EQFIT - Equipping People to Prosper

Leadership focus must be on the essentials of effective leadership. This starts with understanding the essence of leadership...what is at the very heart of leadership impact. This series on "Leadership Focus" will bring to light foundational skills and competencies of effective leadership. Leaders worth following have developed these skills and competencies, and practice them on a daily basis.

Leading with emotional intelligence culminates with social skills. The ability to bring people together around a shared purpose with shared goals, then influence them to achieve those goals relies on the social skills of the leader. Connecting, building trust, collaboration, communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork are all part of the social dynamics that leaders must be able to navigate effectively to be successful.

Leading with Emotional Intelligence has a superpower! Empathy. Empathy may be one of the most misunderstood skills a leader needs to be successful. It's not just about understanding the feelings of others. It is an entire practice that provides the leader with insight far greater than that of average leaders. Leading by listening is a key component of practicing empathy. But there is more...what do you do as a leader with what you hear? Do you understand the other person's feelings, perspective, and how the situation is impacting them. Leading with empathy requires a strong commitment, a consistent practice, and a desire to be a leader worth following.

Leading with Emotional Intelligence means understanding Motivation. Motivation that you can count on comes from Intrinsic Motivators, not Extrinsic Motivators. What are those? Beliefs, values, and standards. The inner most drivers in all of us. Leading with emotional intelligence is about leveraging these in yourself as a leader and then drawing that out of your team members. Emotional intelligence skills and competencies are the most impactful when it comes to motivation. At the heart of motivation is the emotional drivers that people generate within themselves. Leaders who can create a safe and engaging workplace have the advantage when building motivation throughout their team.

Leading with emotional intelligence starts with self-awareness, and then moves to self-regulation. The ability to regulate your own emotions and reactions has a direct impact on your leadership impact. The better your ability to practice self-regulation, the more effecting you will be at leading with emotional intelligence. Be the leader that others want to follow. Be a leader worth following.

Leading with emotional intelligence starts with self-awareness. Self-awareness is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence and includes the ability to define and understand the emotions you have and the impact they have on you. It also includes the ability to understand how you are "showing up" for other people and how their emotions impact you. Leaders with high emotional intelligence can navigate emotions more effectively, they are more agile and resilient, and they communicate and resolve conflicts successfully. Self-awareness is the foundation that all other emotional intelligence competencies and skills are built on.

Leading with emotional intelligence is the most effective way to connect, build trust, and enhance influence. When people know their feelings and perspectives are taken into account, they are more engaged and aligned with leadership. Yes, it has to be genuine, but the ROI for leading with emotional intelligence is far greater than the effort needed to do it. For leaders, there is a personal benefit. Emotional intelligence skill development results in greater agility, resilience, and adaptive and innovative thinking. Decisions become more impactful and outcomes improve across the board.

Leaders who understand capacity as a skill, can grow capacity in themselves and in others. Capacity enhanced opens the door to greater competency. The cycle is simple: prepare then grow, prepare then grow. The preparation happens when leaders leverage capacity as a skill and practice it. This is a form of continuous improvement.

Chemistry in leadership is about finding the right mix of critical elements to ensure a workplace that is engaging, productive, and satisfying. Leaders who understand that employees want leadership that creates contagious engagement will far outpace other leaders and their teams in critical success factors that drive long-term success. This episode focuses on the way to create the right chemistry in a team through leadership skills that shine.

To lead with honor, Character has to be paramount. At the heart of leadership are character traits that engage people and empower them. The leader who can lead with honor knows that a growth mindset must be combined with self-regulation to become a person of character that people are willing and even eager to follow.