Although organisations have recognised the importance of Emotional Intelligence (EI) for some time, the impact of EI interventions remain hit or miss. Natalie Carolan explores the key factors for success in developing EI.

Organisational discourse around leaders has changed dramatically over the past five years. What organisations espoused made a good leader then is very different to what they say now. Of course, competencies such as strategic vision and decision-making are still recognised as important, but what organisations are looking for are these skills being applied with emotional intelligence (EI). For example, how a leader engages others with a vision and communicates it in a way that is meaningful to people; and whether a leader understands the implications of their decisions and is willing to take accountability and be honest if things go wrong.

Familiar or not with the academic literature, organisations are increasingly recognising the need for emotionally intelligent leaders. Daniel Goleman’s (2000) latest research breaks EI into four interdependent domains – self-awareness, social-awareness, self-management and relationship management. Although fine in theory, the difficulty is in knowing how much of it you’ve got, how much of it you need and how to develop it if you need to.

So, why has there been a move towards EI in recent years? Clearly, the mass of academic research in this field has been influential; however, there are some clear social psychological reasons that have contributed to the need for more EI leaders.  These include:

• A growing awareness and understanding of occupational stress, coupled with an increase in litigation has placed pressure on organisations to be more sensitive to the ‘well-being’ of their employees. Media access to any such cases has raised the stakes and forced organisations to deal with the emotional world of their employees.  
• Constant change, uncertainty and low stability mean that decisions and responses must be taken quickly. In such dynamic environments the impact on people is profound. This has necessitated a shift from the transactional psychological contract based on exchange and reward, to a more relational contract where leaders must gauge and tap into motivations to get followers to look at the world differently and accept new ways of doing things.  

EI & Leadership Table

Power relations have changed dramatically with both the shift from hierarchical to egalitarian structures and the accessibility of information in many organisations. Those leaders who have failed to change their style to fit with more open systems and the way they interact with followers are increasingly finding (to their cost) that without EI, their time at the top is limited. 

Amongst others, these factors highlight a series of more sophisticated demands being placed on leaders and the need to focus more on the relationship between leader and follower. In many organisations EI is fundamental to realising this and a failure to use it will have an impact on the bottom line.

The evidence of this shift in thinking is readily apparent from a look at almost any organisation’s list of core competencies required for success in key leadership positions. Competencies such as ‘deliver transformational change’, ‘influencing’, ‘negotiating’, ‘manage ambiguity’, ‘tenacity’ and ‘resilience’ are all underpinned by EI.

ER Consultants are currently working with two large public sector organisations that are becoming increasingly aware of the need for EI amongst their leaders. In one organisation are highly skilled IT experts with a great deal of technical expertise; in another are highly knowledgeable academics at the forefront of their select field. Both organisations recognise that this alone is no longer enough and that as leaders, they need to engage people both internally and externally to gain their commitment in order to drive their initiatives forward and meet strategic objectives. 

EI leaders are expected and demanded at all levels of the organisation. In our experience, leaders who do not demonstrate EI in navigating their followers through the shifting sands of the 21st century organisation will very quickly lose their support and respect.

It’s no surprise then that interventions to develop the emotional intelligence of leaders are on the increase. What is surprising is the amount of interventions that fail because they neglect to consider some of the fundamental complexities of developing EI.

Although any intervention must be considered within the context of the business, there are a number of variables that contribute to the success of developing EI. Such interventions must be fully endorsed by the leader who must be open to learning and prepared for intense practice and feedback, individualistic in application and have the full support of the business, the followers and a mentor. As psychologists, we are able to develop EI by helping individuals to understand the relationship between their thinking, emotions and resultant behaviours in order that they become more effective leaders. The following three factors are intrinsic to the ER Consultants approach:

1. Genuine recognition for benefits of EI in leadership

As with many development initiatives, simply being ‘told’ one has to develop and sent on a course is not going to develop EI. The effort and time that needs to be invested by the leader (and to an extent the followers), requires a real motivation and desire to move towards a more EI leadership approach. There needs to be recognition at an individual level that it will make a genuine difference to one's leadership practice and ultimately benefit the business. Self-awareness plays a central role in EI; therefore, it’s ironic that those who need development most are the ones least inclined to recognise it! Goleman’s research supports this; he found that top performing leaders overestimate their strengths on, at most, one of the four elements of EI, whereas poor performing leaders overrate themselves on as many as four. 

If the leader has not already realised the need for it, then this may come from an external source, such as feedback from a performance review and the realisation that there is limited opportunity for progression within the business. Either way, leaders must be both motivated and committed to their own development for it to work. 

2. Developing EI requires motivation, time and energy

People easily grasp EI at an intellectual level. They understand what it is and can recognise the benefits, but this is different from actually doing it. The part of the brain implicated in EI is the limbic system and the most primal part, the amygdalia, which initiates the flight/fight response in situations of potential danger. Essentially, developing EI is about reprogramming the neural circuitry in this part of the brain. This means that traditional training programmes, which target the conceptual and logical part of the brain, won’t work.

Developing EI requires motivation, time and energy in the form of extensive practice and feedback. Such programmes must help people understand their personal emotional triggers and behaviours, which requires a very individualistic approach. Once people understand which emotions perpetuate which behaviours, they can then begin the process of unlearning old behaviours and establishing new ones. Support and feedback will flag bad habits and reinforce new behaviours. When leaders see and feel the benefits of the changes, their motivation to persist in their development is likely to increase. Thus, the relationship between motivation and development activity is iterative, with the two bolstering each other. Development involves living with a level of discomfort, therefore the leader’s mindset must be open and receptive as well as 100% committed and responsible for their learning.

3. Sustaining development

If leaders are just ‘acting out’ in order to gain promotion then the danger is these new behaviours will stop once promotion is achieved. In order to sustain development and newly learnt behaviours there must be a genuine shift in mindset.  This comes from both a belief in a different approach and the visible benefits of the new behaviours. Sustaining EI requires practice, persistence, feedback and support.  The neural pathways of the limbic system will only make new connections with constant practice. It is this that will move the leader from a state of conscious incompetence to unconscious competence where the new behaviours become automatic. Leaders must persist in their newly learnt behaviours, which means not giving up if they don’t work on occasions and reverting to old habits. Again, the continued support of a mentor/coach and followers is key to maintaining development.

Ultimately, leaders might be able to manage without EI, but it may limit the distance they can go or the time they spend at the top. Evidence shows organisations are not only increasingly recognising the need for EI, but are also moving towards a more EI approach to leadership to ensure future success. Developing EI is not about becoming a profoundly different person but does require the motivation and mindset to learn. With the proper support and guidance, development could and should be a stimulating and rewarding journey for all involved.

For more information contact:  Topics@erconsultants.co.uk