Serving Bread

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I’m putting together a teaching seminar for ministry leaders on Emotional Intelligence (or EQ). A few years back, I was sitting in one of my seminary classes when I was introduced to the works of Daniel Goleman on the topic of EQ. I was fascinated by the insights of Goleman into human emotions and it’s effects on our leadership. After taking that class, I developed an Independent Study program with a professor at Fuller Seminary to further study the topic.

What EQ basically says that being book smart (i.e. one’s IQ) is not enough for leadership. Smart people could be terrible leaders if they don’t pay attention to their EQ. After ten years of ministry, I have seen the effects of poor emotional management on someone’s ability to lead, despite their academic intelligence or even leadership potential.

Our emotions matter to our leadership. Poor emotional health or intelligence will trump leadership potential and abilities.

Goleman identifies 6 characteristics of EQ. They are:

• Self-Awareness: The ability to monitor our own feelings is important for self-  understanding. The more we are aware of our feelings, the easier it is for us to  make personal decisions.
• Managing Emotions: How do we handle life’s most disappointing and  difficult circumstances? Our ability to manage our emotions allows us to  recognize anxiety or irritability, and bounce quicker from life’s setbacks.
• Self-Motivation: Motivation is a very difficult character to teach. The person  who is not motivated will find every excuse to not fulfill his or her  responsibility. Self-motivation allows the person to take control of one’s life  and decision. They become more and more like the shepherd in John 10,  rather than the hired-hand.
• Empathy: The ability to recognize other’s emotions and be able to respond  well to other people’s emotional gauge. Empathy allows a leader to recognize  the mood of the people he or she is leading, and how to properly lead people  toward vision.
• Self-Control: There are many temptations that come our way, and it would be  very easy (especially for young leaders) to act on impulsiveness. The leaders  who are able to delay gratification and practice self-control will be able to  perform better and make better decisions for the greater good, rather than for  the good of the moment.
• Relational Handling: Like empathy, it is important to handle relationships.  Conflict resolution is one of the most important character traits of a young  leader who is learning to work on a team and take risks in ministry and vision.

There is a lot to be said about Emotional Intelligence. During my independent study, I devised an assessment, reflections and a growth plan. I’ve uploaded my Emotional Intelligence Seminar. Feel free to download it for personal or team use.