Becoming an Effective Leader - Is emotional intelligence and authenticity important qualities for leaders of the future - Essay Example

Emotional Intelligence and Authenti as Important Leadership Skills Different studies have shown that there is a strong connection between emotionally intelligent leadership, employee engagement, and client satisfaction. In addition, authenticity and empathy are crucial to successful leadership. This paper supports emotional intelligence (EQ) and authenticity as important in effective leadership especially for leaders of the future. First EQ is more advanced than IQ. According to a survey conducted in the US, the reasons that make most employees who lose their job are on poor relationships attitudes.

Some studies shows that the best educational institutions equip students with the best degree and IQ but they do not ensure that the same clever students have the necessary skills to build good relationships to connect with others in their work places. Any leader geared towards results in their companies must be ready to lead by emotional intelligence and authenticity. Another beauty of EQ is that any leader can learn it especially after attaining the age of 25 years (Young Web). Secondly, EQ trains leaders to be good team players.

According to Kets de Vries as quoted in connections website, “Emotionally intelligent leaders tend to make better team players, and they are more effective at motivating themselves and others” (Schultz Web). This is because they develop good relationships with their subordinates who reciprocate by feeling comfortable around their leader motivating them to work. Thirdly, in leadership one needs resilience and agility to survive amidst disruptive and fast-paced change. These characters make a leader face reality, find meaning out of it, and devise a means of survival.

According to Byron, leaders must develop some skills to make them recover quickly from their emotions in a way that they can create environments that people want to live and work (Reid Web). Resilient kinds of leaders draw their expertise from EQ. According to Golem, “it is these EQ competencies that help us make behavioural changes that strengthen our resilience and agility, bridge “know-do” gaps and sustain change and value over time” (Reid Web). Fourthly, EQ leadership is characterised by empathy, which involves considering feelings of others and making an intelligent decision that cater for these feelings (Schultz Web).

Zook concurs with this in his statement that for great future leaders to handle complex issues concerning their organisations, three attributes that need to stand out in them include empathy, authenticity and sharp clarity, and ability to relate with people (Zook Web). According to Goethals et al, emotional leadership need to be used not only to the upper management but to the lower level too. He concurs with the idea that EQ leadership is important in developing and maintaining high quality trustful relationships among the concerned groups (Goethals et al 1471).

According to Hernon, “leaders must develop trust among followers and exhibit great commitment” (Hernon 16). This wins the subordinates staffs over and motivates them to perform excellently. Fifthly, EQ helps leaders in self-awareness and in authenticity. Self-awareness helps leaders have an internal compass that focuses on vision of the company and overrules all the barriers. Here leaders need to use authenticity where they are true to themselves and others. They will not hold their worries to their subordinates who will assist them because of the good relationship that exists between them (Leader today Web).

EQ raises leader who can face all kind of challenges who are visionary and effective. According to Bill George website, authentic leaders who are genuine in their intentions have the best skills in serving their customers, employees, and investors. Being authentic requires high skills of EQ (Bill George Web). Works Cited Bill, George. “Mindful Leadership: Compassion, contemplation and meditation develop effective leaders” 2012. Web, 11 may 2012. Goethals et al. “Encyclopaedia of Leadership Volume 1” USA, Sage: 2004.

Print Hernon, Peter. “Shaping the Future: Advancing the Understanding of Leadership” USA, ABC-CLIO: 2010. Print. Leader Today. “Authentic Leadership.” 2012. Web, 11 May 2012. Reid, Joanne. “The Resilient leader: Why EQ Matters.” Ivy Business Journal. 2008. Web, 11 May 2012 Schultz, Carol. “Emotional Intelligence: An Overlooked Aspect of Effective Leadership Practices: A Review of the Literature on Desirable Traits, Behaviours and Characteristics for Successful Leadership Promoting Transformational Change” Connections. 2007. Web, 11 May 2012.

Young, S. “Emotional Intelligence - 3 Tips For Leadership Success” Ezine Articles. 2010. Web, 11 may 2012. Zook, Chris. “Desperately Seeking Simplicity” Harvard Business Review. 2012. Web, 11 May 2012.