There’s a fascinating piece published by Harvard Business Review around the correlation of the skills of dynamic business leaders and their social intelligence levels.
For many years the levels of emotional intelligence that are brought to bear in the success, or otherwise, of leaders has been seen as an important factor in improving business performance, however new scientific neuro analysis indicates that it’s actually the levels of social intelligence a leader has that makes the real difference between mid level leaders and the truly magnetic. Attuning to others moods actually does affect their own brain chemistry and that of their followers.
So – how are emotional and social intelligence differentiated?
Emotional intelligence. This is all about PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS – self-mastery of emotional interactions crafted to lead to an outstanding individual performance. Best represented by self-motivation, drive and the pursuit of excellence for the individual. Encompassing powerful traits yet not always leading to cultural cohesion towards a united goal.
Social intelligence. This is the focus leaders place on EVERYONE ELSE being effective – and is best demonstrated through the levels of empathy, motivation, inspiration and best practice. Mood contagion. Developed well and with genuine intent it is far more likely that behaviours and attitudes will be mirrored and adopted by teams and individuals alike.
Taking the inclusive social approach to leadership will undoubtedly significantly nurture and build the culture of the business. We all hear about ‘leading by example’, how about then recruiting the people with the attitudes and social intelligence you require, promoting people with these abilities, and creating personal development plans for individuals to work towards attaining these skills.
There are a number of ways for a leader to increase social intelligence levels and these include:
- BE HONEST – asking yourself – do you care? Are you motivated enough to want to change your attitudes and approach to truly build rapport across the business?
- GET FEEDBACK – If the answer is yes, then you’ll need to get feedback from others – real feedback that allows for candid response and you’ll need to be sure you’re going to take action on the responses. You’re not the expert on yourself in terms of social intelligence even if you think you are!
- TAKE ACTION – Make a learning agreement with yourself to change and then seek help with how to do it.
Here’s a very simple example in the praise of fun and laughter. It’s evidenced that great leaders are three times more likely to laugh and smile in a day than mediocre ones. This alone instills a convivial environment that relaxes the individuals, incites team building in of itself and allows for a positive and productive working environment. Smiling can actually be serious stuff!
Want to be a brilliant leader? Get in touch today to develop your social intelligence skills for an improved business performance.