The Emotionally Intelligent Manager, Term Paper Example

Leadership is defined as a social process combined of both rational and emotional elements in which a member or members of a group or organization influence the interpretation of internal and external events, the choice of goals or desired outcomes, organization of work activities, individual motivation and abilities, power relations, and shared orientations (Kirkpatrick  & Locke , 1996). What makes one an effective leader has baffled society for centuries. Why are people more apt to follow some people and not others? There have been many legendary leaders who were bold and heroic and made great differences in the world. Scientists have been studying leaders for quite some time in efforts to identify behaviors, traits, or abilities that they possess. It has been discovered that many leaders have possessed some of the same qualities. There are many definitions and a quality of a leader, but being an exceptional leader goes far beyond the title. Great leaders have a vision that they are working towards for themselves and the organization the represent. Great leaders are inspired by more than their own personal gain. Effective leaders have the ability to motivate others to help in a cause. Nonetheless, the most important aspect of effective leadership is emotional intelligence. Great leaders possess emotional intelligence. These leaders are self-aware and know that being a good leader is a mental process. These leaders are passionately enthralled in their cause. Leaders with emotional intelligence care more about others than they care about themselves. Effective leaders possess many qualities, but the most beneficial of the qualities is emotional intelligence.

There are characteristics that can be defined as good and bad qualities for a leader. Great leaders have effective decision making skills. Block says that effective leaders are driven by principles. These principles insure that they make the best decisions for the situations. Other researchers conclude that cognition drives the decision making process. They have termed “emotional intelligence” as one of the specific competencies that informs cognition. “Emotional intelligence refers to an individual’s ability to perceive, understand, and regulate emotions” ( Block, 1996). Many effective leaders have noted that their spirituality and religious beliefs have played a major role in the way that they make decisions. Caruso & Salovey adds, “While in itself spirituality is not a type of leadership style, it could be a quality that influences how a person leads. Leadership style, as mentioned earlier, can be learned. Spirituality, on the other hand may be more difficult to define because its definition could vary from individual to individual” (Caruso & Salovey ). Communication is essential to effective leaders. Effective communication requires the ability to listen, ask questions, respond, and even read body language. Leaders who have a strong sense of character and empathy gain respect of all they encounter. A survey of 1700 office workers, 43 percent of them concluded that believed that communication skills were more important than management skills and empathy (Kilpatrick & Locke, 1996). Leadership is not the same as supervision or management, although many people use the term synonymously. When someone is a supervisor they are in charge of oversight of employees. When someone is managing something they are conducting the affairs of that particular person or organization. Both supervisors and management can display leadership qualities, however just possessing these qualities does not make one a leader. Great leadership skills are the core of any successful organization. Leadership is an elusive quality that many people in roles of authority lack.  Bad leaders are those that do not listen and respond to employee feedback. Bad leaders are afraid to discipline employees or those that unjustly discipline employees. Bad leadership can cause a great amount of stress on the job. This stress can lead to poor performance and large turn-over rates.

Leaders are very important to the organization because they are the catalyst that helps develop strategies, support, and the overall vision for the organization( Kilpatrick & Locke, 1996). When one takes a leadership role, he/she must keep several things in mind.  First, the leader must have a clear vision for the organization and a determination to meet those goals. Without a clear goal, the organization will accomplish very little. Secondly, a leader must be responsible. Not only is the leader responsible for the decisions he/she makes, but he is also responsible for the decisions members of the organization makes.  However, the leader cannot have a vision that is rigid and unwilling to make necessary changes. Great leadership skills are the core of any successful organization

I have had the pleasure of working under a great leader. This has been a great experience for me because the morale on my job is very high. Employees are willing to come early and stay late to ensure that jobs are completed adequately. There has been a very low turnover rate at the organization. Matter of fact, there has only been two people to leave in the past two years. One of them got married and moved to another state and the other one retired after 33 years of service. My boss is easy to talk to and very charismatic. He will make you think that you can conquer the world. Influence also plays a dominant role in effective leaders. There are a variety of influences that can impact the decisions that a leader makes. Some influences may include but are not limited to the following: culture, education, gender, religion, and environment.

President Barack Obama is a great leader. He always declares that he is a president of  for the people.  Truly, he cares more about what is better for the greater good. For example, the Obama care act law really upset a great deal of people, but President Obama pushed for it because he wanted to help the poor, elderly, and uninsured. The President also has great communication skills. He never uses elaborate language that can only be understood by college educated individuals. He speaks in a way that anyone can understand him. He listens. I am sure that he gets thousands of letters from people who have complaints about the United States.  He is a great listener. He is charismatic and flexible. He has shown himself to proficient and calme under pressure. Nonetheless, he is firm. He does not back down from what he believes in. Finally, I believe he has addressed many of the complaints that ordinary people have.

Effective leaders are great leaders because of the many characteristics they possess. Often people take on leadership roles because of the prestige that comes along with it. However, from the spiritual view of leadership, many believe that one has to be called to lead. Often the greatest leaders are the ones that did not want to lead. “Average leaders focus on results, and that’s it. Good leaders focus also on the behaviors that will get the results. And great leaders focus, in addition, on the emotions that will drive these behaviors” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Being a great leader requires many characteristics. Great leaders are intelligent, empathetic, and have effective communication skills Leaders inspire others with their words and actions. Leaders who have a strong sense of character and empathy gain respect of all they encounter. A survey of 1700 office workers, 43 percent of them concluded that believed that communication skills were more important than management skills and empathy (Kilpatrick & Locke, 1996). Leaders who have great charismatic ability are able to influence people to support their cause. They are able to determine which type of leadership skill is required for the situation. Effective leaders realize that being fair may mean using different strategies for different situations. Emotional intelligence is the most important quality that a leader can possess. With this quality, leaders are able to make wise decisions by understanding how those decisions will affect others.

Works Cited

Barsade, S. G. & Ward, A. J. et al. (2000). To Your Heart’s Content: A mode of affective diversity in top management teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 45, 802-836.

Block, P. (1993). Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

Caruso, D.R., & Salovey, P. (2004). The Emotionally Intelligent Manager. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kirkpatrick S.A., & Locke E.A. (1996). Direct and indirect effects of three core charismatic leadership components on performance and attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology 81(1), 36-51