Taking Emotional Intelligence In Leadership To The Next Level

Step up to the millennial challenge

The Covid-19 pandemic cast a spotlight on the benefits of empathy, nurturing and inclusiveness demonstrated by collaborative leadership. Organizations did not need a pandemic to realize that collaborative leaders are more effective. For the better part of a decade, we’ve lived in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world (a VUCA world), that depends on the agility and resilience of collaborative leadership.  The pandemic and post-pandemic workplace, have only amplified this reality and it is further intensified by the shifting profile of our workforce.

Millennials, who are now between 25 and 40 years old, account for over one-third of the US workforce, and since 2016, are the largest generational group. A significant distinction from earlier age groups is that Millennials are the most racially and ethnically diverse adult population in the nation’s history. The next generation – Gen Z – is even more diverse. What millennials and the upcoming generation seem to have in common is the desire for a learning and growth experience at work.

As consumers, 83% of millennials say it is important to them to buy from companies that align with their beliefs and values. Likewise, according to the 2021 Deloitte Millennial Survey,  they want to work for organizations that make a positive contribution to society, foster innovative thinking and develop their skills. Gallop found they want to be valued for their contributions in an environment where they can do their best work; they want purpose, not just a paycheck; they want coaches, not bosses.

Yet, according to the Deloitte survey, 63% of Millennials say management attitudes, such as reluctance to take risks, reliance on existing ways of doing business, and unwillingness to collaborate with other businesses suppress innovative thinking. These management attitudes reflect an outdated command and control style. Millennials also say that employers are not doing as much as they could to develop their leadership skills and nurture future leaders. One in four millennials are “asking for a chance” to demonstrate these skills.

Leaders who are collaborative can help cultivate these desired skills. Through my in-depth research and behavioral analysis of highly successful collaborative leaders over the last 20 years, I have identified key characteristics that those leaders have in common. The following three behavioral attributes correspond significantly with what Millennial and Gen Z employees indicate they want from their work experiences.

A strong appreciation of mission and meaningfulness can unify and bond a group of diverse people and guide them through the uncertainty of change. As such, it is an essential tool for a collaborative leader. Collaborative leaders strongly believe in what their organization stands for and recognize its social importance. They generate a shared sense of purpose, creating a feeling of “we”, so that people perceive that they are contributing to a greater cause. In doing so, they drive the mission and create a robust culture.

Creating a shared sense of purpose is a core competency of collaborative leaders since it allows employees to participate, to have a more active and meaningful role in the process.  Because they are aligned in a communal purpose; they can productively engage in collective problem solving and decision making, thus increasing their feeling of having control and adding value.

Empathy is essential for leading highly diverse, multi-generational teams; it builds both trust and effective relationships. Research by Daniel Goleman and others backs this up. Empathy entails being curious, asking questions, and listening, rather than taking airtime to demonstrate one’s own knowledge. It also requires adapting and being flexible in order to consider a diversity of input with an open mind.

Collaborative leaders create psychological safety through a culture of trust where people will speak up and share ideas, thereby fostering innovative thinking. They create a common ground that diminishes hierarchical differences and values inclusiveness and empathy in others. They show high regard for all employees and specifically spell out to individuals why their roles are valued and what their contributions are to the organization. These behavioral qualities communicate “I care, I’m interested, and I understand.” They establish a sense of community and belonging.

Collaborative leaders take great pride in developing others. They have a keen eye for emerging talent. With their empathy, they pick up on unconventional skills and backgrounds in people that may be overlooked by others but that are transferable and relevant to specific roles. Their inclusiveness makes collaborative leaders natural developers of diversity in leadership. Collaborative leaders include emerging leaders in high-level discussions to expose them to strategic conversations and give them important visibility. And, they provide ongoing feedback and coaching to nurture growth and foster success.

They step aside to provide opportunities for others to take the stage, and they applaud their accomplishments. They give people a chance to “take the wheel,” letting them learn by doing instead of showing them or doing it for them, and then analyze with them their failures and successes.

The pandemic and post-pandemic world put a premium on emotional intelligence, and leaders are called upon more than ever to be mindful of employees’ wellbeing and sensitive to their individual circumstances. These three behavioral attributes allow them to take emotional intelligence to the next level.

Millennials – who are more diverse, live in a constantly connected world and have been exposed to different lifestyles and viewpoints – have a higher propensity to see the world through someone else’s eyes. They boost the requirement for this high level of emotional intelligence by selecting and staying in organizations, whose leaders meet their needs for purpose, leadership development, and the ability to make meaningful contributions. By leveraging emotional intelligence, leaders can effectively manage and realize the benefits of Millennial employees.