Trí tuệ xúc cảm, năng lực cần thiết để trở thành người lãnh đạo giỏi

1. Trí tuệ xúc cảm là gì?

Theo Daniel Goleman một nhà tâm lý học nổi tiếng người Mỹ: Trí tuệ xúc cảm là khả năng tự nhận biết, giám sát và quản lý những cảm xúc của chính bản thân mình và cảm xúc của những người khác, sử dụng những cảm xúc đó một cách hiệu quả trong giao tiếp, trong công việc của bản thân.

Trí tuệ xúc cảm là một phần không thể thiếu để trở thành một người lãnh đạo giỏi, qua nhiều nghiên cứu Goleman nhận thấy rằng: Những phẩm chất truyền thống đối với người lãnh đạo như sự thông minh, tính quả quyết, tầm nhìn, sự bền bỉ … là cần thiết cho sự thành công, nhưng như thế vẫn chưa đủ. Để trở thành một người lãnh đạo lớn đòi hỏi bạn phải có khả năng tốt về trí tuệ cảm xúc được thể hiện qua sự tự nhận thức chính mình, tự quản lý bản thân hay khả năng làm chủ bản thân, động cơ thúc đẩy, ý thức xã hội và một số kỹ năng xã hội. (Goleman, D. (2004). What makes a leader?. Harvard Business Review)

Goleman cũng cho rằng, trí tuệ xúc cảm là một điều kiện tiên quyết cho sự thành công của người lãnh đạo. Nó không phải là tính chất bẩm sinh, bạn có thể tự nâng cao qua quá trình sống, học tập, công tác.

2. Mô hình trí tuệ xúc cảm

Theo Goleman nó được thể hiện ở hai khía cạnh là năng lực bản thân và năng lực xã hội. Năng lực bản thân bao gồm sự tự nhận thức, tự quản lý bản thân, động lực thúc đẩy. Năng lực xã hội bao gồm sự nhận thức xã hội và những kỹ năng xã hội. Để hiểu rõ hơn các bạn có thể tham khảo 25 competencies:

Personal Competence
a. Self-awareness:
1). Emotional awareness: Recognizing one’s emotions and their effects. People with this competence:
• Know which emotions they are feeling and why
• Realize the links between their feelings and what they think, do, and say
• Recognize how their feelings affect their performance
• Have a guiding awareness of their values and goals
2). Accurate self-assessment: Knowing one’s strengths and limits. People with this competence are:
• Aware of their strengths and weaknesses
• Reflective, learning from experience
• Open to candid feedback, new perspectives, continuous learning, and self-development
• Able to show a sense of humor and perspective about themselves
3). Self-confidence: Sureness about one’s self-worth and capabilities. People with this competence:
• Present themselves with self-assurance; have .presence.
• Can voice views that are unpopular and go out on a limb for what is right
• Are decisive, able to make sound decisions despite uncertainties and pressures
b. Self-regulation:
4). Self-control: Managing disruptive emotions and impulses. People with this competence:
• Manage their impulsive feelings and distressing emotions well
• Stay composed, positive, and unflappable even in trying moments
• Think clearly and stay focused under pressure
5). Trustworthiness: Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity. People with this competence:
• Act ethically and are above reproach
• Build trust through their reliability and authenticity
• Admit their own mistakes and confront unethical actions in others
• Take tough, principled stands even if they are unpopular
6). Conscientiousness: Taking responsibility for personal performance. People with this competence:
• Meet commitments and keep promises
• Hold themselves accountable for meeting their objectives
• Are organized and careful in their work
7). Adaptability: Flexibility in handling change. People with this competence:
• Smoothly handle multiple demands, shifting priorities, and rapid change
• Adapt their responses and tactics to fit fluid circumstances
• Are flexible in how they see events
8). Innovativeness: Being comfortable with and open to novel ideas and new information. People with this competence:
• Seek out fresh ideas from a wide variety of sources
• Entertain original solutions to problems
• Generate new ideas
• Take fresh perspectives and risks in their thinking
c. Self-motivation:
9). Achievement drive: Striving to improve or meet a standard of excellence. People with this competence:
• Are results-oriented, with a high drive to meet their objectives and standards
• Set challenging goals and take calculated risks
• Pursue information to reduce uncertainty and find ways to do better
• Learn how to improve their performance
10). Commitment: Aligning with the goals of the group or organization. People with this competence:
• Readily make personal or group sacrifices to meet a larger organizational goal
• Find a sense of purpose in the larger mission
• Use the group’s core values in making decisions and clarifying choices
• Actively seek out opportunities to fulfill the group’s mission
11). Initiative: Readiness to act on opportunities. People with this competence:
• Are ready to seize opportunities
• Pursue goals beyond what’s required or expected of them
• Cut through red tape and bend the rules when necessary to get the job done
• Mobilize others through unusual, enterprising efforts
12). Optimism: Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks. People with this competence:
• Persist in seeking goals despite obstacles and setbacks
• Operate from hope of success rather than fear of failure
• See setbacks as due to manageable circumstance rather than a personal flaw

Social Competence
d. Social Awareness
13). Empathy: Sensing others’ feelings and perspective, and taking an active interest in their concerns. People with this competence:
• Are attentive to emotional cues and listen well
• Show sensitivity and understand others’ perspectives
• Help out based on understanding other people’s needs and feelings
14). Service orientation: Anticipating, recognizing, and meeting customers’ needs. People with this competence:
• Understand customers’ needs and match them to services or products
• Seek ways to increase customers’ satisfaction and loyalty
• Gladly offer appropriate assistance
• Grasp a customer’s perspective, acting as a trusted advisor
15). Developing others: Sensing what others need in order to develop, and bolstering their abilities. People with this competence:
• Acknowledge and reward people’s strengths, accomplishments, and development
• Offer useful feedback and identify people’s needs for development
• Mentor, give timely coaching, and offer assignments that challenge and grow a person’s skills.
16). Leveraging diversity: Cultivating opportunities through diverse people. People with this competence:
• Respect and relate well to people from varied backgrounds
• Understand diverse worldviews and are sensitive to group differences
• See diversity as opportunity, creating an environment where diverse people can thrive
• Challenge bias and intolerance
17). Political awareness: Reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships. People with this competence:
• Accurately read key power relationships
• Detect crucial social networks
• Understand the forces that shape views and actions of clients, customers, or competitors
• Accurately read situations and organizational and external realities
e. Social Skills:
18). Influence: Wielding effective tactics for persuasion. People with this competence:
• Are skilled at persuasion
• Fine-tune presentations to appeal to the listener
• Use complex strategies like indirect influence to build consensus and support
• Orchestrate dramatic events to effectively make a point
19). Communication: Sending clear and convincing messages. People with this competence:
• Are effective in give-and-take, registering emotional cues in attuning their message
• Deal with difficult issues straightforwardly
• Listen well, seek mutual understanding, and welcome sharing of information fully
• Foster open communication and stay receptive to bad news as well as good
20). Leadership: Inspiring and guiding groups and people. People with this competence:
• Articulate and arouse enthusiasm for a shared vision and mission
• Step forward to lead as needed, regardless of position
• Guide the performance of others while holding them accountable
• Lead by example
21). Change catalyst: Initiating or managing change. People with this competence:
• Recognize the need for change and remove barriers
• Challenge the status quo to acknowledge the need for change
• Champion the change and enlist others in its pursuit
• Model the change expected of others
22). Conflict management: Negotiating and resolving disagreements. People with this competence:
• Handle difficult people and tense situations with diplomacy and tact
• Spot potential conflict, bring disagreements into the open, and help deescalate
• Encourage debate and open discussion
• Orchestrate win-win solutions
23). Building bonds: Nurturing instrumental relationships. People with this competence:
• Cultivate and maintain extensive informal networks
• Seek out relationships that are mutually beneficial
• Build rapport and keep others in the loop
• Make and maintain personal friendships among work associates
24). Collaboration and cooperation: Working with others toward shared goals. People with this competence:
• Balance a focus on task with attention to relationships
• Collaborate, sharing plans, information, and resources
• Promote a friendly, cooperative climate
• Spot and nurture opportunities for collaboration
25). Team capabilities: Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals. People with this competence:
• Model team qualities like respect, helpfulness, and cooperation
• Draw all members into active and enthusiastic participation
• Build team identity, esprit de corps, and commitment
• Protect the group and its reputation; share credit