The emotionally intelligent leader 1/12 Leadership is a process that unites leaders and followers in a complex emotional web. Reducing leadership to just the leaders their special attributers and emotional needs is half the story. The other half is about the followers, people seeking comfort, stability, direction, challenge and meaning. Fineman, 2010:90 This topic expands your understanding of leadership by looking at the complexities of the relationship between leaders and followers. In doing so it explores the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) and how leaders can lead more effectively by understanding both themselves and the motivations and reactions of those they lead. EI has been connected to highly effective leadership. It makes connections between different EI leadership styles and approaches and the impact on characteristics such as flexibility, responsibility, standards, rewards, clarity and commitment in the working environment. As part of this topic you will be given the opportunity to assess how emotionally intelligent you are as a leader and to critically assess the operation of this concept in your school. An overview of emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence was first outlined in Daniel Goleman s book Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ (1996). Since then it has become an accepted tool in the measurement, understanding and development of individuals and organisations. EI, sometimes also referred to as emotional quotient (EQ), concerns social intelligence, in particular the ability to understand and manage oneself and one s relationships with other people. Goleman (1996) describes it as the ability to recognise and regulate emotions in ourselves and others. Goleman identifies four main categories of EI: 1. self-awareness 2. self-management 3. social awareness 4. social skills The ability to manage ourselves and to understand others are key skills. For this reason specialists in EI believe that an understanding of the subject is extremely important for the future success of an organisation.
2/12 The main premise is that as EI can be measured and the results fed back to individuals, which will lead to a greater understanding of self and, with appropriate training, development can be undertaken to improve EI. For leaders there are a number of interests in EI. Do certain roles or jobs suit particular types of EI and, if you can test for this, can this help you select the right individuals for the role? In addition, and on a bigger scale, does a general understanding of EI by leaders, when combined with a training programme, lead to improved performance? If you agree with the concept of EI, the answer is likely to be yes, because you believe that if you are emotionally intelligent, you can understand yourself better and have a greater awareness of the motivations and feelings of others. Through EI the organisation benefits with a greater ability to handle relationships. Unfortunately, EI is difficult to measure and quantify as it is based on subjective principles, and performance-related outcomes are difficult to distinguish from other business operations. Some studies that have been done so far by Goleman to prove this hypothesis have not been to everyone s satisfaction, so they cannot be regarded as conclusive. EI must also fit within a school s culture and values. In certain cultures, particularly those demonstrating centralised or autocratic command and control, it may be counter-productive. EI, it would seem, could be useful in building up the understandings and skills of leaders and help them improve productive relationships with those they lead. But there remains an important issue to resolve: how emotionally aware are you? How emotionally aware am I? This self-assessment is designed to give you a brief indication of your EI and therefore build self-awareness. It will help you identify your strengths, and identify competencies that require development. As you complete the questionnaire, reflect on those tasks that you are expected to perform as a leader. Is EI important, for example, in developing middle leaders, in presenting school improvement ideas, influencing parents or the governing body? You may also wish to consider the questionnaire as a tool to help develop colleagues across the school. Allow 30 minutes for completion. Complete these steps: Study the diagnostic How emotionally aware am I?. Write down evidence of your strengths against each emotional competency. Next, note down in the development column of the table the areas where you think your EI could be improved.
3/12 Reflections on my emotional awareness Review the results of questionnaire How emotionally aware am I? by covering the following areas: Which of the following were your strongest and weakest areas: self-awareness? self-management? social awareness? social skills? Which of the areas for development do you consider to be the most important and why? What are your reasons for choosing these? Are these the simple and straightforward options or are they going to be challenging? Share your thoughts with a colleague. Argue your case and discuss the potential challenges to reaching your objectives. At the end of this dialogue, summarise your areas for development and what you hope to see in yourself after definite periods of time (eg after six months, a year and two years). You need to include a way of measuring/ evaluating the change. What impact would these traits have on your performance as a leader and on the effectiveness of your school? Again isolate these success criteria after precise time periods.
4/12 EI theory states that for leaders to adapt their style successfully, they must be able to tune in emotionally to their surroundings, and to themselves. This sensitive awareness to emotions, termed emotional intelligence is introduced here, along with a description of the six leadership styles according to the concept of EI. What is EI? EI is about being able to manage our: emotions appropriately in whatever context we find ourselves relationships with others and control how we deal with others in a variety of situations When most people think of intelligence, they think of aspects such as memory, problemsolving and the ability to process ideas, grasp concepts and manage information in a variety of forms. This is the kind of intelligence broadly measured by intelligent quotient (IQ) tests. However, there are many kinds of intelligence not covered by IQ tests that are just as valuable, so-called non-cognitive aspects that include creativity, communication, sensitivity, initiative and interpersonal skills. For instance, when predicting job performance, depending on the type of job, the contribution of IQ has been estimated to be as low as 4 per cent and no higher than 25 per cent. Doing well at your job therefore has a lot more to do with other factors, and EI features strongly among them. How does it relate to leadership? There are four fundamental types of EI that all of us have to a greater or lesser degree, called emotional capabilities (Goleman, 1996). These capabilities are the building blocks for a more specific set of skills and attributes, called emotional competencies. It is these emotional competencies that can have a real impact on how you perform at work. In a study on leadership styles headed by Goleman (2000), a set of emotional competencies relating to leadership were identified. Goleman categorised these according to the emotional competencies referred to above. These are shown in figure 1.
5/12 Figure 1: Emotional capabilities and competencies Emotional capabilities (general-building blocks) Self-awareness Self-management Social awareness Social skills Emotional competencies (specific) Emotional self-awareness Accurate self-assessment Self-confidence Self-control Trustworthiness Conscientiousness Adaptability Drive to meet internal excellence Initiative Empathy Organisational awareness Ability to recognise customer needs Visionary leadership Influence Developing others Communication Change catalyst Conflict management Building bonds Teamwork & collaboration Source: Goleman, 2000:4 Different combinations of these competencies result in different styles of leadership. For example, a leader having considered that an authoritative approach is appropriate will tend to be strong in the competencies of self-confidence, empathy and change catalyst. A good leader will, however, be able to pick and mix between these capabilities at will, and might use several of the six identified leadership styles identified below in any one week or even in a single interaction. Many managers may find the range of emotional competencies listed above rather daunting. The good news is that expanding one s repertoire of competencies is entirely possible, in a way that increasing one s IQ is not. Adapting your leadership style isn t easy, but it is certainly achievable.
6/12 The six leadership styles Below is a description of the six leadership styles according to the concept of EI. You need to become familiar with the distinctions between these styles so that you can learn how to apply the right styles at the right time. It is proposed that these leadership styles can be learned and selected to meet the requirements of a particular task. Figure 2: Leadership styles Leadership style What the manager would say EI competencies Coercive Don t ask questions. Just do it! drive to achieve, initiative, self-control Authoritative This is what I see. I want you to see it too, and I ll need your help to get us there. self-confidence, empathy, catalysing change Affiliative Okay guys, let s work together on this. empathy, building relationships, communication Democratic What do you think? collaboration, team leadership, communication Pace-setting Come on, keep up! conscientiousness, drive to achieve, initiative Coaching How about doing it like this? empathy, developing others, self-awareness Source: Goleman, 2000:8
7/12 How the styles compare This figure (Goleman, 1996) shows how the different styles compare with each other in terms of their impact on working atmosphere. This encompasses the impact of these styles on flexibility, responsibility, standards, rewards, clarity and commitment in the working environment. Figure 3: Impact of leadership style Coaching Pacesetting Democratic Affiliative Authoritative Coercive Source: Goleman, 1996 As you can see from the diagram, not all of the six styles actually have a positive impact. Two in particular (coercive style and pace-setting style) have quite the opposite effect. The most strongly positive is the authoritative style. This isn t surprising: authoritative leaders are capable of taking people along with them by sharing their vision and encouraging people to move towards it. The least successful, the coercive style, usually results in the opposite, with the leader discouraging, demotivating or alienating his/ her people, rather than helping them to improve. It should be noted that: there is no right style -0.3-0.2-0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 Impact of style leaders may have one or two default styles, but the best leaders develop and can apply a range of styles to match the demands of the situation leadership styles can be learned and leaders can move from unconscious incompetence through to conscious competence with practice and feedback
8/12 Coercive leadership This is the least effective of all the styles listed. Coercive leaders are inflexible, demanding, alienating and demotivating. Their actions often result in very low staff morale. It can be appropriate during a genuine emergency, or when a short, sharp shock is required, but should be used with great care, and never for very long. Authoritative leadership The authoritative style is, overall, probably the most effective. Authoritative leaders are visionaries, able to garner commitment to that vision, and then to step back and let people get on with achieving it in the most appropriate way for them. This flexibility encourages innovation and creative thinking among everyone. This is a versatile approach to leadership and is particularly suited when things are not going too well, and when the leader needs to get his/ her people motivated and enthused about a new vision. Leaders should be careful, however, not to use this style when they are plainly less experienced or more junior than the group for whom they are working. They should remember that it is an authoritative style, not a domineering one, that will be effective. Affiliative leadership The affiliative leader puts his/ her people before the work that needs to be done, aiming to build loyalty and togetherness as a priority. Strong communication, trust, empathy, innovation and freedom to experiment are all evident within the workforce when the affiliative leader is in charge. The affiliative style is a good all-round approach, but it is most helpful for increasing team togetherness, improving communication or restoring trust. It often works best when used with another style, as its emphasis on praise can fail to address poor performance. This approach can also, on its own, fail to give clear direction.
9/12 Democratic leadership The democratic leader will gather people s ideas and support, and allow employees a say in decisions. This builds trust and commitment, enables flexibility in how employees work, and maintains high morale. It works best when the leader is uncertain about which direction to take and is willing to listen to, and benefit from the ideas and guidance of other employees. The approach is less likely to work where employees lack the competence, knowledge or experience to offer sound advice. It can sometimes lead to something of a rudderless ship, with everyone holding a different view on what should happen and nobody strong enough to make a decision and run with it. Weak leaders can sometimes hide behind this style, allowing them to procrastinate or blame the absence of consensus for a lack of firm action. It can be particularly inappropriate in times of crisis, where building consensus is usually very difficult. Pace-setting leadership The pace-setting leader sets high personal performance standards and expects others to meet them too. Those who cannot measure up are likely to find themselves being replaced. The pace-setter does not trust the team to work in its own way or to take the initiative. The result is that the pace-setting style can destroy a positive work environment as employees feel they will never be good enough and their morale falls. Flexibility and responsibility also disappear. However, the approach can work well if team members are self-motivated, skilled and only require a minimum of co-ordination and direction. Teams of accountants, lawyers, researchers and technicians, for example, will often respond well to this style. Coaching leadership This style of leadership is the least often used of all the styles, possibly because many leaders do not see the personal development of individuals as a high priority. This is a shame, because the dialogue that results from a coaching style makes people feel listened to, aids their understanding of how their work fits the bigger picture, and has a strong impact on motivation. Leaders who coach help individuals to both identify their strengths and weaknesses, and link them to career goals. Coaching leaders are only successful, though, when their team members want to be coached, and welcome the leader s attempts to help them achieve their best. Coaching is a skill, and as such will not work if it is applied clumsily or inexpertly, or if it is simply imposed on people without their consent.
10/12 Reflection Have you experienced these leadership styles: coercive? authoritative? affiliative? democratic? pace-setting? coaching? Can some styles, for example affiliative, democratic and coaching, be viewed as ineffective in holding others to account? What leadership style do you feel you adopt when holding others to account? What are your views on the interplay between style and accountability? Have you noted any of the behaviours outlined above in yourself? Why have you chosen such styles? Have you experimented with others? What were the reactions from other people and how did this affect your continuing use of the style? Ask a colleague whether you have a default style and discuss with them the reactions you have on other people. Note any key development points in your blog for further action.
11/12 Do you think you can acquire a winning style? Look back at your personal EI questionnaire: Are you confident that you are understood clearly by your colleagues and other colleagues in your school see you as an effective and inspirational leader? Are you so in tune and self-aware that you know you are having an impact? Are you confident you are plugged into their moods and feelings so that you can lead them effectively? Do you know their preferred way of being led and managed so as to elicit the best performance from them? Do you think, relating back to the Johari window, that people will, without reserve, feed back to you about potentially blind areas of your leadership? All of these are questions you should ask of yourself if you are to unlock the potential of EI as a leader. Optional activity As an optional activity, you might want to contemplate the potential growth of your EI while critically reviewing the following publications: Crawford, M, 2011, Why the study of emotion matters in school leadership. In J Robertson & H Timperley (eds), Leadership and learning, London, Sage Fineman, S, 2010, Understanding emotion at work, chapter 4, London, Sage Crawford reviews key features and research on EI and considers the connections between leadership and emotion in schools. Fineman, it can be argued, is more sceptical of the value of EI and the assertion that it can be altered and improved.
12/12 References Crawford, M, 2011, Why the study of emotion matters in school leadership. In J Robertson & H Timperley (eds) Leadership and learning, pp 202-212, London, Sage Fineman, S, 2010, Understanding emotion at work, chapter 4, London, Sage Goleman, D, 1996, Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ, London, Bloomsbury Press Goleman, D, 2000, Leadership that gets results, Harvard Business Review March April 2000