emotional intelligence

Leader's Self-Awareness

A Look in the Mirror: Leader’s Self-awareness | Dr. Will Ramey
A Look in the Mirror: Leader’s Self-awareness | Dr. Will Ramey 800 600 OnTheStacks
Leader's Self-Awareness
Research Backed Approaches to Leadership and Team Dynamics with Dr. Will Ramey, The Leadership Dr.

In order to lead others, you have to be able to lead yourself. I’m not talking about management and organizational skills. I am talking about knowing who you are, how you show up, and what impact you are having on others. This is self-awareness and it is a sub-dimension of emotional intelligence. Here we share what it is, why it’s important to leadership, and how to develop yours over time.

Who’s looking back in your mirror?

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, how can I be the best leader of them all? If only it were that easy. Developing self-awareness requires you to be open, acknowledge what you are not good at, then deciding to act. Self-awareness is only the first part of practicing good leadership, deciding to take steps to improve is the next.

I have found myself standing at this crossroads several times in my career. When someone holds that mirror up to me, I have a decision to make a) be thankful and absorb the feedback I’m receiving then do nothing, b) be thankful and absorb the feedback I’m receiving then choose to make a change, c) engage in a defensive conversation about my behavior and give 15 different excuses as to why I did what I did… I can admit at times I’ve chosen all three. What I find most beneficial is option a) and/or b). Being grateful for the feedback that someone shared so that I can increase self-awareness is always a good option.

As a leader, you have a responsibility to guide and inspire your team. But in order to be an effective leader, you need to first understand and improve yourself. That’s where self-awareness and self-improvement come in.

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Self-improvement is the process of taking steps to become a better version of yourself. In leadership, both self-awareness and self-improvement are crucial for success. Let’s take a closer look at why.

Raise your awareness to connect with your team

Self-awareness is an essential component of effective leadership. Here are just a few reasons why:

  1. Better decision-making: Leaders who are self-aware are better able to make decisions that align with their values, goals, and strengths.
  2. Improved communication: Self-aware leaders are better able to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and expectations to their team members.
  3. Increased emotional intelligence: Self-awareness is a key component of emotional intelligence, which is critical for effective leadership.
  4. Stronger relationships: Self-aware leaders are better able to build strong relationships with their team members, creating a positive and supportive work environment.

With this awareness comes the choice to act. As you start to develop awareness and piece together how your actions have impact on your team, now you have a choice. Are you getting the most out of your team? Are you effectively leading your team through influence, communication, and relationships? If not, it’s time for self-improvement.

Improve yourself – improve your team

Here are benefits you’ll get out of continuously development of your leadership abilities:

  1. Continuous learning: Leaders who are committed to self-improvement are always seeking to learn and grow, which can help them stay ahead of the curve in their industry.
  2. Improved skills: Self-improvement can help leaders develop new skills and improve existing ones, making them more effective at their job.
  3. Better adaptability: Self-improvement can help leaders become more adaptable and flexible, which is essential in today’s rapidly changing business environment.
  4. Increased resilience: Leaders who prioritize self-improvement are better able to bounce back from setbacks and challenges, making them more effective in the long run.

How to Develop Self-Awareness and Self-Improvement as a Leader

So how can you develop self-awareness and self-improvement as a leader? Here are some tips:

  • Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness practices like meditation and deep breathing can help you become more self-aware and present in the moment. (For more on this subject: How Mindfulness Helps You Lead | Dr. Will Ramey)
  • Seek feedback: Ask for feedback from your team members, colleagues, and mentors on your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Reflect on your values and goals: Take time to reflect on your core values and long-term goals, and think about how your actions align with them. (For more on this subject: Leaders – Make Time to Reflect | Dr. Will Ramey)
  • Develop a growth mindset: Adopt a growth mindset and embrace challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement.
  • Set goals: Set specific, measurable goals for improving your skills and abilities, and track your progress over time.

By developing self-awareness and committing to self-improvement, you can become the best leader you can be. By understanding yourself and continuously improving, you can inspire and guide your team towards success. So why not start today? Not sure how to get started and want to explore the benefits of getting a personal coach? Reach out to me. Let’s work together to help you unlock your potential and reach your goals.

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Let’s continue the conversation. Connect with me on LinkedIn Dr. William Ramey | LinkedIn

Interested in having me facilitate a leadership or team development workshop for your organization? Reach out or checkout my website: Will Ramey Leadership & Team Dynamic Workshop

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Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

Emotional Intelligence in Leadership | Dr. Will Ramey
Emotional Intelligence in Leadership | Dr. Will Ramey 800 600 OnTheStacks
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
Research Backed Approaches to Leadership and Team Dynamics with Dr. Will Ramey, The Leadership Dr.

As a leader, you are expected to inspire and guide your team towards success. But what sets the most effective leaders apart from the rest? According to research, one key factor is emotional intelligence. Here we share what it is, why it’s important to leadership, and how to develop yours over time.

Something unique about my career path is that I have never actually performed the tasks or been in the role of the teams’ I’ve led. I’ve never had the technical expertise or requisite knowledge to be considered a subject matter expert. What I do believe has set me apart when leading teams is my focus on people. I realized the need to develop and grow my emotional intelligence. Doing so enables me to connect and build relationships with my team so we can communicate, remove roadblocks, and build a shared understanding of goals and objectives for performance, without requiring a high degree of technical expertise.

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is the ability to recognize and regulate your own emotions, as well as understand and respond to the emotions of others. While IQ and technical skills are certainly important, studies show that EQ may be an even stronger predictor of leadership success.

So why does EQ matter in leadership, and how can you develop this important skill set? Let’s take a closer look.

Understanding Emotional Intelligence

EQ has five key components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Let’s break these down:

  1. Self-awareness: This involves understanding your own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses, and how they impact your behavior and decisions.
  2. Self-regulation: This involves managing your own emotions and impulses in a constructive way, rather than letting them control you.
  3. Motivation: This involves having a strong drive to achieve goals and a positive outlook on the future.
  4. Empathy: This involves understanding and responding to the emotions of others, and being able to see things from their perspective.
  5. Social skills: This involves building strong relationships and networks, and being able to communicate effectively with others.

Each of these components is important for effective leadership. Leaders who are self-aware, emotionally stable, motivated, empathetic, and skilled at communication are better able to inspire and motivate their teams, resolve conflicts, and navigate challenging situations.

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

So why does emotional intelligence matter in leadership? There are several reasons:

  1. Better communication: Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to communicate clearly and effectively with their teams, building trust and rapport.
  2. Stronger relationships: Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to build strong relationships with their team members, creating a positive and supportive work environment.
  3. Improved decision-making: Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to regulate their own emotions and make decisions based on reason, rather than being swayed by emotions.
  4. More effective conflict resolution: Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to understand and respond to the emotions of others, making them more effective at resolving conflicts and negotiating solutions.
  5. Increased team performance: Leaders with high emotional intelligence are able to motivate and inspire their teams, leading to higher levels of engagement, productivity, and overall performance.

Developing Emotional Intelligence

The good news is that emotional intelligence can be developed, even if you don’t naturally possess all of the components. Here are some strategies for developing your emotional intelligence:

  1. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness practices like meditation, deep breathing, and yoga can help you become more aware of your own emotions and better able to regulate them. (See my article: How Mindfulness Helps You Lead)
  2. Seek feedback: Ask for feedback from others on your emotional intelligence and be open to constructive criticism.
  3. Practice empathy: Put yourself in the shoes of others and try to understand their perspective and emotions.
  4. Build relationships: Make an effort to build strong relationships with your team members, and work on your communication and social skills.
  5. Set goals: Set goals for improving your emotional intelligence and track your progress over time.

By developing your emotional intelligence, you can become a more effective leader and inspire your team to achieve great things. So why not take the first step today?

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Let’s continue the conversation. Connect with me on LinkedIn Dr. William Ramey | LinkedIn

Interested in having me facilitate a leadership or team development workshop for your organization? Reach out or checkout my website: Will Ramey Leadership & Team Dynamic Workshop

Check out my OnTheStacks Podcast episode here: 

If you find value and enjoy our content, smash that YouTube Subscribe button here: OnTheStacks YouTube Channel

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Impact of Emotional Displays

Emotional Displays with Purpose | Dr. Will Ramey
Emotional Displays with Purpose | Dr. Will Ramey 800 600 OnTheStacks
Impact of Emotional Displays
Research Backed Approaches to Leadership and Team Dynamics with Dr. Will Ramey, The Leadership Dr.

Have you ever thought about how your emotional displays impact your team’s behavior? Well, it turns out that your emotions play a significant role in your followers’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). We share how to put your emotional intelligence into action and impact your team’s willingness to take on tasks outside of their job description.

Your Team is Watching

About seven years ago I finally came to a realization. I always knew and learned that how you behave as a leader matters. It makes a difference in your day. Fundamentally I understood that when you hold a formal leadership position in an organization, you have an inherent responsibility to model positive behavior. We all understand that, comprehend it, but what does it look like, how can you practice it, and put your emotional displays to work. Early in my leadership journey I would wear my emotions on my sleeve. All of the positive emotion and negative emotion would come out and be on display. I’d go home exhausted. The amount of pivots in my day, the ups and downs wore on me. Gaining an understanding of how my emotional displays, both positive and negative, impacted my team opened my eyes. Learning to harness my emotions and engage my emotional intelligence, has helped me, as well as, my team become more effective and go above and beyond.

What is OCB?

If you’re not familiar with the term, organizational citizenship behavior, or OCB, refers to the discretionary actions that employees take to improve the overall effectiveness of their workplace. These actions mean going beyond what is expected from the job description and can include things like helping coworkers, volunteering for tasks, and offering constructive feedback. These behaviors lead to positive team dynamics and can impact team effectiveness and performance over time.

A study published in The Leadership Quarterly found that when leaders express positive emotions, such as joy or pride, their followers are more likely to engage in OCB. On the other hand, negative emotions like anger or frustration can decrease OCB. The findings also suggest that the level of emotional contagion (i.e., the degree to which followers “catch” their leader’s emotions) effects the relationship between leaders’ emotional displays and followers’ OCB.

Link between Leader’s emotions and OCB

  • Leaders’ emotional displays have a significant impact on their followers’ organizational citizenship behavior.
  • Positive emotions expressed by leaders have a more significant impact on followers’ OCB than negative emotions.
  • Emotional contagion mediates the relationship between leaders’ emotional displays and followers’ OCB.

We often underestimate the power of emotions and how they can shape our team’s behavior. As leaders, we need to be more self-aware of how our emotions can impact our team. By expressing more positive emotions, being mindful of negative emotions, and leading by example, we can create a more positive and productive work environment for our team.

Displaying Positive Emotions

What can you do to be more purposeful and display positive emotions as a leader?

Here are some tips:

  1. Express positive emotions: As a leader, you set the tone for your team’s emotions. So, when you’re feeling happy or proud, share that with your team! Celebrate successes and show gratitude for hard work. This will encourage your team to engage in positive behaviors.
  2. Be mindful of negative emotions: Of course, as a leader, you’re not going to be happy all the time. But when you’re feeling angry or frustrated, try to be mindful of how you’re expressing those emotions. Instead of lashing out, take a deep breath and consider how you can express your emotions in a constructive way.
  3. Lead by example: Finally, remember that your team is looking to you for guidance. If you want your team to engage in positive behaviors, you need to lead by example. Show your team what it means to be a positive, productive member of the organization.
  4. Practice Mindfulness: To find out how and the benefits to you and your team read my article: How Mindfulness Helps You Lead | Dr. Will Ramey | OnTheStacks

Like it or not, as a leader, your emotions play a crucial role in shaping your team’s behavior. By expressing positive emotions, being mindful of negative emotions, and leading by example, you can encourage your team to engage in positive organizational citizenship behavior. So, let’s spread positivity and make our organizations even better!

Reference: “How leaders’ emotional displays shape followers’ organizational citizenship behavior” by Lukas F. Koning and Gerben A. Van Kleef published in The Leadership Quarterly 2015

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Let’s continue the conversation. Connect with me on LinkedIn Dr. William Ramey | LinkedIn

Interested in working together? Check out my services here: Leader & Team Development, Coaching, and Workshops

Check out my OnTheStacks Podcast episode here: 

If you find value and enjoy our content, smash that YouTube Subscribe button here: OnTheStacks YouTube Channel

Want to see more OnTheStacks Content?

Follow us everywhere on social media:

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | TikTok | Website

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