Being a leader means a number of things. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your team, whether it be a sporting team, a business team, or anything in between, is successful. You need to be able to solve problems, motivate and inspire others, delegate effectively and so much more. One of the most important aspects of being a leader is leading with emotional intelligence. The people you lead, whether they’re employees or teammates, rely on you to be empathetic and understanding of their many emotions. There are many successful leaders who don’t utilize emotional intelligence but the most successful understand that it’s key to leading a successful operation with people who truly care about what they’re doing. So how does one lead with emotional intelligence?

Be Vulnerable

A leader’s ability to be vulnerable can make or break their leadership. Your teammates want you to be real with them. If something is difficult, share that with them. Don’t try to pretend like everything is fine when it’s really not. Your team wants you to share your thoughts and concerns about projects, the organization, and the odds of success, even if they’re not the most positive thoughts. If you’re able to be vulnerable, you’ll create a culture that allows your team members to also be vulnerable not only with you but with one another. Put all of this together, and you’ll have a closer team that will want to work harder to succeed.

Communicate Effectively

One of the keys to emotional intelligence is your ability to communicate effectively with others. Communication at its core is rather simple, but communicating effectively takes more than just two people speaking to one another. When a leader has great communication skills, they’re able to truly connect with their team members. They’ll be able to encourage stronger workplace relationships, and have an easier time getting rid of obstacles within the team’s path. If a leader can communicate with their team effectively, each member of the team will have a clear understanding of what their role is, and how they can achieve the team’s goals. Leaders can also get a better sense of what is troubling their team members, and how they can be of help when things don’t always go as planned.

Be Self Aware

Many say that in order to work best with others, you need to truly know yourself. Most leaders seem to lack this aspect of emotional intelligence. They’re not self-aware, and they don’t always acknowledge their own emotions. As a leader, it’s important to understand if you’re feeling angry, anxious, or any other emotion. A great way to be better about this is to start your day by writing down some of your thoughts. This works as a great way of dialing in and recognizing each of your emotions and why you feel those things. You don’t even have to do anything with those thoughts, as long as you’re aware that you’re feeling them. Another aspect of being self-aware is understanding how each of your team members views you, as that will allow you to get a more holistic view of your strengths and weaknesses as a leader.