What makes a great leader? Understanding your Emotional Intelligence & Managing your inner chimp

Great leaders exhibit a high degree of emotional intelligence. The ability to effectively channel emotions and respond to difficult situations tactfully defines one of the important styles of leadership. That being said, high levels of EI can have a positive impact on any role.  

Emotional Intelligence & Leadership

For leaders in this day and age, it is not only important to be able to manage their own emotions, but also those of their team. The skill lies in being able to understand how they are feeling in a situation and knowing how to react in a way that means their emotions don’t have a negative impact. 

Mastering the art of Emotional Intelligence at work

A leader that has a high level of emotional intelligence understands 5 key elements that help them tackle their emotions in a better way. 

Managing your inner chimp: A guide for Managers

While making critical decisions as a team leader, sometimes your inner chimp takes control of your thinking which can lead to making irrational decisions and bringing out your emotional side. While we think that it's the human part of our brain that guides us, the reality is that our chimps display themselves and coax us into making decisions we might regret later. In such scenarios, it is best to not react than to overreact and wait for the chimp to quieten down and the human brain to take charge. 

One of the biggest barriers to the success of a team and their performance is having a leader who allows their inner chimp to take over - all leaders need to have an understanding of their emotions and strategies to positively control them.