Mapping emotional intelligence to leadership traits

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Emotional intelligence capabilities can be directly mapped to specific leadership traits. The following table illustrates this mapping and outlines the corresponding behaviors:

**Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Related Leadership Traits**
Competency	Leadership Trait	Behavior
Self-awareness	Self-aware	Know their weaknesses and strengths as well as how their behavior affects others
Self-regulation	Level-headed Comfortable with ambiguity	Stay calm in the midst of turmoil and confusion Can operate in environments of uncertainty where there are few guideposts
Motivation	Persistent	Maintain a positive, focused attitude in pursuing a goal, despite obstacles
Empathy	Caring	Empathize with other people's needs, concerns, and goals
Social skill	Humorous Politically astute	Know how to interject humor when the situation warrants it Have a strong sense of their organization's power structure, and know where to turn for the support and resources they need

Fortunately, since emotional intelligence is not genetic, strengthening your EI capabilities is possible. You can learn to improve your EI skills through extended practice, feedback from colleagues, and your enthusiasm for making a change.