seek common ground within variations among individuals. Embrace diversity and the distinct talents each employee brings to the organization. Allow contrasting ideas to expand your perspectives. Innovation stems from being open to alternative points of view. Be receptive to these opportunities.

Help Employees Experience Significance

Assist employees in understanding how success at work can benefit their life, not just company profitability. People want to make a difference. Encourage them to be significant professionally and personally.

Be Accountable

Play by the rules. Being in charge does not grant permission to operate "above the law". Be willing to openly acknowledge mistakes and weaknesses. Being real and genuine builds trust.

Be Mindful of Employee Needs

Everyone can improve. Provide continuous feedback. Look for opportunities to encourage and assist employees in reaching their full potential. Be sensitive to their needs.

(Llopis, 2012)

Evaluate Your Leadership EQ?

The Scale: 5(always), 4(often), 3(sometimes), 2 (rarely), 1(never)

always / never
I convey excitement and enthusiasm that motivates employees.
I am open, honest, and candid when dealing with others.
I understand and accept responsibility to teach, coach, and counsel.
I foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals.
I am open about values, intentions and actions.
I feel pressured by too many demands from clients/customers/boss.
I involve others in decisions that affect them.
I develop people by focusing on their strengths.
I engender trust by acting with integrity.
I enlist others in a common vision, and am an agent of change.
I provide people meaningful work.
I create a collaborative and team-based culture.
I show employees they are appreciated on a regular basis.
I create an environment for learning including training.
I help followers understand their role in achieving business objectives.
I communicate optimism about the future.
I demonstrate flexibility regarding work-life balance.
I hire people where there is a good cultural fit.
I face moral and ethical dilemmas, and create a culture of values.
In difficult times, I replace uncertainty and fear with purpose and courage.
I hire people where there is a good cultural fit.
I face moral and ethical dilemmas, and create a culture of values.
Total Score ______
Scoring
89-100 / LEADERSHIP MASTER
You are doing a great job as a leader. Congratulations!
60-88 / LEARNING
You have a number of leadership strengths. However, there is still room for improvement.
0-59 / RED ALERT!
You demonstrate some leadership strengths, but there is room for development. You need to change certain behaviors and learn new skills.

(Working Resources, n.d.)

References:

Llopis, G. (2012, September 24). 5 Ways to lead with emotional intelligence--and boost productivity. Forbes, 1-3. Retrieved from

Segal, J., & Smith, M. (2013, March). Emotional intelligence (EQ) five key skills for raising emotional intelligence. HELPGUIDE.org. Retrieved from

Schmidt, M. (2012). Emotional Intelligence (EQ) stats. Retrieved from

Working Resources. (n.d.).

Personality Traits and leadership styles of great leaders author - Robert Reiter

Leadership is defined as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task (Leadership, n.d). Leadership is also organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal and somebody whom people follow: somebody who guides or directs others. There are many traits leaders possess, however top leaders possess certain characteristics that separate them from the rest of the pack.

1) Self-confident: One of the main traits great leaders display is a supreme belief in themselves. Great leaders know their limitations, strengths and play into them. Positive self-esteem-your opinion of yourself, has even been linked to better health. People with healthy self-esteem like themselves and value their achievements. While everyone lacks confidence occasionally, people with low self-esteem feel unhappy or unsatisfied with themselves most of the time (n.d.).

2.) Humility: Leaders who are humble, possess the capability to acknowledge error as well as share credit with other members of the team. Humble leaders understand what it takes to be at the top, and know that they must not cut corners, in order to achieve greatness. Humble leaders are respectful of their competitors as well as their employees, and understand that their position is not guaranteed.

3.) Trustworthy: Trust is defined “as a person’s confidence in another individual’s intentions and motives and in the sincerity of that individual’s word” (Dubrin, 2010, p. 36). People who are trustworthy are more liked than those who are considered honest, as well as more respected. As a leader, if you do not have credibility, people will be less motivated to work for you, and be less hones themselves.

4.) Extrovert: An outgoing, and people person is considered a trait of an excellent leader. The capability to relate and connect with others, no matter their socio-economic, race, creed, etc. is what separates good for great leaders. No matter your level of intelligence, if you do not know how to relate to people on their level, no one will be motivated to work with you.

5). Assertive: This trait is the capability to be candid and straightforward with expressing your views as well as taking sides in a disagreement. It is much different than being aggressive because being aggressive crosses the proverbial line into aggressive and arrogant behavior.

The great leaders know when and where to get tough. Being assertive is one of the top qualities of leadership. Leaders must stand up for their goals and beliefs.

Leadership styles of great leaders are:

1.) Charisma: A charismatic leadership style uses charm to get admiration of their followers, they show concern for the people's needs, and they create a comfortable and friendly atmosphere for their followers while listening to them (Dems).

2.) Participative: A Participative leadership style will act more like facilitators rather than dictators, they will facilitate the ideas and the sharing of information with the end goal of arriving at a decision. They also will consider and factor opinions of the collective mind group.

3.) A situation Leader will always consider threefactors when making a decision: the situation, the capability of the followers, and the capability of the leader. He or she will adjust to whatever limitation is laid out in front by his subordinates and the situation, and they will act in a way based on the different situations they are faced with (Dems).

4.) Transformational Leader will motivate their followers, appeal to the followers ideal and morals, and also empower the followers using their own beliefs and personal strengths.

5.) A Servant leader will take care of their followers before they take care of their own. They will act as a servant to followers, instead of acting like a king.

References:

Dems, K. (n.d.). Retrieved from

Dubrin, A. (2010).Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. (6th ed., p. 36). Retrieved from:

(n.d.). Retrieved from

Wikipedia. (2011, March 26). Retrieved from

Leading HIgh-Performance Teams Author – Christina Pitcock

In business teamwork is still a fairly new concept to many, and theories are constantly evolving as to how teams are best formed and how they are led. It is however very important for any size company to build high-performance teams, it may be even more important for small to mid-size companies as they must work harder to accomplish tasks quickly and remain competitive in their market. Harvard Business School Press defines a team as “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable”.It is important to know that a so-called willingness to participate in a group doesn’t make a group of people a team. Those people need guidance and support to be successful so the first step to creating a team is to appoint a competent leader who can facilitate the organization of a complementary team.

In order to create a company the supports a team oriented environment that promotes team success the leaders must first change the decision making process to define and streamline the protocol and re-educate the employees on accountability within the corporation. The typical business model for decision making is what is called the “hub and spoke”model where all of the decisions come from the central hub of power. In order to improve the performance of the decision making process and operate on a higher level of productivity we must move to a horizontal model of decision making. Burzik of Applied Biosystems said the old model is “not built for high performance and speed”. Therefore a change is required and in order to accomplish it clarity and consensus of the strategy must be attained and the strategy must remain consistent with the specific goals of the company. Both people’s mindset and the operational protocol on decision making must change to accomplish the transition to the new model.

In order to change the mindsets of the people in an organization to adopt this new structure the accountability within the organization must be redefined. The first step to doing that is getting everyone to put the needs of the whole before the needs of the individual. Epstein of Novartis Oncology said “what’s key is creating teams in which everyone puts the good of the team before functional self-interest.” By doing this the driving force for the team becomes the results instead of individual gains. To redefine accountability Guttman says, it is best to think of it as a ladder where each rung represents accountability and the results in performance of the team. The higher on the ladder you climb the higher the performance of the team will be, because there will be more accountability within the organization. This starts with the willingness of the leaders to be held accountable by their subordinates.

Changing protocol is the next step, this can be quite challenging especially in large organizations with multiple centers of power. In this situation decision making is a slow process because so many people must weigh in before a decision can be made. There must be strict protocols put in place to streamline this process when possible. It is necessary to involve the whole leadership team on strategic decisions but some decisions can be easily decided by subgroups that are closer to the situation and knowledgeable enough to participate in the decision making process. In order to make timely decisions a team can be put together from a “vertical slice” of the company that includes employees from multiple levels of authority who are knowledgeable on the topic.
In general, decisions are made in one of three ways; unilaterally, consultatively or consensually. A unilateral decision is where one person makes the decision without input from others. A Consultative decision comes from one person of authority who has received input from a few valuable resources. Lastly a consensual decision is when many people provide input and agree unanimously to a decision. No one process is best and they should be used appropriately based on the situation. It is very important to clearly define which model is being used for each specific task in advance of the process starting to avoid any confusion or conflict.

Transitioning to a more horizontal flow of operational organization not only allows the company to move more quickly and operate at its highest level of performance, it also allows the company’s leaders to prioritize their resources and personal efforts to best position the company for success.

Once the groundwork is laid and the operational flow and protocols are in place the company will be an environment that supports and values teams, which will give people the desire to work as a team and be successful. The leaders must then build complementary teams based on certain criteria that will allow them to work together successfully.

“Coming together is a beginning: keeping together is progress: working together is success.” - Henry Ford

An effective team is built on 3 core competencies; 1) they have defined roles, responsibilities and goals, 2) they have adequate resources and knowledge to accomplish the goals, and 3) they have effective interaction and collaboration to make the decisions necessary to succeed.

Defined roles, responsibilities and goals: Each member of a team must understand what their role is within the group, what the required responsibilities of that role is and how their contribution will directly affect the success of the team reaching their specific goals.

The team must have the resources and knowledge needed to succeed and it is the responsibility of the team leader to ensure these needs are met and support the team in any way possible. Without the proper resources it doesn’t matter how great your team is they will not succeed.

The team must have the ability and the opportunity to interact and collaborate in order to make the necessary decisions to accomplish the task. When people are allowed to directly participate in solving problems they become more proactive and engaged in the team and the ownership of its results.

In conclusion high effective teams will consist of people who complement each other and are capable of working together with the support and guidance of the team leader. They will understand the big picture and put the needs of the team before their own self interests. Their roles and responsibilities will be clearly defined and they will understand how their efforts affect the team and its results. They will have participated in defining the specific goals of the team and know how their contribution helps attain that goal and they will have a measurable way to analyze their performance and progress. Lastly, the leader of the team will foster the mindset of collaboration and interdependency to promote teamwork and diffuse issues of blame arising. To offer opportunities for growth the team must provide timely feedback from the leader and its members to maintain performance and effectiveness. Once these things are achieved the organization will attain high levels of productivity and successful team interaction which will allow for quicker decision making and strategic planning to keep the company competitive.