The Role of Emotional Intelligence in MBA Leadership

To enter and flourish in the business world, it is important to have technical and academic knowledge. But is it enough? A leadership role comes with many minor and major tasks. From communication, managing stress, to understanding the people. And to lead or work in a competitive environment, one needs to have Emotional Intelligence (EI). It is one of the crucial traits for a future business leader to develop. Students oftentimes find themselves in positions where they do not know how to tackle a question. Many find their quick fix in MBA Assignment Help UK. While others try and navigate the question using emotional intelligence. But how can that help a leader lead better? This is what this article aims to address. It will evaluate and explain the role of EI in MBA leadership. Along with tips to develop EI. So, let’s begin with the basic understanding of the term.

What is Emotional Intelligence (EI)?

It is the ability to understand, navigate and influence emotions. This includes both the leader and the emotions of others. Daniel Goleman is the man behind popularising this term. To explain it simply, he divided it into five key components:

• Self-awareness: This refers to the understanding of personal emotions. And how they influence behaviour and language.
• Self-regulation: The process of managing reactions and emotions healthily and politely.
• Motivation: Have a driving force to achieve goals with all might and passion.
• Empathy: Understanding and respecting others’ emotions and perspectives.
• Social skills: The skills to resolve conflicts, build healthy relationships and become a team player.

EI’s role in MBA Leadership

• Better team management: Teamwork is part of managerial roles that MBA students often end up taking. And with high EI, the leader is likely to build trust, understand others and motivate them as well. This makes it easier to collaborate and create better ideas. A team built on trust, transparency and understanding is likely to be more productive.
• Improves decision-making: Leaders who have better EI usually do not let their emotions control their judgement. They know how to control a situation and how to stay calm under pressure. This quality alone allows them to make better decisions and make a balanced plan. Further, it is also easier for them to read and negotiate with people and the decisions related to them.
• Strong communication: To lead a group, clear, respectful and empathetic communication is important. Here, EI helps the MBA leaders to express themselves clearly. Further, they put their point forward without offending others. Other than presenting their viewpoints, they are also great listeners. This trait is crucial in solving issues and conflicts and giving constructive criticism.
• Better adaptability: The Business world is ever-changing. With the merger, new technologies, ideological shifts and layoffs. And to stand tall during these changes, EI again helps the leaders in adjusting and adapting to the situation well. It helps them stay calm and go with the flow without losing their confidence.

How to develop EI during an MBA?

With more awareness spreading around healthy working environments, EI has become important. Many MBA courses value EI’s role in working in the workplace. Hence, they include group projects, training and mentorship programs to promote EI. However, here are a few points that can also help build EI:

• Practice self-reflection: It is a common practice that many of us follow, but not enough. Simply reflecting on your feelings, actions, and emotions can be helpful. Get to the roots of the issue. What made you react that way? How can you react instead? Further, to find more such reflective prompts, check out write my assignment for me UK.
• Learn to handle stress: Stress is a part of life, but the way one manages it can make a difference. Taking deep breaths and meditating can help you think clearly during stressful periods. Journal and reflect on the methods that work to control stress. This, too, can help one understand oneself better.
• Get feedback: Ask around to peers, friends and even your teacher about your skills. Ask them how you come across as a person in a group setting. Their feedback can help improve social behaviour.
• Improve listening skills: Further, as much as speaking and persuading are important, so is listening. To better connect with others, one needs to know what they are saying. This also helps in preparing better answers and solutions. But most importantly, it makes the other person feel seen and heard. Which is important in building healthy relationships.
• Engage in Group activities: Lastly, to gain real-life experience, try working in groups. Participate in events, debates, and projects to understand the structure. This also helps develop key traits like empathy, kindness and even teamwork skills.

Conclusion

Emotional intelligence, a key trait that has the power to shake and reshape. It teaches students how to lead people. During an MBA, they learn to navigate the business world. However, through EI, they learn to navigate the complexity of human emotions. This trait alone helps the leaders to make more informed decisions. As well as create a healthy working space. These help them reach their goals as well as gain the trust of people. Further, to learn more about the importance of this trait, check out MBA Assignment Help UK. Lastly, academic and emotional intelligence go hand in hand to become an effective and respected leader, or a good human in general.

Also Read: Impact of Presentation Style on the Success of Business Assignment