During the past 30 years leading companies have demanded their leaders to manage with their hearts. Before that time many leaders in industry felt empathy and compassion would not only be a sign of weakness but also would make it difficult to make those tough employment decisions impacting their workforce. In the past 30 years the corporation has gone through a radical transformation due mainly to globablization and the advent of the internet/Information Technology. With the advent of social media, it's even more critical that managers manage with with heart.
More and more studies and evidence point out that making decisions under stress makes people stupid. So we learn that being attuned to the feelings of those we deal with, handling disagreements effectively so they don't escalate, getting into the flow state while at work are critical for today's leader. Leadership is persuasion and not domination. Handling grievances effectively, embracing diversity and professional networking are also important in building emotional intelligence. Managers are learning the importance of providing feedback (not personal criticism) in administering corrective counseling, building allegiance and support and performance appraisal. Proper corrective counseling includes being specific as to the problem and why it negatively impacts you as the supervisor; focus on the issue and not the person and ask for ways for the employee to solve the problem offering suggestions if they cannot. Make the discussion private and personal with an agreed up follow up action step. And use empathy in your communication to ensure better acceptance to the feedback.
Key problem solving workgroups involved in problem resolution must also employ emotional intelligence. Informal work groups that get together to assist with business concerns also utilize key emotional intelligence principles. There is no correlation between being a subject matter expert and someone who the organization is willing to share their secrets, doubts and vulnerabilities. The stars of the organization are those who have deep connections on all networks whether this be communication, expertise or trust. Other emotional intelligence strategies include team building, consensus driven problem resolution, seeing problems from other's perspectives. Another key strategy is being proactive and taking initiative to make change even when not in one's job description.
In another leadership book entitled the Leadership Challenge by James M Kouzes and Barry Z Posner, they provide 6 steps to leadership (notice how many of these involve emotional intelligence)
1. Challenging the Process - search for opportunities to change the status quo; experiment, take risks and learn from your mistakes.
2. Inspiring a Shared Vision - envision the future and enlist/engage people to a common purpose
3. Enabling other to Act - foster collaboration
4. Modeling the Way - leading the way and plan small wins/sharing power and information
5. Encouraging the Heart - recognizing contributions and celebrating success
6. Becoming the Leader who Cares and makes a Difference
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