Emotional literacy and emotional intelligence are being coined as one of the most fundamental qualities for successful leaders in the modern world. But why? What is it and what will developing it offer us?
What is emotional literacy?
According to Forbes, ‘emotional intelligence, which directly affects how a leader perceives, uses, understands and manages their own emotions and emotions of others, is extremely important’. Being emotionally literate or emotionally intelligent means to understand your own emotions, listen to others and empathise with their emotions (even if you don’t agree) and regulate your own emotions to work more effectively with others.
These can be broken down into four pillars of emotional intelligence, developed by Daniel Goleman.
Self-Awareness – understanding your own emotions and what makes you tick. This involves evaluating your strengths and acknowledging your weakness and what may act as a trigger for you in any given situation. To become more aware will improve:
- How you think clearly about a situation and make an informed decision
- Reduce impulsive decision making
- How you interact with those around you
At QCS, we emphasise the importance of self-awareness in all our training materials. Our products are crafted to help leaders and caregivers alike develop a keen sense of their emotional landscape, ensuring better decision-making and team interactions. We have a range of material dedicated to supporting staff wellbeing and encouraging self-reflection.
Self-Regulation – being able to adapt to situations, change and to regulate your own emotions. To be able to regulate your response when dealing with overwhelming circumstances. To develop your self-regulation will improve:
- Your internal stress levels
- Your relationships with others
- How others respond to you in a challenging situation
Our toolkit at QCS is designed to support self-regulation by providing customisable resources. Users can add their own materials, allowing teams to navigate and adapt to changing circumstances effectively. This flexibility helps manage stress and maintain healthy relationships within the team.
Empathy – to be understanding of the situations of those around us, to listen and offer support. To develop your sense of empathy will:
- Improve your approachability
- Become more and more natural the more you implement it
Empathy is a cornerstone of our philosophy at QCS. Many of our team members have backgrounds in care, giving us unique insights into the importance of empathy. Our products are tailored to foster this skill, ensuring leaders and caregivers can naturally and effectively support those around them.
Manage relationships – to use your awareness to manage your interactions with others, communicating effectively, clearly and with empathy. To develop your relationship management will improve:
- Communication and clarity
- Create a sense of community within your team
- Help aid in continuous growth and improvement
At QCS, we believe that effective relationship management is vital for a harmonious work environment. Our resources are designed to help leaders communicate clearly and empathetically, building a strong sense of community within teams. This, in turn, promotes continuous growth and improvement, ensuring high standards of care.
As leaders and managers, if you can develop your four pillars you will have a good chance of using these tools to strengthen and develop your team. You will gain trust and support from those around you from your innate nature to listen, support and understand a situation with reason rather than bias; naturally setting the stage for collaboration. Especially, within health and social care this a central quality to invest in, particularly as how we act as leaders and managers as it has that domino effect on the rest of the team and then has a knock-on effect as to how they interact with service users.
Investing in emotional literacy within your organisation creates a positive ripple effect, impacting not just the team but also the service users. By equipping your team with the tools to manage their emotions and relationships effectively, you foster an environment of trust, support, and exceptional care.
Explore how QCS can support your journey and enhance the quality of care you provide. With our tailored resources and insights, you can ensure your team is well-equipped to lead with empathy and effectiveness.
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