03/24/2020

Daily Buzz: The Value of Emotional Intelligence

Great leaders build connections with their staff

For business leaders, emotional intelligence is a great attribute. But how much is it really worth? It can be tricky to show it on paper, but there is value associated with having an emotionally intelligent boss, says author and leadership specialist Drew Bird in The Enterprisers Project.

“Effective leadership development results in three well-tested outcomes, all of which have potential hard-dollar value returns: retention, discretionary effort, and engagement,” Bird says.

When you retain skilled employees, your organization saves money and staff time on recruiting, onboarding, and training new recruits. A boss without emotional intelligence has more trouble retaining good workers.

“People don’t like working for or with someone who doesn’t treat them as an individual, takes credit for their work, micromanages them, or is dishonest. These are exactly the kinds of things that emotionally intelligent leaders don’t do,” Bird says.

Instead, emotionally intelligent bosses retain employees by fostering opportunities for growth, communicating openly and honestly, and taking responsibility. These behaviors create partnerships between leaders and their team members, Bird suggests.

They also inspire their employees to go above and beyond, which results in a more productive workforce.

“The difference in output/impact/creativity between those who do the minimum possible and those who work to their maximum potential is huge,” Bird says. “People will work harder when their boss is someone skilled at authentically establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships, which, as established above, is a key trait of emotionally intelligent leaders.”

Please select this link to read the original article from Associations Now.