Don’t Be The “Hot Mess” Boss
The good news is that emotional
intelligence is a skill that can be
developed over time. Just follow
these five communication habits
of emotionally intelligent leaders:
1. Self-awareness. Most leaders
are not intentionally creating
negative workplace cultures. They
just aren’t aware of how their
reactions can impact other people
and create a sense of uneasiness.
The emotionally intelligent
leader is not only aware of the
impact of their words they are
also aware of what message
they are communicating through
their facial expressions and
body language. They understand
that the perceptions others
have of them, real or imagined,
impact how their message
is received. They strive to
develop a heightened level of
self-awareness through feedback,
self-reflections, and assessments
that can help them understand
their natural personality style.
2. Positivity. The emotionally
intelligent leader pays close
attention to their thoughts and
takes swift action to shift to a
positive outlook when they catch
themselves getting sucked into
negativity. You can train yourself
to have more positivity simply
by paying more attention. What
do you think of first thing in the
morning? Do you think about
your day ahead and say things to
yourself like, “This is going to be a
hard day”? If so, guess what kind
of day you’re going to get? A hard
day. It’s simple, just changing
your thought to “Today is going
to be a great day” can make all
the difference.
3. Mission-minded. The
emotionally intelligent leader
looks ahead to where they’re
going. They know that their
reactions can either help them
or hurt them as they work to
achieve their professional and
personal goals. They talk about
the mission of the company with
their team. They know that having
a shared sense of purpose will
motivate and energize a team in
ways that an angry outburst never
can. They share the success
stories that show the mission in
action and help their team see
the “why” behind the “what” in
everything they do.
4. Resilience. Stress and
setbacks are a part of life. How
you bounce back from a setback
sets the tone for the rest of the
team. The emotionally intelligent
leader is aware of their stressors
and their natural reaction. Do they
go into fight mode or flight mode?
They take steps to proactively
counteract the negative impacts
of stress on their life. They
understand the serious health
effects of long-term stress. One
study revealed that 60% of all
basic health issues are caused
by chronic stress. By controlling
their own stress levels, they are
better able to help their team walk
through stressful situations.
5. Conflict management. The
emotionally intelligent leader
doesn’t accept every invitation
to engage in conflict that they
get invited to. They understand
that conflict is a natural outcome
of a group of people working
together. Every individual on a
team is bringing their own set of
beliefs, values, perceptions, and
personality to the workplace.
These leaders understand that
when a particular person seems
“difficult” it’s usually just that
they are “different.” They can see,
and appreciate, the strengths
that different personalities and
backgrounds contribute to the
greater whole. They accept
individual differences rather than
insisting that everyone see things
their way.
There you have it. Five
communication habits that can
increase your ability to handle
any situation in stride. Not only
will you feel better, you will enjoy
the results that come from a team
of people who respect and trust
you as a leader.
Liz Uram is a nationally-recognized
speaker, trainer, consultant, and
author. She equips leaders with the
tools they need to communicate
like a boss so they can make a
bigger impact, get better results,
and motivate others to do their
best. With 20 years of experience,
she’s developed systems that
work. Uram’s written four books
packed full of strategies leaders can
implement to get real results, real
fast.
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