The Leader's Core Part 2 - EQ Into Results
The 3 needs my EQ meets
In the last edition of The Insightful Leader, we discussed the four essential parts of the Leader’s Core that are needed to manage my leadership capacity. They are the Mind, Body, EQ, and Why. We started in reverse order of this list because the ‘Why’ is an essential motivator. It provides clarity in daily actions and priorities. There has to be a chief 'why' internally that drives subordinate reasons.
The next most crucial leadership factor is my EQ or emotional intelligence. As with many principles, EQ is a situation in which you either manage it or it manages you. Have you heard the story of “The Two Monks and The Lady of the Night”?
Two monks were on a journey together when they reached a river crossing. As they arrived at the ford, they met a lady of the night. Concerned by the strong current, the lady asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, and together the monks walked through the river until they reached the other side. The one monk carrying the woman set her down on the other bank. She thanked him and continued on her way.
As the monks went on their way, one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold back, he spoke with anger. “Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women—let alone that sort of woman—but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!”
“Brother,” the second monk replied, “I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her.”
We often like to think that what is happening on the inside is not appearing on the outside. No matter how much I hold it, eventually in one way or another it will manifest. The Leader’s inner dialogue and emotional management is key because it will affect his team’s outlook (clouding or clarifying).
EQ's Impact on Outcomes
What if I could predict your organization’s outcomes for the next year based on EQ?
Being at the front of another important year, we begin looking for signs that forecast growth and repeatable patterns that are reliable in producing success. To find these indicators, most leaders turn to the decision sciences, reports, and statistics that provide a mathematical formula or an air-tight strategy. However, there is always one piece in this equation that is the 'x' factor in determining outcomes, and its quantity is invisible until, at times, it is too late to react.
It's our emotions. These emotions show up in our daily life, but we lack the ability to control them entirely because they can be so variable, or are they? You see, these inner motivations drive performance as well as our outcomes.
The trains that run inside each of us include the drive (or lack thereof) to see work get accomplished. As a leader, I've learned to manage those inner motivations to get the best out of the situation.
For me, I check my EQ like this:
How much hope do I have right now?
Do I have any fears, and if so, how do I mitigate them?
What am I grateful for?
Do the important people around me know the answers to the questions above? (If not, I need to share.)
But what does it mean to cultivate and care for those around me? It has to do with what I'm telling and demonstrating to them every day.
Lexico.com defines the term "emotional intelligence" as "the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically." As a leader then, I must guard my heart (values) and mind (thoughts) to make sure that my reactions are not only appropriate but also an encouragement to those I lead.
The reason that EQ is so crucial is that it’s not an innocent indulgence if I am nursing a bad mood. As a leader, my EQ impacts the “oxygen” quality for those who breathe around me…or in other words, culture.
What are you providing for those around you?
Here are the needs of those who are following you:
Hope - optimism breeds creativity which leads to making stronger choices
Clarity - certainty that we are all going to the same place
Trust - more of this speeds execution and therefore results
I have to realize that not only what I say but even more so, what I believe impacts the quantity of Hope, Clarity, and Trust. I can say I’m hopeful, but if on the inside I lack this, it will counteract any good words I share because my behavior will undo it.
As a leader, my EQ directly impacts these needs and therefore our results. If you want to get a predictor on this year’s results, measure the level of hope, clarity, and trust that are around you. If it’s less than you expect start within you.