How Leaders Can Improve Their Emotional Intelligence
As experts, the members of Forbes Business Council have experience seeking out personal development opportunities and strengthening their own emotional intelligence. Below, 20 of them offer advice on specific actions leaders can take to improve their emotional intelligence. Read on to learn more about the impact emotional intelligence can have in the workplace.
1. Create Structure Around Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence isn't just personal—it's structural. Audit your leadership rituals, including one-on-one meetings, team meetings and reviews. Do they build trust, add clarity and explain ownership? Then, tie everything back to performance. In addition to connecting, leaders with high emotional intelligence also design systems that make people feel seen, valued and empowered to deliver. Rather than being soft, emotional intelligence is a strategic lever for better business outcomes. - Kamanasish (KK) Kundu, Kendra Scott
2. Hire An Executive Coach
There are so many resources available to help someone improve their emotional intelligence. I highly recommend hiring an executive coach who can be a trusted advisor. They can provide feedback on everything from helping to calm emotions and bettering listening skills to building proper rapport with team members. By understanding how you come across to others, you can improve your emotional strength. - Mary Kier, ZRG Partners, LLC
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3. Actively Reflect
Leaders often have tough conversations, which is just a natural part of their role. Practice active reflection after tough conversations. Ask yourself what triggered emotions, how you responded and what you could improve on. This builds self-awareness, which is the foundation of emotional intelligence. - Sam Nelson, Downstreet Digital
4. Communicate With Others
Talk to people and be curious. Don't assume you have all of the answers because you don't. Interact, listen and learn. All of this openness leads to growth, wisdom and maturity. It will also make you a better manager, a more effective leader and a higher quality individual, both at work and in your home life. - Dr. David Lenihan, Tiber Health
5. Solicit 360-Degree Feedback
Leaders can boost emotional intelligence by soliciting regular 360-degree feedback and reflecting through structured journaling to build self-awareness. This practice uncovers blind spots, enhances empathy and improves communication, which is vital for building trust, fostering collaboration and making more informed, people-centered decisions. - Casey Halbach, Intentional Talent Solutions
6. Do The Emotional Work
Emotional Intelligence is a reflection of one's relationship with oneself. Those who do their own personal emotional work have a distinction that can only be understood when one has undergone personal healing. You won't have the ability to understand others' emotional needs if you don't understand your own needs. If leaders want to improve their emotional intelligence, they must do their own emotional work. - Ariya Malek, Educational Awakening Center
7. Compare Logical And Emotional Decision Making
Take note of decisions made based on logic vs. emotion. Ask if your emotions impacted your decision making today? If so, how? What could you have done differently? Creating awareness of where we lack is the first step to self-improvement. Improving emotional intelligence allows leaders to connect with their employees better, ultimately creating a better work environment for them and their employees. - Sharmylla Siew, Cobalt Funding Solutions
8. Practice Self-Awareness
It sounds cliché, but practice self-awareness. Regularly reflect on your reactions and their impact. Understanding your own emotions will help you better understand and lead others. Self-awareness also helps build stronger relationships, foster trust, and drive more effective communication and overall team performance. - Adam Povlitz, Anago Cleaning Systems
9. Focus On Identifying Your Feelings
Learn to comprehend your feelings in the moment. Did you flinch when your colleague said something in a meeting? What was the feeling you had? Do you know why? Your feelings are pregnant with meaning. When you become aware of them in real time, you can powerfully calibrate your responses to the people around you without getting carried away by your emotions. - Arar Han, Sabot Family Companies
10. Develop Your Empathy Skills
Leaders can improve their emotional intelligence by actively practicing empathy. Take time to genuinely understand the perspectives and emotions of others. This not only builds stronger relationships and trust but also enhances decision making and team morale, which are both critical for long-term success. - Pranav Dalal, Office Beacon
11. Implement An Open-Door Policy
While self-awareness is key, emotional intelligence is built upon our relationships with others. I have an open-door policy for any and all teammates, which requires me to be approachable, an active listener and an empathetic leader. By enhancing our emotional intelligence through those practices, we improve employee well-being and ultimately drive success for the organization at large. - Maria Tedesco, Atlantic Union Bank
12. Create A Feedback Framework
One powerful way to improve emotional intelligence is by creating a feedback framework. Start by listening fully, not reacting immediately, reflecting and turning later insights into action. Following up on results, both positive and negative, builds trust, strengthens self-awareness and reinforces a culture of open, emotionally smart leadership. - Nicole Meloni, Azzurro Advisory LLC
13. Leverage TRACOM's Social Styles Model
Use TRACOM's driver, expressive, amiable or analytical lens to learn how others experience you. Then, train yourself to read their style cues like pace, detail, tone, approach or areas of focus and flex your approach. That daily 'style scan' builds self-awareness and adaptability, which are two core muscles of emotional intelligence that boost trust and influence. - Marie Holive, Proteus International
14. Adapt Your Communication Styles
Leaders must realize that they need to speak to colleagues how those team members want to be spoken to. By practicing adaptive communication styles, you're not only delivering information but also ensuring that the message resonates. This is an important skill in order to build trust and create a culture of collaboration and engagement. - Jackie (Ott) Jaakola, EveryCat Health Foundation
15. Be Curious About Other Team Members
Embrace curiosity to learn about others on your team. This leads to inquiry and different perspectives. When you communicate changes, try to imagine how these changes might be perceived and impact various people and roles in your organization. - Nora Herting, ImageThink
16. Practice Active Listening
Leaders with high emotional intelligence build stronger relationships, resolve conflicts more effectively, and create a positive environment. This, in turn, leads to increased trust, improved collaboration, and overall better team performance. Leaders can boost their emotional intelligence by practicing active listening, which helps them better understand and connect with their teams. - Roseanne Spagnuolo, Vixio Regulatory Intelligence
17. Seek Context
Context changes everything. We've all been in situations where we reach conclusions based on a limited number of visible behaviors that we witness. It's only after learning the context do we discover incorrect assumptions and blind spots. Having emotional intelligence means we challenge assumptions, analyze blind spots, and use empathy to reach the appropriate conclusions. That means asking questions and not jumping to conclusions! - Jerry Cahn, Age Brilliantly
18. Pause Before Responding
In my experience, one of the most effective ways to build emotional intelligence is learning to pause before responding. I've found that a short pause gives you space to recognize what you're feeling and choose how you'll respond, not just react. It's a small habit, but it's made a big difference in how I lead and connect with others. - Daniel Levy, GovernmentOfficeFurniture.com
19. Practice 'Emotional Mirroring' During Interactions
Practice "emotional mirroring" in every interaction. Before responding to anyone, my top tip is to first pause and reflect back to them their emotional state. For example, you can say, "I can see you're frustrated about this deadline." This simple practice trains your emotional radar. After 14 years leading teams, I've learned that emotional capital drives every business outcome more than logic ever will. - Archer Chiang, Giftpack
20. Journal Your Emotional Responses
Set aside five minutes after each major interaction to journal your emotional responses. Identify triggers, note what you felt and why, then plan how you'll respond differently. This builds self-awareness and empathy, helping leaders connect authentically, defuse conflicts early, and foster a more engaged, resilient team. - Haokun Qin, Gale
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