Emotional Leadership According To Daniel Goleman

Leadership is one of the most important qualities that those who work with teams must have. People who want to motivate others need to have the opportunity to inspire and lead because that is the key to achieving all goals. And while there are many ways to achieve this, the most effective way to do this is through emotional leadership.

This concept was coined by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee in their book Primal Leadership. They mentioned six styles of emotional leadership. Each of them is useful in a particular situation. But the good news is that you can develop them all with enough effort and commitment.

However, emotional leadership is not the only way to lead a team. In this article, we explain what emotional leadership really is. And its main advantages and disadvantages in a more rational environment.

What is emotional leadership?

The leadership styles described by Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee differ from those described by other authors: they have a profound effect on the emotions of those who apply them.

Each of the six styles affects how a team feels and behaves. Depending on the result that the team wants to achieve, one style will be more effective to use than another.

One of the most important concepts they talk about in Primal Leadership is that there is no single best option when it comes to choosing an emotional leadership style. Each of the different styles has several advantages and different characteristics that may not suit all situations. Thus, the leader must know these qualities in order to choose which style to use and must also be able to master them all in order to be able to choose the best based on each situation.

The six styles are:

• Authoritarian
• Learning
• Related
• Democratic
• Imperative
• Pacing

Although each of them has very different characteristics, they are all based on understanding other people’s feelings. This is exactly where the name “emotional leadership” comes from. But is it always appropriate to use one of these six styles to lead a group? The answer depends on the circumstances that you as a leader face.

Pros and cons of emotional leadership

As with any other method or approach, this type of leadership has both advantages and disadvantages. Let’s look at some of the most important ones. They help us decide if it is wise to use emotions, or if it is best to use a more logical and less empathetic method in a prevailing situation.

Benefits

There is no denying that leading a group with emotional intelligence has many benefits. Leading in this way helps the group, for example, to find a balance between achieving the company’s goals and creating better working relationships.

This may mean that a certain degree of efficiency must be sacrificed, but that the well-being and happiness of employees will definitely increase.

On the other hand, a good leader will be able to improve the team’s good qualities. Using these styles to lead helps others discover their talents and develop professionally. In addition, you can get your workers more motivated, which is important for any company.

Cons

Sometimes , however, applying an emotional leadership style is not always the best choice in all situations. Sometimes it can have negative consequences such as:

• It can make leadership impulsive: This can prevent a company from making progress, as managing a company generally requires a more logical strategy.
• It causes problems with self-control: At certain times, a leader has to make tough decisions that can be difficult on an emotional level. If a leader is too empathetic, the whole business can be risked.
• Slows down or affects results: A leader must focus on the company’s goals. But someone who worries about the feelings of others will find this extremely difficult to do.
• It can cause emotional fluctuations: Finally, an abundance of empathy and contact with one’s own emotions can affect the mood too much. In general , a leader must set a good example that gives strength and stability.

Usually, implementing one of the six emotional leadership styles will benefit a company or a team. But sometimes it is necessary to evaluate whether it is in the best interests of workers and the company to achieve the common goals. Like most things in life, the answer is not so simple.