Here's how you can enhance your team connection by developing emotional intelligence as a leader.

For me, emotional intelligence must start from your humility to recognise your mistakes first. When you understand that you are not perfect, when you accept your vulnerability, you can better understand the emotions of others, put them in context and listen to them from their reality. Self-awareness, self-management, empathy towards others is true when you imprint that vulnerability in your acting, feeling and listening.

Understanding the core components of Emotional Intelligence is the foundation. Daniel Goleman’s "Emotional Intelligence" outlines the key elements: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes self-awareness and control of the mind. In Bhagavad Gita 6.5, Krishna advises, "One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well." Developing EI begins with self-awareness, which is crucial for recognizing and managing your own emotions.

2. Active Listening Active listening is vital for building strong team connections. It involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said. Dale Carnegie’s "How to Win Friends and Influence People" emphasizes listening as a key component of effective communication and relationship building. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna listens patiently to Arjuna’s concerns, illustrating the power of active listening. By practicing active listening, you show respect and empathy, strengthening your team’s trust in you.

You can enhance your team connection by developing emotional intelligence as a leader. Central to this is the practice of active listening, which involves a leader's full attention and responsiveness to their team's communication. This approach fosters a deeper understanding of team members' perspectives and demonstrates a genuine appreciation for their input. When leaders actively listen, they not only gather valuable insights but also build a foundation of trust and respect. This, in turn, encourages team engagement and collaboration, leading to a more cohesive and dynamic group. By integrating active listening into their leadership repertoire, leaders can significantly strengthen team bonds and drive collective success.

Active listening is the most important aspect of Emotional Intelligence where Leadership qualities can be determined. 'It pays to listen' is something that is known the world over. In fact by listening alone you keep enhancing your knowledge rather than by talking. The best leaders these days are excellent listeners who take decisions only after listening very carefully to what is said. Comprehension and understanding of what is being said are both important factors in the listening process without which it becomes virtually impossible to make a decision. Then you have to learn to remember details being explained or at least note down the important points. Only then is a proper response considered to be a mature response.

Dass sich Mitarbeiter / Kollegen auf der verbalen Ebene gehört fühlen, ist durch aktives Zuhören vergörichsweise leicht umsetzbar. Beispielsweise durch gezieltes Nachfragen, ob man einen geschilderten Sachverhalt richtig verstanden hat und diesen in eigenen Worten wiederholt. Der wohl schwierigere Teil, damit sich Mitarbeiter / Kollegen nachhaltig gehört fühlen, ist die Umsetzung und Integration von Feedback und die Berücksichtigung von Bedürfnissen im zukünftigen Arbeitsalltag.

Empathy is just like a soul in the body, which is the most essential part of team building and it fuels cohesiveness among team. Most difficult task can be done by extending empathy with your team and results are miracle therefore.

Cultivating empathy involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others. Empathy is a critical aspect of EI and is highlighted in the Bhagavad Gita. In Bhagavad Gita 6.32, Krishna says, "He is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true equality of all beings, in both their happiness and distress." Brené Brown’s research in "Daring Greatly" emphasizes the importance of empathy in building strong, authentic connections. Empathetic leaders create a supportive environment where team members feel understood and valued.

You should also cultivate self-awareness. Self-awareness is also the foundation of emotional intelligence. As a leader, take time to reflect on your own emotions, triggers, and biases. Understand how your actions and words impact others. This allows you to regulate your emotions and respond thoughtfully, rather than react impulsively.

Empathy for members of your team is very important to be considered for leadership roles. A leader is required to be very supportive of his team members. Consideration of each individual's capacity to understand or comprehend situations as they develop is extremely important for a leadership role. Considerations towards individual team members well being shows a deep empathy for that member. Feelings for each other as humans brings about a spirit of comradeship which is difficult to find in good leaders of today. Empathy actually helps build a special connection with members of your team as a leader. Thoughts about another's health and physical wellbeing contribute towards successful leadership empathy which is a key factor in team spirit.

Constructive Feedback is crucial. Don't operate in a vacuum. Actively seek and give feedback from/to team members, colleagues, or even a 360-degree assessment can also work. This can reveal blind spots in your leadership style and how you connect with others and also allows open and honest communication.

Creating a feedback loop encourages open and honest communication. Kim Scott’s "Radical Candor" provides a framework for giving and receiving feedback that is both caring and direct. The Bhagavad Gita demonstrates this balance in Krishna’s guidance to Arjuna, providing wisdom while respecting his agency. Regular, constructive feedback helps team members grow and fosters a culture of continuous improvement and trust.

Feedback loop is considered an important aspect of leadership selection. A good leader must be prepared to listen to both negative and positive aspects of his/her leadership. Feedback is also important to comprehend the other team members abilities in carrying out instructions perfectly as directed by the team leader. It is only when a leader encourages the feedback loop can he/she aspire to be considered cool and calm in dealing with explosive situations requiring perfect Emotional Intelligence. Without proper feedback no leader can play an effective role. It is therefore, necessary to encourage feedback in all teams and tiers of management.

A leader's emotional self-regulation acts like a rudder on a ship. In stormy seas (challenging situations), a steady hand keeps the ship (team) on course, preventing it from being tossed about by waves (intense emotions). This creates a sense of security and trust among the crew (team members), allowing them to focus on their roles and work together effectively.

Emotional regulation is simply a lesson on learning to have a controlled use of emotions with any team one is around. As a leader it's more than required to make these EQ-associated traits more relevant in an organizational settings . It's like learning to drive a car smoothly on a road alongside other cars to reach the destination without any collision. For this, the driver needs to have a coordinated move and control on the steering, throttle, clutch, breaks and gear synchronisation. If the leader knows to integrate the core capacities/ elements of Emotional Intelligence, namely: emotional literacy, emotional fitness, emotional depth and emotional alchemy the result is a well coordinated 'self managed performing team'.

Emotional Regulation is the new requirement whereby, you learn to keep your emotions in check at the workplace. A sudden outburst by you could mean that the others may be frightened to inform you of results obtained by them. Therefore, the importance of learning to keep your emotions in check at all times and under varied conditions. It brings about the right tone and atmosphere by which your team can work smoothly without interruptions. There are many occasions where stress plays an important role and it is of extreme importance to keep a good control of your emotions at such times. Good composure and resilience to extreme stress make it possible to judge excellent leadership qualities in a person.

Emotional regulation is essential for maintaining composure and effectiveness. The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes control over one’s emotions. In Bhagavad Gita 2.48, Krishna advises, "Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga." Jon Kabat-Zinn’s "Wherever You Go, There You Are" offers mindfulness techniques that aid in emotional regulation, helping leaders stay calm and focused under pressure.

Negative Reaktionen sind nicht gänzlich vermeidbar. Wir alle sind Menschen. Aber durch eine offene Kommunikation durch die Führungskraft, auch von persönlichen Gefühlen, hilft das dem Team Empathie und Verständnis aufzubauen sowie so manche Reaktion auch richtig einzuordnen. Das ermutig auch andere, sich zu öffnen und schafft einen Ort des gegenseitigen Vertrauens und Verständnisses. Durch Verstehen werden negative Emotionen oft gänzlich vermieden.

I truely agree. Take an example of your home. You seldomly behave like your elders do. Somehow you make mistakes like your elders do.

Leading by example isn’t just about technical expertise (IQ), it’s about how you interact, communicate, and collaborate with others. Cultivate your emotional intelligence, and others will follow suit. Strengthen your: Relationships Self-awareness Empathy Active listening skills Conflict resolution skills Adaptability

Leading by example means embodying the values and behaviors you wish to see in your team. James Kouzes and Barry Posner’s "The Leadership Challenge" highlights modeling the way as a fundamental practice of exemplary leadership. The Bhagavad Gita reinforces this in Bhagavad Gita 3.21, where Krishna says, "Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." By demonstrating integrity, resilience, and empathy, you inspire your team to follow suit.

Es ist nicht immer leicht mit gutem Beispiel voranzugehen. Ein erster Schritt könnte sein, die praktischen und emotionalen Herausforderung dieser Aufgabe des "guten Beispiels vorangehen" mit dem Team zu teilen. Sich auf diesen Weg von der menschlichen Seite zu zeigen, kann den Stein auf positive Weise ins Rollen bringen. Schließlich braucht man einander, um gemeinsam Großes zu bewirken.

Name the game. Once upon a time, in my office; I was taking my coffee cups to the kitchen and washing them myself right away. I was doing it; as I intended to lead by example: I wanted my team to follow me. Surprise. Nobody did it. I was frustrated. During the launch time; as a chit-chat; I asked a couple of teammates about it. I was shocked. Nobody had ever noticed me taking my cups to the kitchen. As I was passing through their desks; they thought that they should give the impression of hard work; hence they started to type more and seemed busy. So nobody has noticed my attitude. If your team is not aware of what you doing and why, they would probably skip the context and not notice your behavior at all. Name the game!

La inteligencia emocional (IE) y el liderazgo inspiracional son conceptos estrechamente relacionados, y su conexión es fundamental para el desarrollo de líderes efectivos y carismáticos, porque permite a los líderes: 1.Comprender y gestionar sus propias emociones, manteniendo la autenticidad y la estabilidad. 2.Motivar y energizar a su equipo, inspirando compromiso y pasión por los objetivos comunes. 3.Construir relaciones sólidas y empáticas, creando un entorno de confianza y colaboración. Los líderes con alta inteligencia emocional no solo guían a su equipo hacia el éxito, sino que también inspiran y transforman la cultura organizacional, promoviendo un entorno de trabajo positivo y productivo.

Team Building Activities: Organize activities that foster teamwork and camaraderie. Patrick Lencioni’s "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" highlights the importance of building trust and overcoming challenges together. Conflict Resolution Skills: Develop skills to manage and resolve conflicts constructively. "Crucial Conversations" by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler offers techniques for handling high-stakes interactions effectively. Continual Learning: Commit to ongoing learning and development in EI and leadership. Carol Dweck’s "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" advocates for a growth mindset, essential for adapting and thriving in leadership roles.

Small gestures play very imp part in building team connections. I would highly recommend to atleast plan a team connect at your home. When you go to someone home, you become part of that.