Legal Operations

5 Traits Of Emotionally Intelligent Operational Leaders

What makes a good leader great? These characteristics will help.

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Last week, we wrote here about a handful of things that legal operations leaders should get right if they are going to be effective. This week, we follow up on those tips with information everyone can use, but which is particularly impactful for operational managers.

Two words: Emotional intelligence.

This goes beyond those things a leader needs to do right in order to be successful. You’re not going to find a checklist on this because the fact is that emotional intelligence is something that is ingrained in who we are and how we think that it’s not the easiest thing to learn.

Emotional intelligence, according to minds far greater than mine, is the innate ability to monitor and temper one’s own feelings and those of others in order to guide their thinking, reactions and behavior. This has nothing to do with one’s IQ, with their level of education, knowledge, or technical skills. Talent and technical skills are important, for sure. But emotional intelligence is twice as important.

Psychologists have identified five traits of people who have high emotional intelligence.

Self-awareness. This means you understand yourself and your effect on others. You know not only what you are doing, but the impact of what you do on other people. Part of this is, of course, just being aware and realistic. But another component is possessing and displaying confidence in yourself and the things that you think and do. Another measure of one’s self-awareness: Self-deprecation. Don’t be afraid to poke fun at yourself or admit when you don’t know something.

Self-regulation. Having this kind of discipline means that you are effective at controlling disruptive thoughts and behavioral impulses before reacting to any given situation. Self-discipline is not enough. That might get you to eat right or go to the gym every day. True self-regulation, however, means that you are thoughtful, deliberative, and empathetic, yet decisive. You don’t overreact or underreact; your reactions are appropriate to the circumstances. It also means that your moral compass is intact, that you’re a person of integrity.

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Motivation. Great leaders need to have a passion for the work that they do. Effective leaders who I have known and met over the years have always been optimists as well. None operate with a “Debbie downer” disposition; they always see opportunities and have a desire to stretch boundaries, try new and interesting things, and raise the bar.

Empathy. Sensitivity is one thing, and sometimes in a business setting it can be exploited as a weakness. But people who are truly empathetic are strong and understanding people who know where they themselves stand in the scheme of things and are able to read between the lines to see things that others don’t. Empathetic people are also particularly adept at understanding the nuances of communication, they have a good feel for cultural differences, and they can read people really well.

Social skill. Emotionally intelligent leaders are not only expert in working with teams, they actually thrive on teamwork. They have a gift for collaboration, and they understand that there is strength in the numbers of a team. Great leaders are also great networkers, they are persuasive and convincing.

Emotional intelligence can be learned; it’s not entirely innate. But it takes some analysis, discipline, and introspection. It may take time to figure out what your emotional intelligence is. The good news is that you don’t need to spend thousands talking to a therapist or professional coach. If you’ve got a close friend or colleague capable of being candid with you, it should not be too hard to assess how emotionally intelligent a leader you are.

Currently, there is no test for emotional intelligence and there is no scale or spectrum for how it is measured. Indeed, some psychologists don’t believe in it. But the fact is that emotional intelligence has broad reach in business operations, with some organizations using it to assess leadership qualities. Don’t be surprised if it comes up in the context of personnel issues.

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Mike Quartararo

Mike Quartararo is the managing director of eDPM Advisory Services, a consulting firm providing e-discovery, project management and legal technology advisory and training services to the legal industry. He is also the author of the 2016 book Project Management in Electronic Discovery. Mike has many years of experience delivering e-discovery, project management, and legal technology solutions to law firms and Fortune 500 corporations across the globe and is widely considered an expert on project management, e-discovery and legal matter management. You can reach him via email at mquartararo@edpmadvisory.com. Follow him on twitter @edpmadvisory.

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