‘Today, more than ever, leading with emotional intelligence is crucial and can reap many benefits’

Edmond Bonett, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Corinthia Caterers, on Thursday (today) highlighted that it has become integral for business leaders to incorporate emotional intelligence in their management styles, especially given the constant need to adapt and adjust.

Mr Bonett was reflecting on the different types of management that leaders tend to utilise, with these including, transformational, transaction, authoritative, collaborative, and charismatic, among many others.

Management has changed tremendously over the years, with different styles working for different teams and situations. Given the rapidly-changing business environment, driven by developments in technology and a growing emphasis on work-life balance, business leaders need to find the right style for them. It is integral for managers and leaders to have a clear understanding of both the organisation’s targets and objectives, as well as what their team wants and needs.

“Can your approach, the way you come across, project yourself, communicate, show genuine interest in personal matters, or even instantly disregard them, win people over, or on the contrary, push them away?” Mr Bonett questioned.

He also asked whether a leader is reflecting their core values and personal beliefs in their style of management and approach to particular situations, and whether doing what is important to them a reflection of the manager they are. Mr Bonett added that in his opinion, leaders need to invest time in getting to know their teams, something that should be “quite natural and actually leads to mutual benefits.”

Additionally, he questioned whether truly understanding what the team feels is a matter tied to company culture or the culture of who is leading the team, setting the tone and examples for them to follow.

“It is a very well-known fact that our level of emotional intelligence differs considering the type of person we are and what we believe in,” he remarked.

Emotional intelligence is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as the ability for individuals to understand and control their own feelings, while also being able to understand others’ feelings and react to them in a suitable way. It enables leaders to handle interpersonal relationships in a judicious and empathetic manner.

Over a decade ago, Psychologist Daniel Goleman popularised the idea of emotional intelligence in leadership, noting that the most effective leaders are similar to one another, all having some form of emotional intelligence. “It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but, they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions,” he had stated, before outlining self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills as the five components of emotional intelligence.

Mr Bonett said that from his own perspective, “today, more than ever before, leading with emotional intelligence is crucial and can reap many benefits.” While he acknowledged that this approach may not be for everyone, leaders can explore it further on in their careers or personal life.

“Good or bad manager? There could be many situational circumstances attributing to the cause. In the end, irrelevant of title, responsibilities, personality, character, and challenges, likes and dislikes, amongst others, we are all different in our own very special ways,” he continued.

Mr Bonett stressed that everything around us is constantly changing, and as a result, humans, whether or not they are leaders, need to do “exactly the same.” While understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses can serve as a starting point, they also need to delve deeper if they want to achieve a better version of themselves.

“Be proud of who you are, what you have achieved or achieving, and what you believe in, irrelevant of certain external opinions. However, be true to yourself, be self-critical, and happily welcome constructive criticism and the opportunity to improve that it brings along with it,” he said, wrapping up.