UK Business Leadership Training: Understanding the Concept of Emotional Intelligence

business leadership training in the UK is highly vulnerable to trends and approaches that may or may not be grounded in sound business theory or practice. Occasionally, however, one of these seemingly trendy training and development methodologies rings true. This is certainly the case for a concept known as “emotional intelligence” and its application in business training courses. Here’s some information about emotional intelligence and how it’s used in corporate training programs.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Simply put, emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognise and manage one’s emotions in a productive way. The ability to evoke and cultivate emotional intelligence in both oneself and others is a key skill acquired from business skills training. Emotional intelligence helps the best business leaders excel in roles that have become increasingly complex, challenging, intense and rigorous.

Why Emotional Intelligence is Important

Researchers have studied emotional intelligence and how it affects those who hold positions of power, business leadership and responsibility in top companies. These studies reveal that emotional intelligence has a greater effect on business leadership skills than technical expertise, credentials, education or IQ. The most powerful and influential people in today’s business world have habits and practices deeply rooted in emotional intelligence.

Components of Emotional Intelligence

An individual who demonstrates positive EI is self-aware enough to recognize a feeling when it occurs, rather than just react blindly to an emotional stimulus. This ability to manage one’s emotions, both positive and negative, is the hallmark of a person with positive emotional intelligence. In addition, these people are self-motivating and empathic. Finally, they display social competence and positive social skills. All in all, individuals with positive EI are excellent candidates for business management training.

Concrete Impact of Emotional Intelligence in a Business Setting

In two recent case studies, supervisors at a manufacturing plant received EI training. The training had the following positive effects:

• Production increased over 15%
• Lost time accidents declined by 50%
• Formal grievances were reduced by 20%

In the studies’ control groups, no such improvements occurred. Some other figures show leadership skills shown by EI-trained individuals versus those who received none.

• Self-control 7.0x greater than control
• Empathy 3.0x
• Teamwork 2.5x
• Self-confidence 2.0x
• Achievement orientation 2.0x
• Analytic thinking 1.2x
• Conceptual thinking 1.5x

Is There a Way to Measure an Individual’s EI?

Presently, there are no scientifically accepted tests or scales for measuring for emotional intelligence. However, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, Albert Mehrabian, has developed scales for personality, temperament, psychopathology and emotion. These scales may be employed to construct a rough model of these components of EI and could very easily be incorporated into a leadership development program.

Emotional intelligence is just one of many tools that can give us insight into what management skills a business leader should have. Many business leadership training courses in the UK feature EI with an eye to providing a comprehensive education to their students.

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