By Austen Lowitz
Leadership is motivating people to take action. There are many ways to do this,
such as leading by example through one’s own actions, leading through mentoring, or
leading by being a spokesperson to champion a cause. I believe that leadership in all these
ways is most effective when leaders show emotional intelligence, by combining the heart
and the mind.
According to Daniel Goleman, a psychologist at Rutgers University, “The most
effective leaders are all alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come
to be known as emotional intelligence.” Leaders who are emotionally intelligent are aware of
themselves, can manage their emotions, are motivated by passion (not only money or
status), have empathy for others, and have strong social skills including networking with
people (Harvard Business Review, April 28, 2015). Leaders need to be emotionally
intelligent in order for people to want to “follow their lead.”
From my perspective as a leader, I’ve observed instances at Berkeley High when
emotional intelligence was used by leaders to help connect the student body. This was true
of how Berkeley High student leaders managed the racist incident on a library computer
against African Americans that took place in December 2015. While there was intense
emotion after the incident, student leaders held a rally so that their message could be
heard. The Black Student Union worked with the school leadership to plan a day dedicated
to discussing the effects of racial discrimination and an all-school that included lessons in
each class and an assembly for the entire school that included speakers from the
community.
On the other hand, I’ve also seen examples where leadership was at risk of breaking
down because the leaders did not communicate as well as they could have. At the
beginning of the Spring athletic season, I observed an incident when an athletic coach
reacted too strongly to a player’s criticism of an upcoming tournament. While the coach
was understandably upset, there also appeared to be a lack of empathy for the student’s
perspective.
I think effective leadership using emotional intelligence skills happens when leaders
take time to think through their response, rather than responding hastily with a lot of
intense emotion. Leaders need to respond to difficult situations with a calm voice and to
listen carefully to others so they clearly understand the issues. Effective leaders also
promote positive causes by showing passion and by clearly communicating the reason that
people should support certain causes. Based on these observations, I intend to be careful
about how I present myself and communicate with people, in order to be a more effective
Leader.