Our cognitive ability to relate to other people and understand their social situations is a form of intelligence that cannot be measured by an IQ test, as stated by Daniel Goleman in his book “Social Intelligence” in 2006.
The latest psychology and neuroscience studies show us how either EQ or social intelligence can help us reduce stress, gain confidence and create a more peaceful atmosphere in our societies. EQ embraces the power of social rapport, which requires a special awareness in each individual, enabling a significantly impactful attribute of self-management.
When it comes to improving or molding leaders, it is crucial to know the two most important leadership aspects: self-awareness and self-management.
What Self-Awareness Really Means
Let us explore the true definition of self-awareness. Tasha Euric explains in her article “What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate it)” found in the Harvard Business Review Magazine that there are two types of self-awareness, the internal self-awareness and the external self-awareness. Leaders who want to succeed must actively work on both internal and external self-awareness.
Only 10-15% of Studied Individuals Actually Fit the Criteria
Although it might be tempting to emphasize one type of awareness over the other, it is essential to actively work on oneself and collect feedback from others to understand and get other people’s views on how one is perceived.
According to Tasha’s research, most people tend to believe they are fully self-aware, but only 10-15% of the people studied actually fit the criteria.
In-depth research on self-awareness proves that when we are genuinely in tune with ourselves, our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, we become increasingly more confident. We open up our creative side, make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively, leading to more effective leaders, higher employee satisfaction, and profitable companies. And bonus!– With this clarity, we are also less likely to lie, cheat, and steal, leading to less undesired behavior.
This acknowledgment is probably why Tasha Euric also tells us in her article that self-awareness is quickly becoming the latest buzzword in management, and not without good reason.
Personal Intelligence Expands Both Individuals & Company Structures
Designed to help us grow, personal intelligence helps us become the best self we can possibly be by expanding our self-awareness in an easy and non-threatening way. But along the way, the creators realized that personal intelligence is not only limited to individuals but also has highly positive effects on teams and large company structures. And nowadays, we couldn’t ask for a better time to get teams operating and performing at their peak.
A Drastic Shift is Necessary Today for the World of Tomorrow
A drastic shift needs to take place in business and leadership development to become more effective as a collective force, building a collective social intelligence rather than focusing only on the individual leaders.
Focusing solely on individual leaders is an obsolete method of the past. Today, we focus on the collective as a whole, including every single team of an organization.
What role do self-management and emotional intelligence play in business?
To answer this question, we need to go back in time to see how leadership development programs have evolved.
In the 1970s, the main focus was on leadership according to context, narrowing it down to situations, relationships, and the complexity of challenges. Later, there was a significant shift toward placing relationships at the core of leadership development in the nineties. Within just a few decades, the transition went from IQ to EQ – emotional intelligence.
In the last twenty years, we have been able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the need for leadership to be spread throughout the entire organization and not just remain the sole responsibility withheld at an executive level. The focus on individual leaders is dissipating and transforming to fulfill the present need for collective leadership, for leaders who can build and manage networks beyond corporate boundaries and use them for the greater good. This collaborative leadership means that companies have to quickly get with the program and start embracing higher levels of engagement and empowerment.
EQ is Becoming Social Intelligence
EQ is becoming social intelligence, and where we see the most crucial shift in leadership. Beyond personal intelligence, why is social intelligence so essential to develop in this day and age? Social intelligence is all about working together as a collective, comparable to an orchestra. Nowadays, remote work has become the new norm for most companies globally. This new norm is why we have to learn to bond and connect with a common business purpose while we are physically in different locations, offices, and even countries. We need a sustainable collaboration and norms that can galvanize teams and organizations more intensely.
Company structures are rapidly changing compared to the past. They are much less structured, more diverse, and far less hierarchical. Global teams undoubtedly need to be more in touch with their social intelligence than ever before to collaborate effectively, knowing that they are only strongest as a whole and being conscious of their shared strengths and objectives. Our company is passionate about and devoted to this intelligence. We accompany our clients to attain a sustainable setup, a shared vision, an influential work structure, and a business model. This approach ultimately builds the individual to be part of a team and then part of an organization.
