More than seven out of ten employers value emotional intelligence over IQ, and for good reasons. Most IT leaders have excellent technical and communication skills. But they still cannot overcome the pressing issues facing their enterprises. The reason is a lack of emotional intelligence (EQ). 

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise, understand, and manage the emotions of the self and others. 

Psychologist Daniel Goleman, who popularised the concept of EQ in the 1990s, regards IQ and technical skills as entry-level leadership skills and EQ as the critical differentiator distinguishing successful leaders from ordinary leaders. He lists five critical components of EQ that allow individuals to understand and learn from their own and other people’s mental states:

1. Self-awareness.
2. Self-regulation.
3. Motivation or passion beyond money and status.
4. Empathy.
5. Social skills, such as managing relationships and network building.

Personal mastery

The critical component of emotional intelligence is self-awareness, which leads to personal mastery. 

IT leaders often face intense pressure to meet deadlines and deliver projects on time. The need to maintain quality and manage budget constraints adds to the pressure. 

Leaders with high EQ analyse their strengths and weaknesses and have a good realisation of themselves. Such realisation allows them to:

• Control emotions, and stay calm and focused under pressure. Leaders with poor self-management skills and EQ tend to react to situations and struggle to control their impulses. Leaders with high EQ do not react. They rather respond. When faced with tight deadlines, they assess the situation with calm and composure, revisit their working schedules and patterns, and do whatever is possible to get things done within the deadline.
• Manage stress. A team of Belgian researchers by Dr Moira Mikolajczak correlated high levels of EQ with lower stress. People with high EQ have less anxiety since they analyse the situation rationally rather than emotionally.
• Maintain a positive outlook when facing setbacks or during times of adversity. They make the best out of any adverse situation. They regard failure as a learning opportunity and take lessons from it to prevent the recurrence of such situations.
• Demonstrate an adaptive approach to problem-solving. They approach problems proactively and head-on. People with low EQ tend to bury their heads under the sand and hope the problem will solve itself. 

Better team building

Building a successful team depends on leaders setting clear goals and expectations. Effective leaders set project deadlines, establish performance metrics, and fix responsibilities. Such clear-cut guidelines, aimed at the common objective, help team members stay focused and motivated. 

Leaders with high EQ guide and control a team better. They:

• Understand their team members’ strengths, weaknesses, motivations and aspirations. They tailor responsibilities and opportunities for team members considering these factors. For instance, they identify ambitious subordinates and give them opportunities.
• Provide training and skill-building opportunities, including technical and soft skills training. They strive for a win-win approach. Team members enhance their skills, and the enterprise overcomes skill shortages.
• Leaders with low EQ engage with employees poorly. Team members feel disconnected from the enterprise. They soon seek better opportunities, and the enterprise has a higher turnover rate.

Improved communications

Many IT employees struggle to do justice to their roles despite being technically competent. Most techies have good technical skills but lack communication and interpersonal skills. They underutilise their skills due to their inability to communicate or collaborate with others. Often, they work hard, but their work output does not align with business goals.

Also, work pressure often gets many tech employees. They face various challenges, such as poor work-life balance, inability to cope with technological changes that make their tools obsolete, and inability to focus on any one thing due to work overload. 

Fast-paced changes in the ecosystem make digital transformation inevitable in enterprises. The associated uncertainties and ambiguities make them resist such change, to their demerit. 

Emotional intelligence enables team leaders to empathise with team members. They communicate effectively when dwelling on complex issues. Leaders with high EQ: 

• Place themselves in the subordinate’s shoes, relate to them, and communicate in an understanding way. They strive to understand the complex emotions and feelings that affect their team members and respond with empathy. 
• Consider the employee’s perspective to ensure fair and equitable decisions.
• Communicate effectively by listening actively, responding thoughtfully and expressing themselves clearly.

These interventions create a positive work culture that encourages collaboration, innovation, and learning.

Social awareness

Successful leaders know how to read a room. Their ability to recognise others’ emotions and sense how they will respond to a proposal or a situation allows them to control the dynamics. 

Leaders with high emotional intelligence:

• Understand the perspective and emotions of others to make outreaches to them in the most appropriate way.
• Manage conflicts effectively. Their ability to relate with the other persona with empathy helps to find common ground and negotiate win-win solutions. Their focus on preventing disruptions at all costs de-escalates tense situations.

Handle diversity-related issues

In many enterprises, cultural differences lead to conflicts between team members. For example, Japanese culture avoids direct confrontation and criticism. But Australian culture values direct communication and open criticism when it is due. Such cultural differences can create misunderstandings and tensions in multinational IT teams. 

Leaders with EQ understand such cultural nuances and relate to the employees. These leaders strive to: 

• Create an open, transparent environment. Such a culture encourages feedback, constructive criticism, and open, honest communication.
• Formulate policies and practices that strengthen diversity and inclusion. 
• Promote a culture of respecting team members from diverse backgrounds and identities.
• Provide training to help team members develop conflict-resolution skills.

The technical skills that helped IT leaders reach their position may only guarantee them a short stay there. Successful leaders inculcate an emotional element that makes them effective people managers. 

Emotional intelligence skills account for 90% of traits that distinguish high performers from peers with similar technical skills and knowledge. IT leaders with low EQ need not despair though. A 2009 study by Mikolajczak et al. shows that EQ is not an inherent trait, and anyone can acquire it through training.