Emotional Intelligence, not Artificial Intelligence: The Cornerstone of Leadership
Published on: 06 Jan 2025
A real leader is the one who walks the talk . A leader is willing to think, feel and act for the people and society at large. These days artificial intelligence (AI) happens to be a most frequently used aid by everyone. However, when we speak of leadership, can we really give priority to AI?
Successful leaders truly cannot afford to give priority to AI at the cost of ignoring emotional intelligence. A leader has a vision to achieve goals, not singlehandedly, but with the team, motivating them and taking care of the sentiments of the team members.
Emotional intelligence involves the ability to identify ones own as well as other’s emotions, guide behaviour in order to facilitate thinking and achieve goals. In a nutshell, it is the key to success.
Let’s understand the role of Emotional Intelligence by looking at an example of two classmates, Rahul and Rajesh. Rahul was a highly intelligent boy who took a lot of interest in studies which was strengthened by the digital tool named AI. Rajesh had average intelligence with a high EQ and studied seriously only two days before the examination. Rajesh was street smart and managed to pass, though not with very high grades.
After completing their studies, both got jobs in the same renowned company . Rahul joined the company with a rank better than Rajesh, but in three years, the tables turned.
Rajesh held a higher rank than Rahul, which shocked him. He thought to himself how could Rahul perform so well. Rajesh did a lot of research on how to improve upon his performance. It, however, did not help him much, because throughout he had stressed on cognitive learning, which one does to score high grades. His EQ, the quality that gives an individual the ability to judge sentiments, build team-spirit and handle crisis, was very low.
Rajesh knew how to deal with situations by valuing the presence of every team member in his team and could help the company rise, whereas Rahul could not because of his purely bookish knowledge which was reinforced by a digital tool called AI.
We frequently witness headlines detailing the upheaval caused by the AI revolution as corporate giants leverage its capabilities to streamline operators and save invaluable time, often at the cost of traditional employment models in this contemporary era of rapid tech advancement. However, amidst this upheaval, can AI truly emulate the essence of effective leadership?
While artificial intelligence has its strengths, it lacks the depth and nuance of human emotions. It can help leaders find answers to their queries by equipping them with spontaneous information but cannot make accurate decisions which involve having a complete overview of a situation as it neither has physical presence, nor emotions.
The focus of emotional intelligence is on teamwork, collaboration and building relationships while artificial intelligence focusses on finding the answer to the user’s query by processing the data which is already present in it.
Unlike artificial intelligence, emotional intelligence enables us to perceive subtle emotional cues, adapt to different contexts, and respond with empathy and sensitivity. In essence, while AI can perform specific tasks with efficiency, emotional intelligence remains indispensable in fostering meaningful connections and enriching human experiences.
A learned man once wisely said, “A leader is one who is a good listener and one who understands the situation before jumping into conclusions.” So, according to me, working by listening to the call of the heart is more important to lead a team.
