Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership, Management of work in leadership and decision making in health care is not just about work and choices, but people as well. It is about understanding, connecting, and touching people. This is where emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) comes into the picture.
Emotional regulation can be useful to leaders in managing contexts in the healthcare industry. They are aware not only of the emotions they experience but also of the emotions of the individuals they interact with at work.
It helps them in building better teams, enhancing interpersonal communication and creating healthy organizational climates.
Self-Reflections: Why Healthcare Professionals Should Learn about Emotional Intelligence
Feelings are a significant aspect of our existence and, more to the point, it is impossible to go through any given day without experiencing some form of emotion. Emotions are important in decision making and in general perception of the environment and the events that take place in it.
It is important to note that the ability to identify emotions and understand them is a tool that can be applied at any time, maybe during a romantic meeting or a business conversation.
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) refers to the capacity to recognize and manage emotions within the self and others, as well as to differentiate between emotions and attach appropriate names to them and to employ emotional knowledge to reason and act.
Emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) also means the ability to grasp feelings (internal processes such as love or fear) and then be able to use this knowledge to foster good relations with other people.
Emotional intelligence is important for every leader
Management and leadership are two different aspects that cannot be used interchangeably. Even if you are a professional in your field, great leaders understand how to motivate and work with people and also handle conflicts.
If you look down at your own skills and find out that there is still something that can be done, then you are lucky. It has been established that people with sound emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) skills are capable of managing stressors effectively.
These people are usually hired for leadership positions in an organization due to their capability of making right decisions for their team. Emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) plays an important role in the overall functioning of relationships in general, including professional ones.
This is a skill that is essential in managing your interpersonal relations in your home as well as in your workplace. If you want to be a good worker, you need to learn how to see the perspective of other people and understand their point of view.
People often make statements that you don’t necessarily have to agree with. But you should at least listen to them and try to understand what they are trying to convey to you.
What are the advantages of EI for healthcare workers?
Emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) for healthcare personnel is the new thing that most nurses, doctors and other health care personnel are beginning to practice because of the interaction they have with the patients.
It is possible to find many works that have indicated that empathy is directly correlated with patient satisfaction and that healthcare professionals need to possess good communication skills, no prejudices, personal barriers, and a positive outlook.
Emotional intelligence can therefore help a person understand how to manage stress and its impact on health. You will be equipped to tackle challenging conditions with more efficiency and minimize the time spent on stress.
What can you do to enhance your emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership)?
One good approach towards becoming a better and more conscious individual is by using inner dialogues as a method. This strategy will help you label the emotions you experience, and thereby get a better grip on them.
Feeling less empathetic? Mirror their body language. If you want to learn or guess how another person feels or responds, then observing his or her body language will be very helpful.
By copying their position, facial gestures, and movements, you will be able to make yourself feel the same way and by learning the ways of body language, you will be able to understand how people feel and what they want.
Measuring Emotional Intelligence
Self-estimation of the level of emotional intelligence (EQ) (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) is an effective tool for the development of personal emotional and interpersonal skills.
The following are some of the widely accepted approaches and tools for assessing emotional intelligence.
Self-Report Assessment
These are questionnaires or surveys that the participants themselves have to fill in order to determine their own levels of emotional intelligence. The most acknowledged self-report instrument is the Emotional Quotient Inventory and the second version of it, the EQ-i 2. 0. The individual self-assesses each of the abilities, attitudes, and behaviours linked to emotions.
360-Degree Feedback
This method involves using feedback from the individual, colleagues, managers, and subordinates as well. It gives a better insight of an individual’s emotional intelligence. The Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) is one of the examples of 360-degree feedback tools.
Ability-Based Tests
These tests measure real-life emotional skills and include the ability to correctly identify emotions in the faces, the ability to discern the emotions conveyed in the written text, as well as emotional self-regulation. Some of the tests falling under this category include the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) Test (MSCEIT).
Observational Assessment
Psychologists or trained observers use various methods to evaluate a person’s emotional intelligence by observing him or her in different social or workplace scenarios. This method is less popular because it is subjective and requires many funds and resources.
Behavioural Assessment
People are assessed based on their specific behaviours that are associated with emotional intelligence, like how they respond to certain emotions and how they deal with conflicts, and their communication skills. This method is more common in developmental coaching.
Performance Reviews
Some organisations have included the evaluation of emotional intelligence into their performance management frameworks whereby people are appraised based on their capacity to regulate emotions, foster teamwork, and deal with relationships.
Psychological Assessments
There are several ways in which psychologists may assess emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) in clinical or therapeutic settings, usually as part of a more comprehensive assessment. This is usually carried out with a view of diagnosing and treating conditions that affect the emotions and mind.
Different assessment methods might show different outcomes, and the outcomes could be affected by the level of self-reflecting of the person and his or her truthfulness when answering the questions.
Emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) tests should be analysed with caution, and their results should not be viewed as definitive, rather, they should be examined as part of the person’s growth process in their work environment.
It is crucial to understand that the establishment of emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) is a lifelong process, and these types of assessments can help a person to begin the process of growth and self-discovery.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) is not an extra bonus that the heads of healthcare organizations can benefit from, it is a necessity. When the leaders master emotions, they can foster good and efficient organizational climates.
They motivate their subordinates, can manage stress in the workplace and are likely to make better decisions. Due to the increasing pressure on the health care system, there is a need for emotionally intelligent leaders (Emotional Intelligence in Healthcare Leadership) to steer their subordinates.
Including emotional intelligence in leadership is a move towards improving patients’ satisfaction, enhancing teams, and encouraging a healthy workplace.
