NRS 451 Explain why emotional intelligence is crucial for effective leadership
NRS 451 Explain why emotional intelligence is crucial for effective leadership
NRS 451 Explain why emotional intelligence is crucial for effective leadership
There are five important elements to emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills, and self-awareness. Emotional intelligence is the ability to comprehend, control, and develop your own feelings, while also being able to understand and manage others’ feelings (Whitney, 2018). Emotional intelligence goes beyond the administrative qualification of being a great leader and emphasizes how your emotions affect others and how you can use that knowledge to create positive outcomes both personally and with the people the leader manages in his or her workplace. Emotional intelligence combines self-awareness, understanding oneself, and empathy which is the ability to feel and understand what others are feeling (Walker, 2021). High emotional intelligence is increasingly being recognized as important in organizations because of the growing complexity of society. Leadership still requires authority over the team’s vision, but it must be intertwined with putting employees and their needs first. This acknowledgment from leadership creates happier, more productive workers and more effective managers, while also reducing employee turnover.
The behaviors of a leader with exemplary emotional intelligence will exhibit the following: internal awareness, self-regulation, increased empathy, collaborative communication, and less workplace stress (Birt, 2022). Making sound decisions requires an understanding of how your feelings are affecting your judgment, productivity, attitudes, and more. The best leaders are self-aware of not only their emotions but also their weaknesses and limitations, as well as their strengths. Leaders who make impulsive decisions or fail to control their emotions and lash out can quickly lose the respect of their subordinates. Those unregulated moments can undo any rapport you’ve built and getting it back is never easy. Emotional intelligence breeds self-regulation that prevents the moments you wish you could take back. People with high emotional intelligence have a good understanding of their own emotional states, which allows them to gauge the emotions of others. For those who head the company, this empathy places them in their employees’ shoes, thus leading to more thoughtful and deliberate decisions. Because they understand their coworkers, emotionally intelligent leaders can immediately pick up the tone of the room or group and subsequently speak with honesty and sincerity to match that tone or mitigate unresolved tension. Workplace stress may be unavoidable, but leaders with emotional intelligence manage it better and don’t let it consume them. They also refuse to take any negative feelings out on their coworkers or families.
An example of how a leader with emotional intelligence will act is that the head nurse who isn’t a good delegator but is self-aware of that shortcoming can make a conscious effort to delegate tasks more and trust the people those tasks have been assigned to. Internal awareness isn’t eliminating emotions from decisions, but rather allowing them to work with rationality so they don’t subconsciously affect judgment. Another example is that the head nurse seeing his newer probationary nurses struggle with documentation that they are still getting used to will make a conscious effort to ask him how he is doing and would ask him how he could help him out in any way he could for him to develop the necessary proficiency in the skills that he is struggling with like attending and arranging a time to be able to do the charting process. This leader proactively tries to build his employee’s competency while not taking any unnecessary effort to demean them (Birt, 2022).
References:
Birt, J. (2022, August 10). What is emotional intelligence? definition, key elements and … – indeed. Emotional Intelligence in Leadership: What It Looks Like. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/emotional-intelligence
Walker, M. (2021, November 4). Emotional intelligence: Self-awareness. Marcie Walker. Retrieved from https://www.marciewalker.com/emotional-intelligence-self-awareness/#:~:text=Emotional%20intelligence%20means%20being%20self-aware%2C%20managing%20yourself%20well%2C,oneself%20clearly%20and%20objectively%20through%20reflection%20and%20introspection.
Whitney, S. (2018). Roles and Responsibilities in Leadership and Management. Nursing Leadership & Management: Leading and serving. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs451vn/nursing-leadership-and-management-leading-and-serving/v2.1/#/chapter/2
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Self-awareness, also known as emotional awareness, is the capacity to comprehend one’s own feelings as well as the influence those feelings can have on other people (Whitney, 2018). Self-awareness is critical because it allows you to see your own emotions and how they affect others. When you are able to identify your own emotions, then you can use them effectively. Self-awareness is critical as it allows you to understand your own strengths and weaknesses, which is essential to know in order for others to be successful. Self-awareness also helps individuals become more conscious of their own prejudices, fosters the development of empathy, and improves their preparation for culturally sensitive practice. Cultural sensitivity is important because it allows you to recognize your cultural background and how that affects others, thus allowing you to respect the diversity of cultures we encounter in the healthcare industry. A higher level of cultural awareness might make it easier for medical professionals and patients to communicate with one another, which is an essential component of providing high-quality medical treatment (Kaihlanen et al., 2019).
Reference
Whitney, S. (2018). Roles and Responsibilities in Leadership and Management. Nursing Leadership & Management: Leading and serving. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs451vn/nursing-leadership-and-management-leading-and-serving/v2.1/#/chapter/2
Kaihlanen, A. M., Hietapakka, L., & Heponiemi, T. (2019). Increasing cultural awareness: qualitative study of nurses’ perceptions about cultural competence training. BMC nursing, 18, 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-019-0363-x
Effective nurse leaders are essential to the productivity of healthcare organizations (Whitney, 2018). Emotional intelligence can be defined as the leader’s ability to regulate and control their personal emotions (Raghubir, 2018). Effective leaders understand the importance of managing their emotions so that it does not interfere with their abilities to lead and implement changes to the work environment (Ragubir, 2018). Leaders understand that revealing their emotions and feelings can affect and influence the mindset of their followers (Ragubir, 2018).
Effective leaders with a high degree of self-awareness or emotional intelligence can lead and manage groups well (Whitney, 2018). The ability of effective leaders to successfully utilize the principles of emotional intelligence is associated with their ability to handle interpersonal conflicts and challenging issues (Whitney, 2018). Nurse leaders who have developed a high level of emotional intelligence are associated with a safer and more conducive work environment for patients and healthcare professionals (Whitney, 2018). Leaders who have a high level of emotional intelligence can effectively lead the team to focus on improving the care provided to patients and communities resulting in better health outcomes (Whitney, 2018).
References:
Raghubir, A.E. (2018). Emotional intelligence in professional nursing practice: A concept review using Rodger’s evolutionary analysis approach. International Journal of Nursing Sciences. 2018, April 10th. Volume 5, Issue 2, 126-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2018.03.004
Whitney, S. (2018). Roles and Responsibilities in Leadership and Management. Nursing Leadership & Management: Leading and Serving. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs451v/nursing-leadership-and management-leading-and-serving/v2.1/chapter/2
Emotional intelligence (EI) signifies the nurse’s ability to correctly acknowledge people’s emotions from their expressions, including body language, facial expressions, and spoken word (Whitney 2018). It is also a self-perspective of one’s own feelings and how they respond to a person or situation. It is crucial for leaders to demonstrate emotional intelligence because it sets the standards of communication and respect that trickles down to the rest of the staff and contributes to the work environment. EI gives leaders a better understanding and empathy towards staff or patients and allows for the leader to respond effectively in solving a problem. EI also helps leaders adapt to the dynamics in the work environment.
Having a good awareness of self allows leaders to have more control over interactions with others and over time management (Whitney, 2018). Leaders/Managers lead by example, by aligning actions with shared values. They inspire a shared vision and challenge the process by always looking to improve the company, taking risks and learning from wins or losses. Leaders enable others to act, building a trusting work relationship, and strengthen others by encouraging self determination and being mentors. Leaders recognize accomplishments, celebrate victories and show appreciation for individual excellence (Whitney, 2018). An example of a leader who demonstrates these behaviors is a former co worker of mine. When I joined the team in my unit, she welcomed me (literally) with open arms. She took the time to train and mentor me, skillfully and emotionally. She always went the extra mile for our patients and was very knowledgeable in her work and experience. I always admired her work ethic, skills and EI.
Reference:
Whitney, S. (2018). Roles and Responsibilities in Leadership and Management. In GCU (Ed.), Nursing Leadership & Management: Leading and Serving. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs451vn/nursing-leadership-and-management-leading-and-serving/v1.1/#/chapter/2
To become self-aware, you must be capable of monitoring your own emotions, recognizing different emotional reactions, and then correctly identifying each particular emotion (Cherry, 2022). Being an effective leader means to be mindful of how you react to any situation. Responding to conflict defines the leader and their organization. An effective manager can control emotional situations by listening to the conflict (one side or both sides) first, then determining what is the best way come to an agreeable conclusion. A successful leader realize their team is watching, waiting for the next crucial step to prioritize their plan of action. Efficient leadership is aware of their behavior and emotional reactions in the workplace setting. Success as a leader requires one to focus on accomplishing the most strategic aspects of their role while also managing urgent day-to-day issues (Gambill, 2021). Self-awareness exhibited by leaders or managers tend to have a better relationship with their employees seeking out the value of others.
Reference:
Cherry, K. (2022). 5 Key Emotional Intelligence Skills. Theories > Personality Psychology. Very Well Mind.
Gambill, T. (2021). 3 Leadership Practices To Prioritize Your Time And Energy. Leadership Strategy. Forbes.