A common trait of great leaders is a desire to learn, teach others, grow and improve always – they are not complacent in the way they operate, and seek to become the best version of themselves for their company and team. One often overlooked, yet vital, area that credit union leaders should focus on is developing emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is an ability to comprehend and manage one's own emotions, as well as his or her team members'. Perhaps surprisingly, many psychology experts theorize that a high emotional intelligence quotient, or EQ, is a better predictor of leadership success than a high intelligence quotient, or IQ.
Leaders with high degrees of emotional intelligence can use it as a powerful asset to interpret feelings perceptively, decipher why particular feelings are present and identify how those feelings positively or negatively affect others. There are five important aspects of emotional intelligence that credit union leaders should focus on: Self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, relationship management and effective communication.
Self-Awareness
Recommended For You
Self-awareness is a skill set that allows you to interpret your own emotions, motivators, strengths and weaknesses, and recognize how these variables impact others. This includes understanding who you are and why you make decisions, and knowing what you need to improve on as a leader. Leaders must also exhibit a sense of humility. To improve your self-awareness, assess yourself regularly and do not be afraid to acknowledge your feelings. When you experience strong emotions or feel overly reactive, take a moment to slow down and examine why, and then make a calculated decision on how to respond.
Self-Regulation
Leaders must have the ability to regulate themselves. Practicing this discipline should allow you to redirect negative emotions, avoid unnecessary panic and easily adapt to fluctuating circumstances in order to encourage your team to stick together. Your team members look to you as an example of how to behave, so you need to be able to stay in control in stressful or uncomfortable situations. Self-management should also include keeping oneself accountable, as even the best leaders are invariably fallible.
Empathy
As a credit union leader, you certainly will find yourself in situations where employees may react strongly to internal or external events. It is important that you understand where they are coming from, and why they may or may not feel a certain way given the circumstances. At a high level, this is known as being compassionate or relatable. At a deeper level, empathy will empower you to connect with your employees on an emotional level, and show that you care about them as people. People who feel connected to their leaders in this way will be motivated to work hard and have a positive attitude.
Relationship Management
It is vital for leaders to make their relationships with employees a high priority. This goes beyond simply saying hello in the morning and goodnight at the close of business. If you are intentional in your efforts to build deep relationships with your team, you will be able to better understand what drives them individually. By doing so, not only will you increase your emotional intelligence, but also serve as an example to your employees and encourage them to forge meaningful relationships with one another.
Effective Communication
Effective communication is the foundation of emotional intelligence. The ability to communicate effectively – both verbally and nonverbally – requires practice and intention, especially for those in leadership positions who may be pressed for time constantly. Talking to your employees is important, yes – but even more important is asking non-superficial questions and listening intently to the responses. Great communicators are able to get their point across while letting others' voices be heard and acknowledged.
There are many things credit union leaders can do to improve these pillars of emotional intelligence, including using more personal forms of communication, such as engaging in face-to-face conversations as opposed to emailing, asking open-ended questions, practicing active listening, giving recognition, journaling – the list goes on. Once you become intentional in these efforts, you quickly will discover better leadership strategies, and begin to cultivate a culture of learning and a happier, growing and more productive team.
Robin Kolvek is interim CEO at EPL, Inc. She can be reached at 205-408-5300 or [email protected].
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
