Lower grades of emotional intelligence among leaders and Chief Executive Officers have negatively impacted productivity as well as the wellbeing of the society. Avoiding, negative emotions not mar the working atmosphere is necessary, so disclosed scholar.
Dr. Seifu Bekertision, Assistance professor of Public Management at Ethiopia Civil Service University and currently working in the College of Leadership and Good Governance, said there are few organizations that work on emotional intelligence specifically tailored for leaders.
But most organizations gravitate towards routine activities based upon working schedules, job descriptions, accepting top-down decisions. Hence, special attentions should be given to handing of emotional intelligence among chief executive officers and leaders in both governmental and private owned institutions. Most of the leaders prove incapable in managing negative emotions.
He went on to say that negative emotions most likely result in distraction. It is disastrous for one and his/her surroundings. As it is contagious by its very nature negative emotions can easily be transferred to other parties.
This affects the working condition in any organization. The reverse is also true. If one happens to be positive and open, one can cultivate satisfactory results.
Empowering CEOs and leaders in managing negative emotions are pertinent for oneself, surroundings, developing social skills and creativity. Working on emotional intelligence is definitely is a crucial element for leaders and Chief Executive Officers.
“Social development is a cumulative result of managing emotions. Emotional aspects are more of human. Doing jobs and tasks in accordance with job descriptions, without having destruction and disturbance, could guarantee outcomes for organizations.
If the working condition is enthusing, then, it indirectly warrants the social development of the country,” He indicated.
He capitalized that emotional intelligence is a recently evolved field. There are different types of intelligence. So far, people have identified about 14 types of them.
Just to mention some of them analytical intelligent, bodily, creative, mathematical, economics and among others. In this regard, emotional intelligent is one of them. Emotional intelligent is a unique area because it is an extension of observing one self and one’s surroundings.
“I did not come across any governmental and private institution that pay attention to handling of negative emotions and exploiting the perks of emotional intelligence. Most of the organizations misunderstand the practical concept of emotional intelligence.
Officials misunderstand and judge emotional intelligence a forbidden territory dubbing it simply an as academic issue. Giving training pertaining to emotional intelligence should be taken into account. Working on emotional intelligence helps to improve productivity,” he noted.
Adding he noted that the basic component of emotional intelligence has encompasses five elements. The first one is awareness that refer to emotions one is currently experiencing.
Why experiencing them and how this self- awareness affecting the emotional senses with you and around you. Self- aware is affecting awareness about oneself. The second one is all about self-regulation.
This refers that the ability to control negative emotions. As human beings, all humans have emotions. Some of them are positive,while others are negative. That is natural.
And you have to keep them in check. That is a kind of special skill one has master going beyond the obvious. Usually,one is on dubty bound bound to keep and cross check one’s negative emotion and possibly suspend those unfavorable emotions.
This means that avoiding wrong impression and judgmental outlook based up on negative emotions. One has to think twice before acting. Negative effects have bad consequences. One has to be regulating oneself. One must not act on the impulse of negative emotions.
As to him, the third one is motivation. This implies to the desire to achieve goals and objectives. In your personal life or in the work places, there are pressures and obstacles that hampers one not to achieve one’s goals and tasks. When you face obstacles, achieving goals with positive outlook and optimistic perspective can be prioritized.
The fourth one is empathy, the ability to perceive and understand the other persons’ emotions. The fifth one is social skills, all about managing relation with others.
One has a working relation with people horizontally and vertically. So, one has to develop social skills and create good rapport with fellow workers. That helps a lot to create a positive working environment.
According to him, when you come to emotional intelligence pertaining to leadership, there are about four core points that has to be taken in to consideration. Self-awareness has also included in leadership as well. Self-mastering is also included in leadership and management.
And empathy is also taken as instrumental to lead people. Connecting with the people you lead and understanding them, are significant for guiding people.
This is all about creating good rapport and bringing positive energy in the mind state of workers and part of the society. Influencing others is key to manage and lead others with well-founded manners.
“Emotion is contagious. Whenever s/he is in a state of negative emotions, s/he can transfers it easily to others persons. If one transfers a negative emotions, one’s co-workers will be disturbed, or will be pushed to discomfort zones. So, the idea of emotional intelligence is all about knowing oneself, controlling oneself and motivating others, understanding others and creating working relation with others. Then, such acts contribute a lot to increase productivity.” He pointed out.
He stated that emotional intelligence is depending on where you are and you are working with. So, the point is it is highly depend on a number of actors.
Actually, it is not only in working area, it also includes at home. In the morning, if negative emotion follows you here and there, this effects on the day to day activity of mission accomplishment for. It affects workers daily performance.
He further mentioned that most Ethiopia individuals do not give due attention to emotional intelligence, these people focus on routine activities. They do not pay attention towards inner feelings. When workers stunt in the office, they are settling themselves in the engagement of routine activities.
These people need to have awareness training. You have to give consideration on how to manage myself and my surrounding.
The people should give priority for all objectives to achieve for. So, if you develop emotional intelligence, then everything would be positive and productivity will be increased.
The Ethiopia Herald February 23/2020
BY MEHARI BEYENE
