Self-Awareness (The first pillar of EI!) 

In my reflection post yesterday, I shared the findings of Dr Daniel Goleman’s work, that it’s EI (Emotional Intelligence) that distinguishes great leaders from merely good ones (not IQ or technical skills) and the link between a company’s success and the emotional intelligence of its leaders. According to one research, when senior managers at one company had a critical mass of EI capabilities, their divisions outperformed yearly earning goals by 20%. 

Let’s dive deeper into the first component of EI from "HBR’s 10 MUST READS On Leadership": 

Self-awareness is the foundational component of emotional intelligence and is defined as a deep understanding of one's own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs, and drives. People with a high degree of self-awareness are honest with themselves and others, rather than being overly critical or unrealistically hopeful. They recognize how their feelings impact themselves, other people, and their job performance. For instance, a self-aware person who knows that tight deadlines cause them stress will plan their time carefully to get work done well in advance. Similarly, an employee with high self-awareness working with a demanding client will understand the client's impact on their own mood and the underlying reasons for their frustration. 

Self-aware people show confidence, avoid overstretching, and know when to seek help. They take calculated risks and play to their strengths. For example, a midlevel employee in a strategy meeting contributed clear, logical ideas in areas she knew well, while avoiding unfamiliar topics. Despite its value, organizations often overlook self-awareness, mistaking candor for weakness. In reality, self-aware leaders inspire respect and make better judgments, as their honesty about personal and organizational capabilities builds trust and ensures balanced decision-making. 

Interesting fact: 

Emotional intelligence is born largely in the neurotransmitters of the brain’s limbic system, which governs emotions, impulses, and motivation. Unlike the neocortex, which handles logic, analysis, and technical skills, the limbic system learns differently. Logical skills can be learned quickly by reading or studying, but emotional skills such as patience, empathy, and self-control require motivation, extended practice, and feedback over time.

Many training programs fail to improve emotional intelligence because they treat it like a technical subject, focusing only on lectures or reading materials. Research shows that this “neocortical” approach does not help and can even reduce job performance. 

To truly enhance emotional intelligence, organizations must focus on the limbic system. This means helping people break old habits and build new behaviors through continuous practice and personal feedback!

#myreflections #anideaaday #selfawareness #emotionalintelligence