Chapter six. Developing Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Literacy to Strengthen Leadership Communication.

Summary:

Leaders need strong interpersonal skills and an understanding of and appreciation for cultural diversity. Without these skills, leaders cannot communicate with and manage others effectively. Interpersonal skills have gained recent recognition among leaders under the name of “emotional intelligence.” Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand emotions and those of other people. This understanding provides a foundation for understanding and appreciating cultural differences, called cultural literacy here. It means being literate or knowledgeable about fundamental differences across cultures.
For leadership communication, emotional intelligence and cultural literacy are as important as strategy, writing, and speaking skills included in the core of the leadership communication spiral introduced in the first few chapters of this text.
Emotional intelligence and cultural literacy are necessary skills that allow to interact with and lead others effectively, and the key to interacting with others and managing relationships successfully is communication: “The basis of any relationship is communication. Without communication-be it sign language, body language, e-mail, or face-to-face conversation-there is no connection and hence no relationship. The importance of effective communication skills to Emotional intelligence is crucial, and its value in the workplace is incalculable.”
In this chapter, the following objectives:

· Appreciate the value of emotional intelligence

· Take steps to increase your own self-awareness

· Improve your nonverbal skills

· Improve your listening skills

· Mentor others And provide feedback

· Realize the value of cultural literacy

· Use a cultural framework to understand difference
In the end, this chapter devoted specifically to understanding emotional intelligence and developing the ability uncover which means getting below the surface of the words, in many cases, to the meaning beneath. This ability is essential to emotional intelligence. The first sections of this chapter discussed the value of emotional intelligence and how to achieve it; the later sections on nonverbal communications, listening, people development, and cultural literacy dedicated to increase ability to understand the emotional subtext.