One of my earliest clients, the CEO of a tech startup, initially dismissed the idea of emotional intelligence as "soft skills" irrelevant to his success.

Six months later, after implementing my strategies he saw a 40% reduction in team turnover and a significant improvement in outcomes.

The difference?

A trauma-informed, emotionally intelligent leadership approach.

Research shows that Emotional Intelligence (EI) predicts approximately 60 percent of success in the work and only about 30 percent of people are aware of their emotions and its impact on others.

Emotional Intelligence is a person’s ability to control, manage, and regulate their own emotions and respond well to those of others.

As a Leadership Psychologist with over three decades of experience working with executives and organizations, I've observed firsthand how emotional intelligence (EI) can make or break leadership effectiveness.

In this blog post, let’s understand emotional intelligence in leadership, its role in identifying trauma, and ways to develop it.

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Table Of Contents

1. What is Emotional Intelligence?

2. Five Ways Emotional Intelligence Transforms Leadership

3. Role of EQ in Identifying Trauma

4. Practical Methods to Develop Emotional Intelligence

5. Conclusion

6. FAQs

What is Emotional Intelligence?

The term “Emotional intelligence” was coined by Peter Salavoy and John Mayer in 1990 but Daniel Goleman popularized it in 1995 through his book Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is about having the right qualities to help one manage their emotions and develop fulfilling relationships in both personal and professional lives.

For decades, the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was associated with job performance, income, and academic achievements, and it was the only intelligence that was talked about.

However, in light of recent events of toxic work culture and employee suicide, Social Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence have also become popular.

EI is made up of five elements:

1. Self-awareness: Self-awareness isn't just recognizing one’s emotions but their neurobiological undertones.

As a leadership psychologist, I use validated psychometric tools like the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) to help leaders develop clinical self-awareness.

2. Self-regulation: An important aspect of being emotionally intelligent is to regulate your emotions instead of letting them control you.

When we're triggered, our nervous system responds before our conscious mind. By recognizing these responses, leaders can regulate feelings more effectively.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique is an effective tool to ground yourself by writing:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can touch
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

This technique activates your parasympathetic nervous system to a regulated state.

3. Motivation: Completing the required task even when you’re not interested in it is a sign of EQ.

Individuals with high EQ don’t wait for motivation, they work with discipline by keeping emotions in check.

4. Empathy: This soft skill is one of the most wonderful skills to possess as a leader. By putting yourself in other people’s shoes and treating them kindly, you can conquer all battles.

Clinical empathy, however, differs from everyday empathy.

It's a structured approach to understanding and responding to others' emotional states.

In my practice, I've observed leaders who develop clinical empathy see a 50% improvement in team psychological safety scores.

Case Study: A technology company I worked with implemented regular empathy circles - structured sessions where team members shared challenges while others practiced clinical empathy skills. Within six months, their employee engagement scores increased greatly.

5. Social Skills: The ability to communicate, negotiate, and make people feel seen and heard is called social skills.

EI not only plays an important role in maintaining healthy personal relationships but also professional relationships. Let’s explore it in the next section.