Emotional Intelligence: The Cornerstone of Effective Leadership

In today’s dynamic and fast-paced business environment, emotional intelligence (EQ) has emerged as a cornerstone for effective leadership. The challenges leaders face—from evolving workplace dynamics and technological advancements to the increased demands on work-life balance—underscore the critical need for all good leaders to possess and cultivate EQ.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is your aptitude to recognize and hone your own self-awareness and to also effectively engage with others and influence them to success. And it’s a skill that I’ve continuously kept top of mind throughout my years as a leader. 

Part of being a great leader is the capacity to build effective and meaningful relationships. Many senior and executive level women may find themselves at a standstill in their roles because of their lack of development in emotional intelligence, and I say this without criticism.

This is, oftentimes, because women have their heads down pounding away to reach extraordinary levels of success that we’re not paying enough attention to managing up as well as down. But enhancing your leadership skills and paying attention to being emotionally intelligent can certainly be the difference between your successes and your failures as a leader. Emotions predict your actions, shape our social interactions, and determine how clearly we’re able to communicate with others.

The Consequences of Lacking Emotional Intelligence

You know the saying, “People don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers”? Well, this is, essentially, a lack of emotional intelligence summed up in a nutshell. Quality leaders illustrate an ability to manage the moods and emotions of their organizations; they’re aware of how their leadership style impacts those around them and what types of waves it creates beyond their immediate team.

They also exhibit a degree of empathy, relating to others on an emotional level in an authentic way. Not to mention, it is one of the keys to success we endlessly reference at Women in the Boardroom. If you want to reach your corporate board goals, you’ll have to develop a quality strategy to network, and networking requires building real relationships and true connections.

Because emotional intelligence is an integral part of being a successful leader, it’s important that all leaders dedicate some effort to building their capacity in understanding and using EQ in their work lives. According Rutgers psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of HBR’s “What Makes A Leader”,

“The most effective leaders are all alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions. My research, along with other recent studies, clearly shows that emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership. Without it, a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive, analytical mind, and an endless supply of smart ideas, but he still won’t make a great leader.”

How Emotional Intelligence Plays Into Board Service

Having a high EQ, in the boardroom, is now more critical than ever. So, In your journey to board service, think about how you and those around you have and have not used EQ and how it has supported, impacted, or deterred you on your career path. Bring those examples into your networking discussions, consider how you assessed situations, made decisions, solved problems, and had impact. During your boardroom journey, having a high EQ can look like practicing active listening. Whether you’re networking or interviewing for a board seat, don’t dominate the conversation. 

During a board interview you can demonstrate that you have high EQ by researching the company, asking meaningful questions, and being open to other’s perspectives.

For those eager to delve deeper into the role of emotional intelligence in leadership and board service, I invite you to reach out to me directly.

Sheila Ronning, CEO & Founder, Women in the Boardroom

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