This time we decided to devote some time to team leaders. The difference between a team manager and a team leader is not that obvious but it affects the whole team significantly. An experienced manager and a great leader are not the same. Have you noticed that?
Let’s dive into this deeper because we think it’s important. Do you?
Every team is a living organism where each part affects others. Good leaders do not just assign tasks and set deadlines. They lead by example.
Team leaders have a major impact on psychological microclimate, anxiety levels, and the overall performance of the team. It means leaders can influence their team members positively or negatively though they are not always aware of their capacity. That is why the emotional intelligence of a leader is very important for emotional well-being at work.
In short, emotional intelligence means an ability to understand and control your emotions and being able to understand what others around you might feel. Anxiety at work can be caused by many issues, some of them are not even related to work. But there is one more thing that brings chaos to the workplace – incompetent leadership.
You might have taken all those necessary steps to get promoted but it is not enough to be an effective leader. To be able to guide and motivate your team, and boost productivity and development you need to work on your emotional intelligence as a leader. The lack of EI can lead to a turnover rate increase, poor productivity, and low engagement level.
Primarily the EI has four aspects: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
Self-awareness
Everything starts with self-awareness. Internal self-awareness makes you aware of your own emotions, weaknesses, and strengths and helps you see the opportunities. External self-awareness helps you understand its impact on the team’s productivity and performance. Thanks to self-awareness team leaders clearly see when they need help from the team members and ways for improvement.
Self-management
Self-management is a necessary skill that helps you control your own emotions despite the heavy pressure. In other words, emotionally intelligent leaders avoid reacting instantly, while leaders who lack EI often react on the spur of the moment and tend to lose temper easily. Knowing when to pause and breathe helps alleviate the stress and respond to it with a better outcome.
Social awareness
Team leaders who practice social awareness can read the room and emphasize with others. Being able to understand your colleagues’ emotions and perspectives enables leaders to collaborate with others more effectively. According to numerous studies, empathetic managers tend to be better coaches, and decision-makers and are generally considered to be better bosses. In a nutshell, empathetic communication teaches you to support your team and allows you to get support in return.
Relationship management
Relationship management regulates mentoring, coaching, and conflict resolution skills. No doubt, managing the work and coaching the employees are the basic responsibilities of the team leader. So is the ability to address unresolved issues promptly. Reportedly, unaddressed conflicts tend to deteriorate with time and get out of control. That’s why having tough conversations is important.
Why EI is so important
Outstanding leadership begins with high emotional intelligence because team leaders can unintentionally cause anxiety among their team members.
Even if you are being under a lot of stress, try to avoid using negative language and words like ‘horrible’, ‘insurmountable’, ‘challenging’, etc. Instead of it think positively and speak about ‘hope’, ‘improvements’. This way you can avoid causing unnecessary stress.
Unpredictability and unreliability are other triggers for anxiety and stress among co-workers. Emotionally intelligent leaders can be even ‘boring’ if the situation requires that. In other words, it means clear communication, discussing expectations in advance, and no last-minute cancellations or changes. As a team leader, you might be the only predictable factor while sailing through the rough seas of business.
Positive thinking or being optimistic is another peculiarity of an emotionally intelligent leader. Try to avoid excessive pessimism since it can only make stress levels balloon to extreme proportions.
Ignoring people’s emotions or lack of empathy is the biggest possible mistake you can make as a leader. During rough times checking on people’s stress levels and mood and much more important than checking on productivity. In this case, people will stay by your side even if something goes wrong.
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