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School counselors are uniquely equipped to bridge the gaps between administration, teachers, parents, and students. As the demands placed on everyone in a school community increase, it's vital that we view and include school counselors as part of our leadership teams. Let's make sure we recognize all they do and put their strengths to work for our students! Here are 11 ways school counselors serve as leaders in your building.

1. School counselors recognize and showcase diversity.

In many buildings, school counselors are considered the "heart" of the school. They help create an inclusive environment that is respectful, welcoming, kind, and open to all.

2. School counselors develop community partnerships.

Counseling staff work collaboratively with universities, community colleges, technical schools, local unions, military reps, and apprentice programs to provide a variety of opportunities for students. They are especially vital in ensuring underserved and first-generation students have access to and the tools to reach all possible post-high school options.

3. School counselors help during difficult situations.

Strengths such as listening, reflecting, and high emotional intelligence make school counselors valuable allies when trying to get buy-in from staff or the greater community on difficult issues. Counselors foster a culture of change via strong lines of communication and valuing input from all parties involved.

4. School counselors maintain strong home-school connections.

Counselors tend to be the liaison for parents when it comes to communicating with the school. This leadership role is especially important when assisting families who are not familiar with the school setting or have issues trusting staff.

5. School counselors maximize educational success.

School counselors can help to maximize the educational attainment of all students by providing students with mental health services (school or community-based) and developmental guidance that takes a proactive approach in helping students set and reach academic goals.

6. School counselors lead staff trainings.

Administrators who use their counseling staff (rather than outside contractors) to lead building-wide trainings can save a lot of money and gain quicker buy-in from staff. School counselors are experts on topics such as student engagement, positive discipline, suicide/self-harm, students-as-leaders, peer mentoring programs, and academic/social interventions for low-performing students.

7. School counselors protect and advocate for disadvantaged students.

Counselors identify and amend policies and practices that negatively impact disadvantaged students and advocate for equitable services for all students.

8. School counselors use expertise to bring data to life.

Like administrators, counselors are trained in data collection and analysis. They are skilled at using this information to drive decisions about placement, intervention, and overall student health and wellbeing.

9. School counselors mediate difficult situations between parents/students and staff.

Counselors are consistently looking for ways to support the relationship between school staff and parents. Acting as a mediator when one or both parties are upset about a situation is a critical way in which school counselors serve as leaders.

10. School counselors organize and lead crisis response.

Counselors are on the front lines after a tragedy has happened in a school or community. Staff, students, parents, and community members look to the counselors for guidance and support immediately following an event. Because of their training in emotional/mental, the counseling staff is critical in advocating for and teaching self-care to staff, parents, and students during a crisis.

11. School counselors empower and inspire.

School counselors inherently believe in people and work tirelessly to communicate that. By being visible and accessible at all times, their calming, caring, and encouraging presence helps support and empower staff in the building.

School counselors serve as leaders in many ways and we need to value their perspectives and strengths. They are vital to building positive learning environments in which students thrive.
Join our Facebook group Principal Life for more conversation about and insights into the challenges of school leadership.

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11 Ways Your School Counselors Serve as Leaders - WeAreTeachers

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School counselors are uniquely equipped to bridge the gaps between administration, teachers, parents, and students. As the demands placed on everyone in a school community increase, it's vital that we view and include school counselors as part of our leadership teams. Let's make sure we recognize all they do and put their strengths to work for our students!

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Last Updated November 22, 2021

Transactional vs. transformational leadership is not a question of a good vs. bad, right vs. wrong approach to leadership. While they are in fact opposite approaches to leadership, both offer advantages and are important styles of leadership to understand and apply in certain types of situations.

A leader may naturally gravitate towards either the transactional or transformational side in their style and methods. However, the best leaders understand that both can be utilized and integrated into their overall leadership toolkit. Those who aspire to leadership in the business world should develop an understanding of the differences between the two and recognize how they can apply the appropriate style based on the situation.

What Is a Transactional Leadership Style?

A transactional leadership style follows a managerial philosophy of reinforcement and exchanges, managing employees by establishing specific goals and then offering a reward for achieving them. That's the "transaction" in transactional leadership. Effective transactional leaders recognize and reward a follower's accomplishments in a timely way.

A study in Psychiatric Services found transactional leadership "more practical in nature because of its emphasis on meeting specific targets or objectives."

Transactional leaders are often found in manufacturing, where line workers are expected to hit a set production quota per shift. Another area where a transactional mindset is beneficial is sales, as the team and individual members are driving to hit specific sales goals. Transactional leadership can also be most effective in situations where teams are working under strict time constraints to deliver on a project and/or where financial resources are limited.

Transactional leadership often goes hand-in-hand with maintaining a status quo of actions and processes that have proven successful. It tends to work best with self-motivated employees who do not seek or need inspiration from their managers or company executives, making it a leadership approach more often used at established companies.

What Is a Transformational Leadership Style?

The transformational leadership style is grounded in four components, commonly referred to as the four "I's" of transformational leadership:

Intellectual Stimulation: encouraging new experiences and ways of thinking for themselves and employees

Individual Consideration: mentoring employees and supporting their professional development

Inspirational Motivation: imparting a vision for an organization that employees internalize and make their own

Idealized Influence: serving as role models for how they expect employees to conduct themselves

As the four I's detail, transformational leaders focus on nurturing and positively motivating their employees. Rather than micromanage, transformational leaders foster an independent workplace that promotes creativity, desires innovative thinking and empowers employees to make their own decisions in their work.

Transformational leaders emphasize personal and professional growth and encourage all employees to think creatively in developing solutions to longstanding challenges, but they can be most impactful in leading younger employers, helping to integrate them into the company culture and giving them a sense that their work is a part of something special.

The leadership style works well in organizations or teams where the goals include developing the talent of the employees, and not just meeting an immediate production quota or sales goal.

Transformational leadership can also be the preferred approach in an environment where a product or service is new, or in an industry where innovation is key to survival. Many of the constraints and quotas may still be in play-limited financial resources, strict deadlines, specified quotas-but with a new product or start-up company, "the rules" and processes are not yet established, and open and innovative thinking on how to produce, grow, survive and thrive may be needed and even expected.

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership: Which is Better?

It all depends. Neither approach is "better" than the other, and, despite the clear differences, the two are not mutually exclusive. A blended approach often works best because both leadership styles work, but they work best in in different situations, depending on the desired outcomes and on the leader.

Leadership Effectiveness

Both transactional and transformational leadership are effective in achieving intended results.

Transactional leaders focus on organizational performance and employee supervision. These leaders are not looking much toward innovating for the future, but rather maximizing productivity in the present. They focus on making the day-to-day business of an organization flow smoothly.

Transformational leaders focus on organizational change and employee development. These leaders devote more time to developing a strategy for the future of their team or organization, then motivating and inspiring employees to buy into that vision. This leadership is most effective in organizations or teams that need a leader to guide them towards positive change.

The most effective leaders recognize when and how to apply the elements of both. For example, sales may be transactional at its core, with the sales team driving towards specific and continuous sales targets, whether that be monthly, quarterly or annual sales goals. But sales is also about people, with developing and managing customer relationships at its heart.

Sales team leaders need to understand what motivates and inspires people (both their employees and customers) and look beyond the sales transaction to be innovative in seeking out new customer relationships, emphasize the strategic thinking behind key account management and may even need to lead the team in transforming their sales approach in response to market factors.

Promoting Growth, Innovation and Creativity

The transformational leadership style has clear advantages when it comes to promoting growth, innovation and creativity within individuals, teams and an organization as a whole.

A study in Frontiers in Psychology found that transactional leadership led employees "to perceive the culture as more goal, than innovation, oriented," whereas transformational leadership led employees to see the organizational culture as more innovative. Employees feel they are encouraged to develop as professionals, growing their base of skills and knowledge.

A key part of the overall strategy of a transformational leader is to encourage innovation and creativity in the workplace. The focus on employee development is important to cultivating the future leaders an organization needs, as employees grow into the shoes of their leaders and emulate their style.

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership: How They Complement Each Other

In developing, adapting and applying these two styles of leadership, it's important to consider both the advantages and disadvantages of each, along with the current work situation your team and organization may be functioning in.

Transactional Leadership: While it's the best approach for maximizing operational efficiency, transactional leadership can fall short in the areas of innovation, long-term strategy creation and employee development.

Transformational Leadership: While best for creating strategy and fostering organizational change, transformational leadership sometimes lacks the attention to detail, as these leaders are less concerned about daily workflow and processes. It also relies on having the type of leader who can sustain both a great deal of motivation and passion for a long period of time.

If there is anything that the year 2020 taught organizational leaders, it is that change is happening faster than ever, and those efficient processes and set goals can be upended in an instant.

You can help motivate your team during turbulent times and successfully lead them through transformation, confidently driving your organization toward positive change with transformational and visionary leadership. How do you become this leader?
Enhance your leadership capabilities with MSU's Strategic Leadership & Management Certificates.

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Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership: What's the Difference?

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Aspiring to leadership in the business world? Know the differences between transactional and transformational leadership and how to best apply each.

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Great leaders use a variety of tools to maximize their impact as leaders. Developing a leadership philosophy can be a helpful practice for establishing a leadership framework. Leadership philosophies often vary depending on the leader's goals and overall approach to leadership.

In this article, we explain what a leadership philosophy is, clarify why they are important, provide a list of examples and share tips for writing your own.

Related: 10 Common Leadership Styles

What is a leadership philosophy?

A leadership philosophy is a structured approach to leading others. Leaders often write philosophies as a guiding statement for reference while leading a team. Generally, leadership philosophies include the following components:

The structure of a leadership philosophy can vary greatly depending on the goals and needs of the leader. Some statements are as short as a sentence while others are a page or more in length. As they are highly personalized documents, any length or structure is fine for a leadership philosophy.

Related: 15 Leadership Qualities That Make a Great Leader

Why review leadership philosophy examples?

Leaders can benefit from reviewing leadership philosophy examples to see what elements they would like to include in their own philosophy and which elements they can do without. Additionally, reviewing examples of leaders in their industry or leaders who inspire them can help leaders adjust their philosophies to better emulate those they admire.

Related: 15 Questions to Ask Other Leaders for Career Growth

List of leadership philosophy examples

Leadership philosophies hinge on the type of leadership the writer uses. Democratic leadership, for example, yields a different framework and philosophy for the practitioner than autocratic leadership. Use these leadership philosophy examples, organized by leadership type, to help define your own leadership philosophy:

Democratic leadership philosophy

Autocratic leadership philosophy

Laissez-faire leadership philosophy

Strategic leadership philosophy

Transformational leadership philosophy

Transactional leadership philosophy

Democratic leadership philosophy

Democratic leadership depends on the whole team to make decisions. While the leader may depart from the team's input occasionally, they almost always ask for and consider the thoughts and opinions of everyone involved.

Here is an example of a democratic leadership philosophy:
I believe everyone should participate in the process. I intend to share responsibility with my team. I will respect my team, listen to their ideas and inspire them when needed. I will behave with empathy, thoughtfulness and kindness.
Autocratic leadership philosophy

Autocratic leadership situates all the decision and implementation power on the leader. The team is there to execute the leader's practices and processes, and the leader does not consult them during the decision-making process.

Here is an example of an autocratic leadership philosophy:
I believe I am best suited to make decisions and lead the team. I intend to inspire and lead through action. I will provide my team with instruction and action to meet the needs of the company. I will behave with decisiveness, authority and power.
Laissez-faire leadership philosophy

Laissez-faire leadership gives equal power to the team and the leader. In fact, the leader will often give little guidance to their team and will instead allow them to work how and when the team feels they need to. Instead, the leader focuses on high-level matters rather than managing the day-to-day operations of their team.

Here is an example of a laissez-faire leadership philosophy:
I believe my team knows what's best. I intend to trust them to make excellent decisions and meet their own needs. I will give guidance if it's asked for, but otherwise, I will focus my attention on high-level projects. I will behave with honesty and trust.
Strategic leadership philosophy

Strategic leadership divides the leader's focus between high-level operations and team oversight. Strategic leaders maintain individual responsibility for executive operations, but they still offer guidance and structure for their team.

Here is an example of a strategic leadership philosophy:
I believe everyone on the team has a specific duty. I intend to maximize the work product of everyone on the team. I will provide guidance while also managing high-level company needs. I will behave with integrity, honesty and decisiveness.
Transformational leadership philosophy

Transformational leadership focuses on constantly evolving and establishing new benchmarks and goals. Leaders devote their time to establishing goals and pathways to success for their team. The transformational leader spends their time developing new practices and processes to improve the overall work product.

Here is an example of a transformational leadership philosophy:
I believe constant change is the only pathway forward. I intend to motivate my team through goal-setting and overcoming challenges. I will provide guidance and inspiration to improve the team's performance constantly. I will behave with charisma, drive and passion.
Transactional leadership philosophy

Transactional leadership depends on a series of incentives to motivate employees to reach goals. Leaders establish pre-determined prizes or rewards if their team meets a goal and then gives them the space to complete the project.

Here is an example of a transactional leadership philosophy:
I believe my team will respond to incentives. I intend to motivate my team with a set reward and then let them work on their own. I will offer guidance if the team needs it, but I trust them to complete the work as they see fit. I will behave with trust and honesty.
Related: 10 Ways to Build Effective Leadership Behaviors

Tips for writing a leadership philosophy

Use these tips to help craft your own personal leadership philosophy:

Make it actionable. Make sure your philosophy will help guide your daily actions and decision-making. Keep the language clear and actionable.

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Leadership Philosophy Examples to Help You Write Your Own

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Great leaders use a variety of tools to maximize their impact as leaders. Developing a leadership philosophy can be a helpful practice for establishing a leadership framework. Leadership philosophies often vary depending on the leader's goals and overall approach to leadership.

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School Counselors’ Leading With Self-Compassion

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At our Presidential Leadership Scholars weekend in College Station, Texas, John Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire and George H.W. Bush's chief of staff, recounted President Bush's first meeting with French president Francois Mitterrand upon assuming office in 1989. U.S. relations with France were strained, and while there was no immediate need for joint U.S. and French action at the time, President Bush knew that sometime he would need America's old ally and wanted to repair relations with its leader.

As recorded in Sununu's The Quiet Man, President Bush invited Mitterrand to his home in Kennebunkport, and over two days he began to win over the veteran statesman, developing a lasting friendship and professional partnership. This relationship, authentically cultivated, paid extraordinary dividends when President Bush was able to use his partnership with Mitterrand to negotiate financial assistance to Poland and Hungary in 1989 and the eventual reunification of East and West Germany.

This "relational" approach to leadership was core to President Bush's values and personality. And in the broader world, relational leadership-the longstanding and almost instinctive cultivation of close personal and professional relationships as an entre to building alliances and partnerships-is common. It's prevalent in politics, where relationships among legislators and community members often lead to compromise, and in business, where trust is such an essential component of partnership.

So, how is relational leadership cultivated?

It starts with a genuine interest in others. President Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff and Transportation Secretary Andy Card said of the President, "President George H.W. Bush created personal relationships with everyone he could. That personal connection could become a strategic partnership when it needed to be. It was universal but sincere." I've seen the same in my career. When I was a new business analyst at McKinsey, for example, a senior director in the office took an interest in me and counseled me, even though I would never be useful to him. And most of us have benefited from peers or mentors who have befriended us and then aided us in the cultivation of our careers. These friendships aren't purely instrumental but authentic, sincere and driven by a genuine interest in others.

Relational leadership is further predicated on empathy-understanding others and meeting them where they are. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, President Bush was criticized for his subdued response. Some wanted the president to celebrate more visibly. But President Bush knew how tense a political moment the event was for Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, and sensitive to his relationship with Gorbachev and the fragility of the moment, the American president avoided the kind of gloating that may have made the situation more challenging for the general secretary to manage. This was an important gesture and one for which President Bush was misunderstood and criticized. But, as Sununu notes in The Quiet Man, it displayed empathy for Gorbachev and strengthened their partnership. Similarly, we're experiencing a heightened cultural appreciation now for former television host Fred Rogers based at least partially on his remarkable empathy. Mr. Rogers is the subject of a new documentary and a forthcoming feature film -and much of what makes him so unique and so compelling is the deep empathy he so regularly displayed for everyone he met, particularly children and the vulnerable. This empathy and kindness left even casual acquaintances transformed by their interactions with him and was a critical foundation of his leadership. It's similarly essential for each of us.

Further, this authentic and empathetic relational leadership is nurtured by small and large gestures of friendship. As I've written elsewhere, I once worked with a woman at a DC-area organization who was exceptional about spending time with even the most junior members of her organization and making them feel special. She took me to lunch and subsequently mailed me a book about which we'd spoken and a handwritten note-a kindness I appreciate to this day. Similarly, President Bush frequently wrote handwritten notes to friends and partners around the world. And while his subdued reaction to the fall of the Berlin wall was a grand gesture, he also made small gestures to reinforce relationships. Genuine interest in and excitement for others manifests in gestures and signals that you value and understand them.

Finally, while relational leadership is personal by nature, it can be powerfully embedded in the culture of an organization or team. Speaking of the Bush White House, Governor Sununu said, "President George H.W. Bush's commitment to collegiality was contagious. We all worked hard to maintain that." A culture that prioritizes authentic relationships starts at the top and cascades through an organization. In my time as a management consultant, I worked for several partners who prioritized collegiality among their teams-hosting kick-off dinners for us to get to know each other, planning team events to encourage bonding and insisting on respectful treatment of all colleagues-and that top-down leadership transformed the groups with which they worked.

Relational leadership can be incredibly successful, particularly when it is authentic, empathetic, reinforced through gestures of friendship and embedded in the culture of a team. It's not the only style of leadership, but can be powerful and personally fulfilling.
This article is part of a six-part series on leadership lessons from presidents that includes "Searching For The Right Leadership Style," "The Power Of Relational Leadership," "The Simple Power Of Connected Communication," "How A President Makes A Decision That Matters," "The Johnson Treatment: Pushing and Persuading Like LBJ" and "Life Is Worth Living In Three Dimensions."

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At our Presidential Leadership Scholars weekend in College Station, Texas, John Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire and George H.W. Bush's chief of staff, recounted President Bush's first meeting with French president Francois Mitterrand upon assuming office in 1989. U.S. relations with France were strained, and while there was no immediate need for joint U.S.

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Relational Leadership Theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and organizing leadership and organizing

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Relational Leadership Theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and organizing leadership and organizing

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Development and Validation of a Measure of Relational Leadership: Implications for Leadership Theory and Policies

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Development and Validation of a Measure of Relational Leadership: Implications for Leadership Theory and Policies

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The Effect of Servant Leadership on Teacher Alienation_The Mediating Role of Supportive School Culture

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Servant Leadership - a Systematic Literature Review

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Pros and Cons of Transformational Leadership

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Pros and Cons of Transformational Leadership

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What do the innovative manager and the charismatic activist have in common? Transformational leadership, for one thing.

When a leader uses core values like responsibility, justice, and transparency to motivate people to work together under a common cause, they may be applying an approach called transformational leadership.

It's a leadership style identified by James MacGregor Burns, a political scientist from the 20th century.

You can find transformational leaders in almost any industry from education to politics, but many people focus on how transformational leadership can improve mental health in the workplace.

Burns outlined four key elements of transformational leadership:

1. Idealized influence

This refers to charisma, which involves living your values in a way that motivates others to follow your example.

A transformational leader might also demonstrate qualities of the workplace culture they want to promote, like creativity and resourcefulness.

One sign of transformational leadership is putting the group's needs ahead of the leader's. Because a transformational leader probably won't ask others to do something they wouldn't do themselves, their followers may feel a greater sense of loyalty to the group's mission.

2. Individual consideration

If you work with a transformational leader, you might notice that they take time to get to know you as a person.

Transformational leaders can also be great coaches. They tend to be just as passionate about helping their followers develop and grow as they are about bringing their vision to life.

3. Intellectual stimulation

A transformational leader promotes curiosity and out-of-the-box thinking. When solving a problem, they'll likely want to hear ideas from multiple people with different backgrounds and perspectives.

They may also encourage learning opportunities like training or seminars to help the people around them keep learning and challenging their own assumptions.

4. Inspirational motivation

Transformational leaders are truly passionate about their current projects or vision. They often have the ability not only to spark motivation in each person to fulfill their role, but to create the feeling that their goals are achievable.

They're also solid communicators. A transformational leader excels at sharing ideas with others clearly.

Transactional leadership is the opposite of transformational leadership, according to Burns.

Each leadership style has its own way of distributing power and maintaining motivation.

While transformational leadership can benefit many fast-paced workplaces, there's a time and place for each style. Both approaches come with pros and cons:

Transformational leadership: Pros vs. cons

Pros:

supports open and honest communication

empowers people to reach new levels of personal development

fosters a sense of responsibility and loyalty in participants

allows for innovation

builds a culture of mutual trust

Cons:

isn't likely to be effective if each participant isn't willing to take personal responsibility

may not deliver instant, short-term results

could set back high-stake projects that don't have room for error or risk

Transactional leadership: Pros vs. cons

Pros:

provides a high level of structure

each person's role comes with clear expectations

workers can spend more time completing tasks rather than getting bogged down by too much uncertainty

Cons:

may cause burnout if workers feel they aren't allowed a sense of ownership in their role

could stifle long-term growth and innovation since the status quo is prioritized over new ideas

may create a culture of competition that undermines the organization's goals if people work against rather than with each other

Research highlights how transformational leadership helps employees not only keep up, but thrive in increasingly diverse and fast-paced workplaces.

Some benefits of transformational leadership in the workplace include:

1. Psychological safety

A 2019 study that explored how transformational leadership supports knowledge sharing among employees emphasized that psychological safety played an important role.

Sharing knowledge at work can feel threatening if it means telling others about a mistake you made in the past or that you no longer have the know-how that keeps your job secure.

Since transformational leadership emphasizes teamwork and praises both risk-taking and learning from mistakes, it creates a culture where employees feel safer sharing victories and mistakes with each other.

2. More creativity

A 2016 study found that three aspects of transformational leadership - inspirational motivation, individual consideration, and idealized influence - supported creativity in the workplace.

Psychological safety may be one reason why. Employees are more likely to take risks or think differently in an environment that encourages rather than punishes creativity.

3. Less interpersonal stress

Transformational leaders emphasize communication between employees, no matter their status or job title. This helps create a sense of cooperation rather than competition.

A 2020 study found that transformational leadership and interpersonal communication in education helped reduce workplace conflict and boost teachers' effectiveness.

4. Higher achievement

Leaders with a transformational approach motivate and empower others to push past self-imposed limits.

For example, teachers used transformational leadership to build better relationships with students in a 2016 study. As a result, the students became more engaged in their studies and were able to reach greater academic achievement.

5. Job satisfaction

A 2017 study measured how each aspect of transformational leadership increased employees' effectiveness in their roles. It highlighted a transformational leader's ability to inspire others as a key factor in boosting an employee's satisfaction with their job, increasing their motivation to put in more effort.

And because transformational leadership could increase an employee's intrinsic - or inner - motivation, it may reduce stress and exhaustion that would otherwise lead to burnout.

Transformational leadership promotes a culture that both recognizes each person's unique strengths and encourages them to put the group's goals above personal interests. These leaders create a positive spiral of trust and inspiration that keeps people motivated.

Although you can apply this style in any leadership setting, managers can use it in the workplace to support both employee mental health and their potential to grow professionally.

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What do the innovative manager and the charismatic activist have in common? Transformational leadership, for one thing. When a leader uses core values like responsibility, justice, and transparency to motivate people to work together under a common cause, they may be applying an approach called transformational leadership.

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Role of Transformational Leadership and Growth Mindset on Teacher Professional Development

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Have you ever been in a group where someone took control of the situation by conveying a clear vision of the group's goals, a marked passion for the work, and an ability to make the rest of the group feel recharged and energized? This person just might be what is called a transformational leader.

Transformational leadership is a leadership style that can inspire positive changes in those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well.

Quick Background

The concept of transformational leadership was initially introduced by leadership expert and presidential biographer James MacGregor Burns. According to Burns, transformational leadership can be seen when "leaders and followers make each other to advance to a higher level of moral and motivation."﻿﻿

Later, researcher Bernard M. Bass expanded upon Burns's original ideas to develop what is today referred to as Bass's Transformational Leadership Theory. According to Bass, transformational leadership can be defined based on the impact that it has on followers. Transformational leaders, Bass suggested, garner trust, respect, and admiration from their followers.﻿﻿

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

Components

Bass also suggested that there were four different components of transformational leadership.

1. Intellectual Stimulation: Transformational leaders not only challenge the status quo; they also encourage creativity among followers. The leader encourages followers to explore new ways of doing things and new opportunities to learn.

2. Individualized Consideration: Transformational leadership also involves offering support and encouragement to individual followers. In order to foster supportive relationships, transformational leaders keep lines of communication open so that followers feel free to share ideas and so that leaders can offer direct recognition of the unique contributions of each follower.

3. Inspirational Motivation: Transformational leaders have a clear vision that they are able to articulate to followers. These leaders are also able to help followers experience the same passion and motivation to fulfill these goals.

4. Idealized Influence: The transformational leader serve as a role model for followers. Because followers trust and respect the leader, they emulate this individual and internalize his or her ideals.

So what are some typical signs of a transformational leader? Groups led by this type of leader tend to be both successful and loyal. They give a lot to the team and care deeply about the group's ability to accomplish its goals. Turnover tends to be quite low as transformational leaders are able to inspire a great deal of commitment in their followers.

In their classic text, Transformational Leadership, authors Bass and Riggio explained:

"Transformational leaders...are those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. Transformational leaders help followers grow and develop into leaders by responding to individual followers' needs by empowering them and by aligning the objectives and goals of the individual followers, the leader, the group, and the larger organization."

"Research evidence clearly shows that groups led by transformational leaders have higher levels of performance and satisfaction than groups led by other types of leaders," explained psychologist and leadership expert Ronald E. Riggio in an article for Psychology Today.

The reason, he suggests, is that transformational leaders believe that their followers can do their best, leading members of the group to feel inspired and empowered.

What can you do to become a more transformational leader? Leadership experts suggest that having a strong, positive vision of the future plays a critical role. Not only is it important to believe in this vision yourself; you've also got to inspire others to buy into your vision as well.

Link to Well-Being

According to the results of one study, this style of leadership can also have a positive influence on employee well-being.﻿﻿

The study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine involved surveying workers at several different German information and communication technology companies. Researchers asked participants to answers questions about their employer's leadership style.

A score for transformational leadership was then determined based on qualities such as providing intellectual stimulation, giving positive feedback for good performance, leading by example, and helping employees feel like they were making a contribution toward the goals of the group.

The researchers discovered that employees who identified a higher level of transformational leadership in their employers also had higher reported levels of well-being. The effect stayed significant even after researchers controlled for factors that are linked to well-being such as job strain, education, and age.

"The results of this study suggest that a transformational leadership style, which both conveys a sense of trust and meaningfulness and individually challenges and develops employees, also has a positive effect on employee well-being," the authors summarized.

Real-World Applications

So what impact could such results have for managers and workers?

The study's authors suggest that the results are important and can help companies develop leadership training programs that can be used to teach transformational leadership skills. Acquiring communication skills such as resolving conflicts in the workplace and recognizing the needs of employees are an important part of transformational leadership.

"Such training programs can be seen as another essential component of workplace health promotion and prevention efforts and therefore should receive wide support," explained the study's authors.

A Word From Verywell

The transformational style of leadership can be highly effective when used appropriately, but it might not necessarily be the best choice for every situation. In some cases, groups may require a more managerial or autocratic style that involves closer control and greater direction, particularly in situations where group member are unskilled and need a lot of oversight.

One way to improve your own leadership skills is to assess your own current leadership style and think about ways in which your strengths can benefit the group you are leading. By evaluating your own skills, you will be better able to play to your strengths and work on improving your areas of weakness.

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How Do Transformational Leaders Inspire and Motivate Followers?

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Have you ever been in a group where someone took control of the situation by conveying a clear vision of the group's goals, a marked passion for the work, and an ability to make the rest of the group feel recharged and energized? This person just might be what is called a transformational leader.

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Simply Psychology Article on Transformational Leadership

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Simply Psychology Article on Transformational Leadership

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Transformational Leadership style: How to Inspire and Motivate

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Transformational leadership is a leadership style where leaders inspire, motivate, and stimulate their followers intellectually to work towards a shared and valued goal. These leaders encourage innovation, creativity, and personal development among their team members, fostering an environment of tru…

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Emotional Intelligence Frameworks, Charts, Diagrams & Graphs

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Emotional Intelligence Frameworks, Charts, Diagrams & Graphs

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Emotional intelligence, otherwise known as EQ, helps us better understand what motivates others. It also helps us work more cooperatively with others.

The more skillful you are at discerning the feelings behind others' signals the better you will be able to control the signals you send back to them. As a result, you will be more successful in life.

The good news is, that emotional intelligence is something you can improve upon.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Emotional Intelligence Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will not only enhance your ability to understand and work with your emotions but will also give you the tools to foster the emotional intelligence of your clients, students, or employees.

In order to be successful in life, it's important to develop the skills of emotional intelligence so that you can better understand and negotiate with people better.

According to the book written by Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why it can Matter More than IQ, the concept of emotional intelligence could even be more important than IQ when it comes to success.

Emotional Intelligence Frameworks: What Are They?

Emotional intelligence is a widely discussed topic in psychology and it has received extensive media attention over the past two decades (Matthews, Roberts, & Zeidner, 2002).

Emotional intelligence is a set of skills that are thought to contribute to the appraisal of emotions in oneself and others. It can also help contribute to the effective regulation of emotions as well as feelings (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

In comparison to emotional intelligence, the idea of an IQ tends to be more focused on solving problems. This is a much more clear-cut way of looking at things when compared to something like EQ.

However, as we know, there are many other factors involved when it comes to predicting success.

In the 90's, Salovey and Mayer suggested that one's ability to understand, regulate and use emotions could actually be measured and studied.

The publication of Goleman's emotional intelligence book in 1995 signified the beginning of a new trend. As a result, this concept became much more widely recognized.

While not everyone agrees with the idea of Goleman's model of emotional intelligence, there is general agreement that it does exist, and that it is a factor that comes into play in terms of professional and personal success.

Goleman's prototype describes Emotional Intelligence or EQ in terms of five realms that are split among four sections. Two of these realms are related to personal competencies while others are related to social competencies.

Five Domains of Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman's model of emotional intelligence includes five realms.

1. Know your emotions.

2. Manage your emotions.

3. Motivate yourself.

4. Recognize and understand other people's emotions.

5. Manage relationships (others' emotions)

These five realms are broken down into four quadrants:

1. Self-Awareness.

2. Social Awareness.

3. Self-Management.

4. Relationship Management.

The idea of emotional intelligence is widely recognized as a positive trend, because it is something that can be improved and developed.

While everyone may not accept this, research suggests that emotional intelligence is something that one can improve upon over time.

Personal competence is comprised of self-awareness and self-management.
Self-awareness has to do with self-confidence, awareness of your emotional state, recognizing how your behavior impacts others and paying attention to how others influence your emotional state.
Self-management is about keeping disruptive emotions and impulses in check, acting in congruence with your values, handling change flexibly, and pursuing goals and opportunities despite obstacles and setbacks.

Social competence is comprised of social awareness and relationship management.
Social awareness competencies include things like picking up on the moods of others, caring about what others are going through and really hearing what someone else is saying.
Relationship management competencies involve getting along well with others, handling conflict, clearly expressing ideas and using sensitivity to manage others' feelings.

In terms of emotional intelligence, self-awareness and self-management have to do with our ability to relate to ourselves.

Social awareness and relationship management have to do with our ability to relate to others.

Self-Awareness

"If you understand your own feelings you get a really great handle on how you're going to interact and perform with others...So one of the first starting points is, 'what's going on inside of me?'"

Chuck Wolfe President, C.J. Wolfe Associates, LLC

Self-awareness involves being able to read your own emotions and recognize their impact. It also involves knowing your strengths and limits and having a sense of self-confidence.

It's about having the ability to both recognize and better understand moods and emotions and about understanding what drives those moods and emotions and how that affects others.

In order to practice this skill, you must develop an awareness of your own emotional states.

Self-Management

Self-management competencies involve having a sense of achievement, displaying honesty, integrity and, trustworthiness and being able to keep disruptive emotions under control.

It also involves having a sense of optimism, being adaptable and flexible and recognizing and seizing opportunities as they arrive. Those who practice this competency accept responsibility and learn to choose their own emotional response.

Self-management also involves learning to re-frame stressful situations into situations that are simply challenging. Tuning into those emotional triggers can help you better manage your emotions as well.

Social Awareness

Social awareness competencies involve being able to sense other people's emotions, understanding their unique perspectives and learning to take an active interest in things they are concerned about.

It also involves having a sense of organizational awareness and a sense of service.

Relationship Management

Relationship management involves having a sense of teamwork and collaboration, being an inspirational leader and learning how to resolve disagreements.

Those who are well versed in this competency know how to guide and motivate others, and use a wide range of tactics for persuasion.

Relationship management also involves being able to initiate and lead people in a new direction and learning how to bolster other's abilities through feedback and guidance.

Diagrams of the EI concept

Gill, Ramsey, and Leberman (2015) used the self-awareness competency to explore the perspectives of successful emotional intelligence trainers.

Causal Loop of Self-Awareness

In the research, the team examined a process they deemed essential in terms of emotional intelligence skills, the idea of a self-awareness causal loop diagram.

This diagram above explores a unique way of thinking, the idea that there is a relationship between different learning themes.

This self-awareness growth model is intended to communicate the broad view of emotional intelligence training.

The model provides a guide for establishing a process of development while retaining a sense of freedom for the trainer to bring his or her own talents and methods to the learning experience.

The repetitive nature of this model explores the sometimes-chaotic nature of self-awareness development (Gill et al., 2015).

8 EQ Competencies

Another model of emotional intelligence, developed by Freedman and Fariselli (2016), is also a good model. This model provides a set of unique measures that can help one develop their emotional intelligence (Freedman, Ghini, & Jensen, 2004).

The tools in this model are utilized for a wide range of coaching, training, hiring and developmental needs, and they are focused on eight key EQ skills for leadership and life.

The model includes eight EQ competencies divided into three major realms or "pursuits" (Freedman, 2015).

These pursuits are:

1. Know Yourself: Be more aware of emotions and reactions.

2. Choose Yourself: Be more intentional in responding.

3. Give Yourself: Be more purposeful as you move forward.

In addition to the EQ scales, the assessment also includes a questionnaire on key performance outcomes.

These success factors include four-component scales:

Effectiveness: The capacity to generate results (includes Influence and Decision-Making).

Relationships: The capacity to build and maintain networks (includes Network and Community).

Wellbeing: The capacity to function optimally and preserve energy (Balance and Health).

Quality of Life: The capacity to maintain a healthy balance and be fulfilled (Achievement and Satisfaction).

These four scales are combined into one overall "Success" variable (Freedman & Fariselli, 2016).

2 Emotional Intelligence Graphs

Numerous studies have shown that emotional intelligence scores are a good predictor of performance when it comes to critical life success factors.

The graph below shows the results from one study, which examined over 75,000 individuals, primarily managers, and employees, from over 15 workplace sectors and 126 countries.

As shown in the graph below, there is an extremely strong positive correlation amongst emotional intelligence scores and overall performance and success scores.

Each dot on this scatter chart below represents one individual's EQ score and their overall success score (Freedman & Fariselli, 2016).

A regression model was also created to show the emotional intelligence competencies that had the highest scores of success.

As you can see from the chart below, seeing possibilities (exercise optimism) and maintaining that sense of internal drive (engage intrinsic motivation) are at the top of the list.

Both of these ideals are in the "Choose Yourself" part of the model, which focuses on taking responsibility for personal action.

What is an Emotional Intelligence Matrix?

The emotional intelligence matrix, based upon the tenets of emotional intelligence, examines the idea of nature versus nurture as well as strengths and weaknesses (Service & Fekula, 2008).

The basic premise behind emotional intelligence is all about building awareness and building a capacity to work well with others. Being aware of our own emotions and using them consciously can help us be more aware of others' emotions. As a result, we will learn how to manage ourselves much more effectively in relationships.

Learning in Action Emotional Intelligence Matrix

Learning in Action Technologies (2002) provides a wonderful Emotional Intelligence Matrix. This matrix outlines capacities, competencies, skills, and workplace behaviors.

The emotional intelligence matrix provides a map for better understanding the relationship between capacities, competencies, and workplace skills.

Understanding these subtle differences their relationships and their hierarchy of development is very helpful when it comes to interpreting behavior and targeting organizational or educational initiatives.

On a historic level, leadership and organizational development have typically focused on skill development, which is perfectly appropriate for the technical learning environment. However, a more robust model is called for when it comes to other organizational initiatives that impact people and how they work together to get the job done.

According to the research, these types of initiatives should be focused on things like capacities, competencies, and the resulting workplace behaviors (Learning in Action Technologies, 2002).

Without attention to strengthening these core capacities and finding a way to work them into daily work life, the long-term potential for organizational change might be greatly diminished.

According to the matrix, the capacities are broken down into:

1. Self-reflection.

2. Self-regulation/self-soothing.

3. Empathy.

Competencies are broken down into:

1. Emotional self-awareness.

2. Accurate self-assessment.

3. Self-control.

4. Innovativeness.

5. Adaptability.

6. Resilience.

7. Trustworthiness.

8. Conscientiousness.

9. Accurate self-assessment.

10. Developing others.

11. Political awareness.

12. Conflict management.

13. Building team bonds.

14. Leadership.

The matrix can be viewed here at its original source.

So why are these skills so important in the workplace?

In jobs that require a mid range of complexity like a mechanic or a sales clerk, top performers in the field are 12 times more productive than those performers at the bottom. Moreover, they are 85% more effective than the average worker.

In the most complex jobs, such as an account manager or an insurance salesperson, the top performer is 127% more productive than an average performer (Learning in Action Technologies, 2002)

Research done among two hundred different companies and organizations infer that 1/3 of this difference may be due to technical skills and cognitive abilities. The other 2/3 may then be the result of emotional competence.

For those in leadership roles, over 4/5 of the difference is actually due to emotional competence.

According to Ratey (2002):

"The brain is a social brain, the neurons making connections with their neighbors or dying for lack of contact."

Ratey explains that a baby comes into the world with a maximum open-loop brain without limbic regulation. Without limbic regulation, the vital systems and rhythms would collapse and die.

As a result, children must learn to self-soothe and self-regulate.

According to Lewis, Amini, and Lannon (2001), emotions are at the very root of everything we do with the limbic brain at the center of this advanced emotionality.

This open-loop design means that our emotions and moods are contagious. Emotions often leap between two individual brains, workgroups, or large gatherings of people.

This open-loop design can help teams work together. However, it can also perpetuate or spread violence.

Lewis and colleagues (2001) also talks about how emotional intelligence develops out of the relationship between an infant and their caregiver.

These early relationships and patterns shape a child's understanding as well as his or her definition of the self and others. In adulthood, we continue to require a source of stabilization outside of ourselves. Looking at the open-loop design, this indicates that we cannot be stable on our own.

The Four Fundamental Relational Components

According to the literature, there are four fundamental relational components or strategies we can implement throughout our lives.

1. Acknowledgment.

2. Mirroring.

3. Modulation.

4. Creating or Co-creating.

Acknowledgment of the self and others with recognition of the self as separate from the others is the first component. This includes honoring each individual's right to have his or her own experience. This acknowledgment first of oneself and then of the other is the foundation for self-reflection and differentiation.

Mirroring is the next component. Mirroring expands and deepens this acknowledgment of the other's experience. Recent research has indicated that mirroring is perhaps the most powerful form of empathy. As you observe how other people act and behave you will internally feel what they feel.

Modulation is the 3rd component. Self-soothing behavior originates from the caregiver in childhood. Once we learn to modulate our own experiences we can then help modulate others.

This type of learning helps the brain to develop.

Creating or Co-creating is the final component. As children, our caregivers provide an alternative activity to help us move forward as we explore and learn. As adults, we can arrive at the same place by using our own internal voice.

According to Fonagy (2000), organizations made up of people cannot effectively co-create without first attending to these first steps in the process.

This foundation is laid down in the first four years of life. With intention and focus and participation in positive relationships, the brain's plasticity continues this emotional development throughout our lives.

As we examine the core components once again, as it pertains to emotional intelligence, we begin to see the pros of cons.

The Core Capacities of Emotional Intelligence: Self-Reflection, Self-Soothing & Empathy.

Self-reflection is that ability you have to identify with various thoughts and sensations. It also has to do with your ability to connect with both pleasure and discomfort.

The ability to observe yourself and reflect helps you make conscious choices. As you acknowledge your personal power you realize you have a choice in your actions.

If this self-reflection is lacking we may:

Have difficulty learning from experiences.

Blame others.

Commonly make victim-based statements.

Display reactionary behavior.

Have difficulty understanding that we choose our response in any given situation.

Have limited ability to self-correct.

Have difficulty reflecting on how we co-created the outcome.

Have difficulty solving problems.

If self-reflection is highly developed we can adjust our behaviors and continually re-assess and observe.

When self-soothing is lacking we may:

Not hear or accept information that is negative.

Deny things are true or blame others.

Get upset in ways that cause us to feel undervalues or dismissed.

Sabotage outcomes.

If self-soothing is highly developed we are better able to manage ourselves if someone is blaming us or attacking us. We are also able to welcome news without censorship, which helps us recognize and categorize disturbing information.

Self-soothing also helps us enjoy positive support from others.

If empathy is lacking we may:

Not listen or become isolated and out of touch.

Not feel honored or acknowledged.

Believe we don't count.

Become disconnected.

When empathy is abundant and highly developed we tend to understand people more, listen more and are better able to understand and appreciate someone's differences.

Daily Practices for Self Reflection

According to Learning in Action Technologies (2002), there are 8 key things you can do in terms of daily practices to help in self-reflection:

1. Practice being present now.

2. Notice your judgments about yourself and your judgments about others.

3. Practice noticing and naming your experiences.

4. Focus on what you want, not what you don't want.

5. Recognize that other people are simply mirrors of yourself.

6. Practice awareness by noticing the stories you create and your interpretation of them.

7. Practice unbundling your feelings.

8. Notice the degree with which your emotions, thoughts and wants are positive or negative.

You can practice being present by stopping several times a day to notice what you are thinking or feeling. You can also try noticing the sights, sounds, and smells of your environment as well.

Noticing your judgments is all about realizing that everyone is different. Make it a point to suspend your judgments and simply appreciate the life within you and around you.

Noticing and naming your experiences is another good technique. When you strive to name an emotion you can better understand the full array of feelings that are present.

Everyone is your mirror, and often times the feelings and experiences we have are contagious. In terms of self-reflection, it pays to be aware of what feelings you are giving off at any moment.

The next tip is all about the stories we tell ourselves. These are unique for us. How we react in any given situation is based on our life experiences up to that moment in time.

Unbundling your feelings is another good tip. This involves stopping and paying attention to what might be going on. When we have intense feelings like anger or jealousy, we tend to bundle them together.

It's easy to get caught up in the victim mentality. The victim mentality tends to be more negative. The first step you can take to get out of this mode is to pay attention to how many times a day you frame your experiences as positive or negative.

Simply being aware of your attitude helps you create a new level of consciousness.

Practices for Building Trust

Solomon and Flores (2001) recommend ten practices for building trust for yourself and others:

1. Practice inviting feedback from others.

2. Practice mentoring others.

3. Notice when you tend to beat yourself up.

4. Identify people who helped shape your viewpoint and/or trust.

5. Pay attention to the degree that you trust yourself in important relationships.

6. Act as if you really count, which you do.

7. Get to know the people who are really important to you.

8. Notice your level of trust in important relationships.

9. Practice delegating to others if you are a leader.

10. Practice assuming that other people's intentions are positive.

Getting feedback from others can be intimidating. By practicing getting feedback, you become much more comfortable with the process. Try asking someone directly for feedback and notice how much more comfortable you get each time.

Mentoring others is another great practice for building trust. Mentoring can help improve your self-awareness and your empathy.

If you find yourself beating yourself up more often than not, try asking yourself what situations prompt this feeling? Work to identify the origins so you can start treating yourself with more respect.

Identifying pivotal people who helped shaped your viewpoints can also help you build a sense of trust. You can also pinpoint those who eroded your trust and work to change your viewpoint.

Paying more attention to the degree that you trust yourself in different relationships can also be very helpful. Try making a list of those people that you trust and people who are important to your level of success. Rate the degree that you trust them and identify some key messages that may come about that discount you.

Acting as if you really count is another key factor. When you act as if you count, you face your fears. When you make a habit of feeling the fear and pushing through the fear, you feel empowered.

Getting to know the people who are really important to you is another great way to build a sense of trust. As you do this, try and notice your level of trust in important relationships. As you think about these people act as if you are about to have an important conversation with them, and imagine what you might say.

If you are a leader, it may behoove you to start delegating. Doing so without micromanaging is a good way to build a sense of trust with others.

Last but certainly not least, try assuming that other people's intentions are positive. If you assume others have a positive intention, your day will flow much better.

Daily Practices to Increase Empathy

1. Practice acknowledging yourself.

2. Practice acknowledging others.

3. Get to know your team members.

4. Practice tuning in to others.

5. Learn and practice the essential elements of dialogue.

6. Practice initiating conversations at times of stress.

7. Practice listening without interrupting.

Try greeting yourself in the mirror each morning with honor and generosity of spirit. Express some appreciation for who you are and what you have accomplished.

One good way to increase empathy is by practicing acknowledging others by saying good morning and using their name. Look into their eyes and let them know you are interested in what they have to offer.

Getting to know your team members and other key individuals can also help you build empathy. Really make a point to notice people and pay attention to what they might be thinking or feeling.

Tuning into others on a regular basis is important because as you do this, you will be building your empathetic skills.
Being unafraid when it comes to initiating conversations in times of stress can also help boost your empathetic skills. As you do this, really pay attention by listening and learning.

Finally, it's always a good idea to practice listening without interrupting. You might be surprised at how often you tend to interrupt. Research shows that the average person listens for less than 20 seconds before interrupting.

Listening to others takes practice, but it's a great sign of respect.

The Emotional Intelligence Wheel

The Relational Model below shows how different patterns of interaction help develop the brain and build emotional intelligence.

1. Creating opens up synchronized space that fosters learning and expanded internal capacity.

2. Acknowledgment, both of the self and others, affirms others presence and creates a sense of openness.

3. Mirroring others emotional experiences lets them know you care and understand.

4. Modulating and creating resonance with others while maintaining a non-anxious presence, helps lower stress and anxiety and create a sense of openness.

To learn more about building emotional intelligence, take a look at our article: How to Improve Emotional Intelligence Through Training. Alternatively, you may find this handy PDF from Learning in Action Technologies useful if you wish to learn more about EQ in the work environment.

Using Mind Maps for Emotional Intelligence

Mind maps were developed by Tony Buzan as a note-taking technique. Mind maps can help you get out of the linear thinking mode and into a radial thinking mode.

Mind maps help you uncover the thoughts, which the brain has about a subject from different viewpoints. Using a mind map, you can you activate both right and left brain thinking as an alternative to logical linear thinking (Erdem, 2017).

Mind maps have many benefits. They can help you:

1. Have better recall.

2. Improve creativity.

3. Problem solve.

4. Focus better on a subject.

5. Organize your thoughts.

Mind maps have an important place as a lifelong learning tool when a constructivist approach is used as a base in the learning-teaching process (Erdem, 2017).

Mind maps are a highly effective way to get information in and out of the brain. Mind maps help you think more creatively and think outside the box.

A mind map has an organizational structure that radiates out from a common center. Using words, symbols, and images you can then build out branches from that center.

By using a mind map you can jot down ideas as they pop into your brain. There is no need to create any kind of linear, logical structure.

Akin to brainstorming, mind mapping is a wonderful way to boost the creative process.

The five essential characteristics of mind mapping include:

1. The main idea, subject or focus, which is displayed in a central image.

2. The main themes, which radiate out from the central image appearing as branches.

3. The branches, which are comprised of a key image or keyword, which is drawn or printed on its associated line.

4. Topics of lesser importance, which are represented as twigs off of relevant branches.

5. The branches, which form a connected nodal structure.

How to Make a Mind Map

Think of your general main idea and write it down in the center of the page.

Figure out some sub-themes of your main concept and draw branches to them from the center. This might look like a spider web.

Focus on using short phrases or even single words.

Add images to invoke thought or to portray your message better.

Try to think of at least two main points for each sub-theme created and create branches out to those.

In terms of emotional intelligence, we can examine the Goleman Model, as shown below. Daniel Goleman's model of emotional intelligence includes five realms, which are then broken down into four quadrants:

1. Self-Awareness.

2. Social Awareness.

3. Self-Management.

4. Relationship Management.

As seen on the mind map the main branches are broken down even further helping one see all of the different facets of each quadrant.

By examining each of these four quadrants, one can quickly see the skills required to develop each one.

One great way to use a mind map for emotional intelligence would be to list out all of the different facets within each quadrant and how they apply to you, so you can see what areas might still need some improvement.

Emotional Intelligence Grids

So now that you have explored emotional intelligence and know more about it, how can you start to improve upon it, you might ask?

There are some simple ways to start changing your perspective. Just like willpower, emotional intelligence can be developed and strengthened over time.

The more you work to understand your emotions and how they drive you, the better your personal and professional life will be.

Let's examine some strategies now that can help you take inspired action toward boosting that emotional intelligence.

Self-Awareness

The way you define something becomes your understanding of it.

Work to improve your vocabulary of descriptions - for example, if you experience fear, try describing exactly how it feels for you. Do you feel anxious, panicked, nervous or just worried?

Accept yourself exactly as you are.

Be assertive. Practice saying no in a way that is not offensive.

Say what you need to say and say it!

Resist impulses. Try delaying or resisting temptation and act accordingly to control emotions.

Be flexible. Practice transforming your emotions from one state to another. For example, try smiling when delivering disappointing news.

Self-Management

Practice and learn your ability to regulate emotions. Do something at the moment to stop the emotion or change it, or try and relax into it.

Try regulating your emotions. That regulatory capacity helps build your emotional intelligence. When you get angry for example, try rethinking the situation or looking at it differently.

Be aware of other's emotions.

Social Awareness

Recognize the emotions in others and the fact that they are driven by their emotions like robots.

The emotions you identify on others acts like a virus, impacting everyone.

Learn to outsmart this tendency by connecting with and overriding the negative emotion with your own positive feelings.

Don't believe everything you hear.

Give back to society and be helpful when you can.

Connect with other positive people or social groups to help build your skills. For example, Toastmasters, Ted talk groups or other groups can be helpful.

Relationship Management

Form boundaries around your emotions. Learn to recognize your own emotions as separate from other's emotions.

Recognize that other people's emotions do not have to be your emotions.

You have the option to not react to every emotion sent your way.

Self-Motivation

To stay motivated, it's important to stay focused on strong goals. This gives you a sense of self-confidence and self-efficacy.

Try and maintain a positive attitude, despite other's negative emotions. Stay in a motivating environment as much as possible.

Self-motivation is a complex subject. It is linked to your level of initiative when it comes to setting goals. When you truly believe you have the skills and abilities necessary to achieve your goals, you expect and get success.

Exercise to Enhance Emotional Intelligence

1. Try listing 10 positive emotions and 10 negative emotions you can connect with.

2. Start with Happiness and Sadness on the top of each list.

3. Strive to understand each of the emotions you listed and identify how they can be caused.

4. Notice the specific effect of these emotions and how they make you feel.

A Take Home Message

Emotional intelligence helps you to be smart about your emotions. It's not solely about being nice. It's more about being authentic and honest.

The idea of emotional intelligence helps you become more aware of your feelings and how your feelings impact others.
If the idea of emotional intelligence is more important than IQ, in terms of personal or professional success, it behooves us to continue learning more about it.

In the end, boosting your sense of emotional intelligence can help you read other people's signals better and react more appropriately to those signals.

The Harvard Business Review also acknowledges emotional intelligence as something that is important, suggesting that EQ is a paradigm shifting idea.

Daniel Goleman defines emotional intelligence as:

Knowing your emotions and having self-awareness - being able to recognize feelings as they happen.

Managing your emotions or handling feelings appropriately.

Motivating yourself or marshaling your emotions in pursuit of a goal.

Recognizing the emotions in others and empathizing.

Handling relationships and having the skill to manage the emotions of others (see this article).

In Goleman's book " Emotional Intelligence " he talks about managing with heart, which includes engaging in teamwork, maintaining open lines of communication, being cooperative and listening and speaking your mind (Goleman, 1998).

Goleman also talks about the destructive effects of miserable, intimated workers as well as arrogant bosses.

All of this leads to decreased productivity and things like missed deadlines, all of which impact the bottom line.

That is really the heart of the issue when you get down to it. A happy worker is a productive worker.

According to Goleman:

"The rules for work are changing. We're being judged by a new yardstick: not just by how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other."

Goleman believes that having the emotional intelligence necessary to facilitate cooperation and collaboration elevates us all toward success.

That is the true benefit of emotional intelligence.

For further reading:

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our 3 Emotional Intelligence Exercises for free.

If you wish to learn more, our Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© is a 6-module emotional intelligence training package for practitioners which contains all the materials you'll need to become an emotional intelligence expert, helping your clients harness their emotions and cultivate emotional connection in their lives.

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Emotional Intelligence Frameworks, Charts, Diagrams & Graphs

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Emotional intelligence, otherwise known as EQ, helps us better understand what motivates others. It also helps us work more cooperatively with others. The more skillful you are at discerning the feelings behind others' signals the better you will be able to control the signals you send back to them.

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Emotional Intelligence and  Leadership Attributes of School  Counselor Trainees

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Emotional Intelligence and  Leadership Attributes of School  Counselor Trainees

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Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Attributes of School Counselor Trainees

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Introduction to the special issue: A case for school counseling leadership

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Introduction to the special issue: A case for school counseling leadership

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School counselors' emotional intelligence and its relationship to leadership

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School counselors' emotional intelligence and its relationship to leadership