As nonprofits become more complex, grow in size, expand nationally and globally, and interact with different communities and cultures, leaders need to draw from beyond their grasp of technical skills on how to solve a problem. In the article summation below, Anna Saporio writes in Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal (October 2009), that without emotional intelligence "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."
The five aspects of emotional intelligence are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, sympathy, and social skills.
Self-Awareness is the capacity to identify one’s own strengths and weakness, and to behave at the workplace in ways that capitalize on the former and minimize the latter. All too often in organization’s we acknowledge individual strengths and say “great, but now let us focus on your weaknesses” to the detriment of the individual and organization. As individuals, we have allowed others to make their “imprint” upon our self-awareness rather than being responsible for self-evaluation and self-honesty leading one to being comfortable with who we are and what we bring to the table which ultimately morphs into being okay with oneself. Candor about areas of weakness, comfort with oneself and a strong and positive sense of self-worth characterize people who are self-aware.
Self-Regulation is related to self-awareness, but describes more specifically the ability to control emotions, whether negative or positive, in order to maintain a demeanor best suited for professional practice and activity. People who are self-regulated have an ability to create an organizational culture of trust, fair, open, transparent and authentic. Conflict is reduced, bad moods less frequent and a propensity for reflection and thoughtfulness wins out.
Motivation represents the will to achieve – eagerness, drive, ambition – regardless of obstacles. These leaders are forever raising the performance bar and competiveness with self and others. If unchecked can be harmful to the organization but when balanced with the other four aspects becomes a characteristic that propels the leader forward and thus the organization. These leaders see opportunities to exploit where other do not.
Empathy describes the leader’s intuitive understanding of staff’s non-technical needs and the ability to communicate that understanding effectively. Here the organizational leader is not adopting the staff emotions as his/hers or is trying to please everybody but exhibits a heart of respect and ability to hear what the staff is saying. Creating a culture of effectively affirming one another, offering an atmosphere of honesty and a willingness to listen to all can go a long way in developing strong teams that get things done.
Social Skill is the ability to leverage relationships toward the ideas and ideals a leader wants to promote, through likability, trust and respect. This ability is all about relationships. Having an organizational leader strapped to a desk is the worst thing any organization can do. If you really want to create a winning organization that will continue to be valuable, vital and viable in the years to come, make sure you give your leader the flexibility to be “out and about” building and finessing relationships.
Do you have the right leader for your organization? Have you released your leader to live fully into these five aspects of emotional intelligence? Are these areas which are valued in your organization or are part of your leaderships' evaluations? What next steps do you need to take to maximize your leadership?
