Emotional leadership according to Daniel Goleman

Knowing how to lead is one of the most important skills for people who work with teams. Whether you are a company manager or someone who needs to motivate others, have the ability to inspiring and directing is essential to achieve all types of objectives. And although there are many ways to achieve this, one of the most effective is emotional leadership.

This concept was introduced by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee in their book Primal Leadership. In it, they talked about six types of emotional leadership. Each of them is useful in a specific situation, but the good news is that they can all be developed with effort and involvement.

However, emotional leadership It is not the only way to lead a team or group.. In this article we will see what exactly it consists of and what its main advantages and disadvantages are compared to a more rational approach.

What is emotional leadership?

The leadership styles described by Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee differ from those described by other authors in its marked effects on the emotions of the people on whom they are used. Thus, each of the six will have a different impact on the way a team or group feels; Therefore, depending on the results you want to achieve, it will be more effective to use one or the other.

One of the most important concepts in the book Primal Leadership the thing is There is no emotional leadership style that is better than the others.. Each of them has a series of advantages and points that do not fit well on all occasions; It is necessary to know them when deciding which one to use at any given time. A good leader must be able to master them all and choose the most appropriate one for each situation.

Daniel Goleman

The six types of emotional leadership are as follows:

Authoritative.Coach.Affiliative.Democratic.Coercive.helmsman.

Although each of them has quite different characteristics, They are all based on understanding other people’s emotions.. That is precisely where the name “emotional leadership” comes from. However, is it always appropriate to use one of these six styles to lead a group? The answer depends on the circumstances we face.

Advantages and disadvantages of emotional leadership

The reality is that, like virtually any other skill or approach, This way of seeing leadership has both negative and positive parts.. Below we will see some of the most important ones. This will help us decide in each situation if appealing to emotions is the most appropriate, or if, on the contrary, it is necessary for us to use an approach based more on logic and less on empathy.

Advantages

It is undeniable that leading a team based on good emotional intelligence will provide us with all kinds of benefits. One of the most important is that Doing so will help us achieve a balance between meeting our objectives and creating good relationships at work.. This will probably involve sacrificing the company’s efficiency to some extent, but in exchange it will provide greater well-being and happiness for all workers.

On the other hand, a good emotional leader You will be able to enhance the positive characteristics of your entire team. Using the teachings of this style of group management, you can help others discover their talents and develop fully. In addition, it will make employees more motivated, something essential for the good management of a company.

Disadvantages

However, employing an emotional leadership style may not be optimal in all circumstances. Sometimes doing so can have a series of negative repercussions, such as those listed below:

Can lead the leader to act impulsively. This could be harmful to the company and its objectives, because running a business generally requires a more rational approach.Causes self-control problems. Sometimes a leader has to make complicated decisions, which can be hard on an emotional level. If there is an excess of empathy, the execution can become complicated, turning against the process itself.Slows down or worsens results. At certain times, it is necessary for a leader to focus exclusively on what he has to achieve. However, for someone who worries excessively about the emotions of others, this will be tremendously difficult.Can cause emotional fluctuations. Finally, an excess of empathy and connection with one’s own emotions can cause them to influence one’s own state of mind too much. Generally, a leader has to be an example of solidity and stability; However, achieving this can be very difficult when you are under the siege of uncontrolled feelings.

In general, adopting one of the six emotional leadership styles will be very beneficial for a company or work team. However, Sometimes it is necessary to examine whether doing so is really what is best for the workers and the objectives set.. As in almost all areas of life, the answer is not so simple.

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