Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Sample Exercise and Insights

Take control of your energy and be intentional about showing up as your best self, which can empower your team to do the same.

As a leader, the energy you bring to the workplace everyday MATTERS. Your tone, temperament, body language, choice of words, etc. all deliver messages that directly impact the energy of your team and your peers. When you’re not at your best, it is important to recognize the power you must take control of your energy and be intentional about showing up as your best self, which can empower your team to do the same.

To emphasize this point, Stratix CEO Louis Alterman shared this advice during a panel discussion on growth-hacking through a downturn:

“As the CEO, one thing that is really important at all times, but especially in a recession, is to show up in a good mood every day. Find a way to show up with a smile on your face, take an extra 10 seconds before you start the meeting to say something positive, or demonstrate that you feel good about the path that the company is on. People pick up on those cues. They make decisions about whether to take an offer from another company based on those cues. Be intentional about that because it’s not easy or natural to do every day.”

In a recent session on Leading with Emotional Intelligence, participants completed a simple, 5-minute exercise to increase their self-awareness and recognize the power of self-management – 2 key elements of emotional intelligence. Try it at the beginning of your next meeting to see how your team responds.

5-Minute Exercise to Renew Positive Energy and Emotion in Your Next Meeting:

• Step 1: Ask team members to rate how they currently feel on a scale of 1-10. Note: This is a time for honesty and self-awareness. There are no wrong answers here. The leader decides if they want team members to share their responses with the group.

• Step 2: Ask team members to write down three words to describe how they feel.
• Step 3: Ask team members to think of a time when they felt their best. Ask team members to picture themselves in that moment when they were feeling their best and tap into the energy felt at that time.
• Step 4: Ask team members to write down three words to describe themselves when they are at their best.
• Step 5: Ask team members to greet everyone in the room (either virtually or in-person), WITHOUT SPEAKING!
• Step 6: Repeat Step 1.
• Step 7: Ask team members to share differences in their responses from Step 1 vs. Step 6.
• Step 8: Discuss key takeaways and the importance of making the effort to always show up as your best self and taking accountability for your energy.
• Step 9: Jumpstart your meeting with renewed energy!

Here are actual responses from a session illustrating the difference in responses from Step 2 vs. Step 4.

Responses before going through the exercise:

Responses after going through the exercise:

The word clouds represent the shift in emotion and energy before the exercise and after. Feelings of tiredness, stress and exhaustion were the most prominent to begin; however, taking a moment to reset and tap into the energy they feel when at their best, shifted their mindset drastically. Now, after the exercise, most leaders described feeling happy, engaged, confident and refreshed.

Here’s the bottom line.

Energy is contagious and transferable. As a leader, the energy of your team begins with you. The next time you are leading a meeting or going into a one-on-one discussion and aren’t feeling your best, take a moment to check-in with yourself, be aware of your energy, and identify ways to tap into the best version of yourself so that you exude the energy your team needs to perform at their best.