Unleash relational intelligence!

So it’s a known fact that the higher you go in the corporate environment the more there’s a demand on your leadership capabilities versus technical expertise.

These leadership capabilities span across various genres depending on company’s core values, strategy, the organisational goals and the skills (or lack of) that the company is looking to shape or develop.

Relational Intelligence has been termed the new way of being smart by expanding your influence. It is one of those skills required of line leaders as they navigate the growth and leadership terrain. In lay man’s terms it’s essentially ‘relational know-how’ in the workplace.

Valérie Gauthier’s translation of ‘savoir-relier’ as “relational intelligence” aptly teaches leaders to tap into their senses in the midst of strategising, allowing them to act intuitively and rationally at once. Few leaders dare to claim that their “gut feelings” are critical to their decisions. But, by engaging their intuition, they are able to draw on experience, better appreciate their environment, build confidence, and summon the courage to tackle the task at hand.

Relational intelligence is also defined as a ‘category of leadership that is marked by humility and intuition. It is the capacity and resolve to build sensible, positive, and trustworthy relationships between entities—people, ideas, jobs, cultures, generations—that are inherently different, opposite or antagonistic’.

A number of leaders reading this may be quietly sending messages to their brains about ‘relational know-how’ not speaking to the bottom line and not impacting metrics that drive key performance indicators.

Line leaders just need to build strong relationships and make confident decisions in addition to driving the numbers. They need to practice listening to their gut feeling as much as balancing rational decisions. It’s also a lot easier to develop relational intelligence which is an enabler in driving business results, than intelligence quotient (IQ).

Relational Intelligence includes skills like self-awareness, empathy, understanding the others perspective, emotional and cognitive accuracy, capacity to resonate with others, and managing emotions according to K Saltzman.

Actually, there is no numerical quotient for relational intelligence. Developing relational skills is an essential part of leadership. Set the tone and resolve to build sensible, positive, and trustworthy relationships. Find your relational blind spot and adjust the mirror.

How do you affect your work environment and what energy levels would you now start exuding? #UnleashRelationalIntelligence.

Ngozi Adebiyi