The Emotional Leadership According To Daniel Goleman

Knowing how to lead is one of the most important skills for people who want to work with and guide teams. Whether it is the director of a company or someone who has to motivate others in their work, the ability to inspire and direct is essential to achieve any goal. And while there are several ways to be successful at this type of job, emotional guidance is one of the most effective.

This concept was introduced by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee in their book Emotional Leadership  . In it they speak of six different types of emotional leadership. Each of them can be useful in a specific situation, but the good news is that with some effort and dedication, anyone can master any of these types of leadership.

In this article we will see what exactly this approach consists of and what are the main advantages and disadvantages from a rational point of view.

What is Emotional Leadership?

The leadership styles described by Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee differ from those defined by other authors  by their pronounced effects on the emotions of the people to whom they are applied. Each of these six styles has a different effect on the way a team or group feels. Because of this, it is more efficient to use one or the other style, depending on the given conditions and the desired results.

One of the most important concepts in the book Emotional Leadership  is that there is no emotional leadership style that is better than another. Each of them has a number of advantages and includes aspects that are not appropriate on every occasion. It is therefore necessary to know all of them well in order to better decide which one to use at any given time. A good leader must always be able to choose the most appropriate style for each situation.

The six styles of emotional leadership are as follows:

• Authoritarian
• Exercising
• Associated
• Democratically
• Mandatory
• Controlling

Although each of these styles has very different characteristics, they are all based on understanding other people’s feelings. Strictly speaking, this is 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 one is faced with.

Advantages and disadvantages of emotional leadership

The truth is that this type of leadership also has  both negative and positive aspects – like any other practical skill or approach. Next, let’s take a closer look at some of the key pros and cons. Knowing about these can help to be able to better decide in a given situation whether it makes sense to appeal to the emotions, or whether one should try the opposite – in a logical way and with less empathy.

advantages

It cannot be denied that there are all sorts of benefits to leading a team when it is based on emotional intelligence. One of the most important is that in this way you can strike a balance between achieving your goals and creating good relationships among group members. This means that the performance of the company is sacrificed to a certain extent in the short term, but in return all employees are offered more prosperity and happiness. And in the long term, this is reflected in increased productivity and effectiveness.

On the other hand , a good emotional leader can further enhance the positive qualities of the entire team. Using this type of group management, leaders can help their team members discover their respective talents and develop to their full potential. In addition, it makes employees more motivated, which is essential for the successful management of a company.

disadvantage

However , in some circumstances, an emotional leadership style may not be the optimal solution. Sometimes it can even have a number of negative effects, which are shown below:

• Emotional leadership can lead the leader to act impulsively. This can be detrimental to the entire company and its goals, as running a company should generally be rational.
• It creates self-control problems. Sometimes a leader has to make complicated decisions, which can be difficult on an emotional level. If one shows excessive compassion, the execution of assignments can become complicated and thus go against the actual process.

• It slows down or worsens the results. At certain times, a leader needs to focus solely on what is to be achieved. It will be very difficult for a person who is overly interested in the emotions of others.
• Emotional fluctuations can occur. After all, an excess of empathy and the connection with your own emotions can lead to your own mood being influenced too much. In general, a leader should always be an example of solidarity and stability. However, achieving this can be very complicated when exposed to uncontrolled feelings.

Typically, applying any of these six emotional leadership styles will be of great benefit to a company or work team. However, it should be checked in advance whether this is actually the best option for achieving the goals set.