The phrase “Servant Leadership” was first coined in the early
1970’s and centered on the concept of the leader (or manager) being a servant
to his/her direct reports. It can perhaps be best summarized with the following
question: “How can I best serve my people?” Make no mistake – servant leaders
are still in charge, but instead of relying on their title/position to command respect
and compliance, servant leaders rely more on cooperation, coordination,
persuasion, guidance and development to motivate their staff members to excel.
Servant leaders put other people’s needs first and share power with them.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) was first coined in in a
research paper for two psychology professors, Peter Salovey from Yale and John
Mayer from UNH in 1990. Rutgers psychologist Daniel Goleman brought the concept
mainstream with his 1998 book Working with Emotional Intelligence. In
that book he suggests that EQ accounts for a full two-thirds of the abilities
needed to be a successful leader and that EQ is twice as important and IQ. Simply
put EQ is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions, as well as other
people’s emotions. To be emotionally
intelligent you have to the ability to:
- Identify what you are feeling;
- Know how to interpret your emotions;
- Understand how your emotions impact others;
- Regulate your emotions; and
- Manage other people’s emotions
Among other qualities that differentiate servant leaders
from more traditional managers, servant leaders need:
- to be effective listeners;
- have a heightened awareness of their own and others strengths and weaknesses;
- have a commitment to the growth of people; and
- be able to understand and empathize with others.
The ties between Servant Leadership and EQ are almost endless. For example, effective listening means talking less and actually listening to understand and not just to respond. Taking time to hear and comprehend not only the words being spoken but also the emotional content within the message and the emotional state of the other person(s). Effective servant leaders with high EQ listen respectively to their staff and identify both their staff’s and their own emotional state before responding and/or acting upon the information they receive. They are keenly aware that helping shift or guide the emotions of their staff will make a huge difference upon the successful implementation of any answer or directive given.
Servant Leaders are constantly evaluating the various strengths
and weaknesses within their team and seeking ways to play on strengths and help
correct weaknesses. EQ plays a very large role in this process. You simply
cannot have a successful coaching/development meeting with anyone if you do not
take into account the emotions present along with those that will crop up
during the conversation. Successful
leaders come from a position of support and assistance and not of criticism. Honest
feedback yes, but a supportive plan of action and an emotional management plan.
Servant leaders strive to both understand and empathize with
their team members. This simply will not happen if your EQ has not been
developed (Yes, unlike IQ – EQ can be developed and strengthened throughout your
lifetime). Empathy requires an understanding of the emotions that another
person is feeling and going through. You do not need to have experienced the
exact situation – but emotionally you can find similarities and that is what
you draw on in order to empathize.
Simply stated Servant Leadership requires high EQ. Every
single quality of a Servant Leader is enhanced by having high EQ. The good news
is that you can choose to develop both a Servant Leadership mindset and your
Emotional Intelligence. I strongly encourage you to do both. EQ has become widely
recognized as a required trait in today’s workforce; Servant Leadership has
also been recognized as a powerful and effective method of leading any team.
Make a commitment to yourself to learn more and practice both.