LFGSM C4L

Corporate Learning Solutions

by

GREAT LEADERS
MASTER THEIR
EMOTIONS

Peter Salovey and John Mayer were the first to define the modern concept of emotional intelligence:

Emotional Intelligence noun

emo·tion·al in·tel·li·gence | \ i-‘mo-shnel in-‘te-le-jen(t)s \
The ability to monitor one’s feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.

Now, contrast that with another definition:

Mastery noun

mas·tery | \ ‘ma-st(e-)re \
Display of great skill or technique.

Emotional intelligence provides a great foundation, but it’s still all in the head. It doesn’t automatically translate into superior leadership any more than great hand-eye coordination makes you a world-class golfer. Mastering a skill takes years of experience, struggle, experimentation, and coaching to truly perfect the craft.

That's why we prefer to call it emotional mastery.

Developing leaders with a high level of emotional mastery takes time, but they are the people who propel businesses forward.

Emotional masters have these in common.

They have a deep level of self-awareness, and they’re able to regulate their emotions in ways that allow them to move with ease among the different roles and situations required of a leader.

In the last week, I’ve had to toggle back and forth between being a strategist, a detailed operating executive, a source of energy, a caring and inspirational motivator, and an impatient, difficult, and demanding boss.

Can your leaders do that?

True masters can read the mood and mindset of their teams and adjust their behaviors to keep them performing at a high level.

Coach Mike Krzyewski says it best: “Sometimes I need to show my team the face they need to see.” It’s all about the team — not the leader’s feelings or ego.

They excel at building relationships with diverse groups of people. They quickly build credibility and trust, and have impeccable timing. They know just what to say to put others at ease.

Communication comes easily to them. They never seem to be rushed and are able to create a special connection with any kind of audience. They have a genuine interest in other people and it is apparent to everyone. They listen most of the time yet still have profound impact.

Does your organization need more of these leaders?

I encourage you to ask the hard questions about the plans that you have in place and the experiences that you are using to develop the best talent.

  • Are your learning programs going deep enough to develop true mastery?
  • How are you using the best leaders in your organization to help the next generation process and learn from their experiences?
  • What does your development process for them look like?

In the end, becoming a master requires a guide. That’s why we’ve always embraced an apprenticeship approach to development. There is no substitute for learning at the side of a more experienced executive.

Make this the nucleus of your development efforts. It will change your culture and accelerate the growth of your leaders.

Good luck.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn

Thursday and Friday, December 12th and 13th, 2019
Facilitated by our CEO, Jeff Anderson.

Click Here to join the discussion on LinkedIn.
#emotionalmastery

Download the PDF here: Emotional Mastery PDF

Sign-up to get notified via email when new articles are published.