What Is the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership?
Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a key role in effective leadership. In fact, 71% of employers say they value EI more than technical skills when hiring. This soft skill helps leaders understand others—an essential part of building trust, resolving conflict, and inspiring teams.
This article is part of our emotional intelligence hub. We will explore why it matters in leadership, its key benefits, and practical tips to help you become a more emotionally intelligent leader.
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence means knowing how you feel and why you feel that way. It also means noticing the feelings of others and understanding what might be causing them. People with emotional intelligence can control their reactions and respond in a way that helps the situation. It is a skill that improves how you work with and lead other people.
The importance of emotional intelligence in leaders
Those with emotional intelligence are more likely to make effective leaders because they:
- Show empathy
- Resolve conflicts calmly and fairly
- Stay composed under pressure
- Manage their own emotions
- Inspire and positively influence others
So, how can you tell if you might need to improve?
Do I have low emotional intelligence as a manager?
If you often come across misunderstandings and conflicts, you might struggle with emotional intelligence. Other signs that may indicate low emotional intelligence include:
- Dismissing others’ concerns
- Lack of active listening skills
- Blaming others for projects that went wrong
- Losing control of your emotions
- Struggling to have natural conversations
Wondering if you might have low emotional intelligence? Assessing your EI can reveal blind spots in your self-awareness and highlight areas for improvement.
How can I lead with emotional intelligence?
As a leader, there are several ways in which you can develop emotional intelligence. They include:
Developing self-awareness
Emotional intelligence helps people connect with you and treat you with respect. To grow it, start by understanding your strengths and weaknesses. Treat others the way you want to be treated, and listen carefully before you respond. Great leaders use these skills to inspire others to improve.
Prioritise well-being
If you are not taking care of yourself, it is hard to support your team. Make sure to:
- Get enough sleep
- Stay active with regular exercise
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Consider situations from an outsider’s perspective
Looking at situations from another person’s perspective can reveal surprising insights about yourself. Getting an outsider’s perspective will help you shed light on why others react to something in a certain way.
Pause
You do not have to react to everything straight away. Instead, pause to think and formulate your thoughts. This will stop you from saying something you might otherwise regret.
Manage stress
If you are feeling stressed, your team likely feels it too. While stress can be challenging, learning to manage it calmly can help your team stay focused and follow your example.
Make others smile
Build positive relationships by showing genuine interest in your coworkers. When employees feel valued and connected, their performance improves.
Not sure where to begin? Read our article on emotional intelligence strategies to improve your communication skills and empathy.
Build your emotional intelligence skills with ISM
EI is one of the most important skills, but many companies do not offer sufficient training. Managers benefit greatly, as a study of 54 managers showed significant improvements in EI skills after training.
At ISM Dubai, we offer emotional intelligence training that empowers you to lead with empathy and self-awareness. Our emotional intelligence training programmes are designed to help leaders:
- Strengthen self-awareness and regulate emotions
- Communicate clearly and build strong relationships
- Resolve conflict and foster collaboration
With deep experience across Dubai’s diverse workforce, we help teams develop practical EQ skills that drive real results. Contact us today to discover how our tailored training programmes can improve team performance, collaboration, and long-term success.
FAQs
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise and manage your own emotions. It also means effectively responding to the emotions of others.
Leaders with high emotional intelligence show empathy and understand themselves well. They can inspire, adapt, and manage relationships even in stressful situations.
Emotional intelligence helps leaders become better by allowing them to:
- Understand and control their own emotions
- Show empathy toward others
- Communicate clearly
- Handle social situations with care
This builds trust, keeps employees engaged, and helps teams perform at a high level.
The best leadership style for emotional intelligence is transformational leadership. It focuses on empathy, inspiration, strong relationships, and helping others grow.
The easiest emotional intelligence skill for leaders to learn is self-awareness. It starts with simple habits like thinking about your feelings, writing them down, and asking others for feedback.
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