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Throughout 20 years as an educator, I have taught at all levels of the Mexican educational system, including elementary, secondary, high school, undergraduate, and graduate, constantly feeling inclined to identify those educators among my colleagues with a vocation that impacted me and who left their marks on students, colleagues, and parents. It has been a pleasure for me to work with this group of teachers and learn from them. I could summarize their positive leadership as service-oriented, leading by example, always in good spirits, and communicating brotherhood and fellowship. I learned from them that it is possible to be a demanding teacher, but with great humanity, and that the art of being a good educator is not accidental because you must acquire experience and learn from it. In this article, I share the importance of fostering positive leadership inspired by emotional intelligence with teachers and administrators.
Studies since 1995 affirm that one of the main traits of a good leader is emotional intelligence, which develops the ability to understand and regulate one’s emotions and those of the collaborating team. Leaders with high emotional intelligence are more effective at motivating, inspiring, coordinating teamwork, resolving conflicts, and giving good feedback. However, what is a leader? There are several ways to arrive at the answer from a philosophical point of view, from organizational psychology, administrative sciences, top management, or neuroscience. Still, studies reveal common traits among leaders regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or religion.
Leadership in education
Leadership is fundamental for educational organizations’ teachers, principals, and leaders. Teacher leaders inspire and create a positive and productive learning environment where students feel motivated and supported to reach their full potential. However, some leaders intimidate their followers, creating an atmosphere of fear and mistrust. This type of leadership can hurt student learning and development.
Discussing and writing about leadership has kept me busy since my doctoral studies in leadership and management. I agree with several definitions of leadership by theorists who define it as “influence.” The physician and neuroscientist Dr. Paul Mclean (1952) theorized about the three evolutionary brains: 1) the reptilian brain (cold and calculating, survival mode); 2) the mammalian brain (social and emotional, family mode); 3) and the rational brain (thinking-logical, creative, human; we could say it applies to Neuroleadership).
We can find more “reptilian” leaders, those who say, “I came to work, not to make friends,“ and who frequently occupy managerial positions and intimidate. Then, we have the “charismatic” mammalian leaders; however, if emotions overcome them, they cease to be rational or tend to be scattered. This proposal suggests a third way: great leaders combine both brains using their neocortex; they are emotionally intelligent, generate trust and influence, and are positive leaders.
The negative consequences of leadership through bullying
Today, there is growing concern about the negative impact of bullying leadership in the educational environment, which causes student demotivation, decreased academic performance, and mental health problems.
- Student demotivation: Students who feel intimidated by their leaders are less likely to be motivated to learn and participate in class. A study by Grissom and Noguera (2019) found that students bullied by their leaders were 20% more likely to report that they were not motivated to learn, 15% more likely not to participate in class, and 10% more likely to have low grades.
- Decreased academic achievement: Those students who feel intimidated by their leaders are more likely to underperform academically. A study by Abrams, Allen, and Porter (2018) found that students were 15% more likely to get low grades, 10% more likely to repeat a grade, and 5% more likely to drop out of school.
- Mental health issues: Students who feel intimidated by their leaders are more likely to experience mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression. The study by O’Keefe and Holt (2017) found that students who felt intimidated by their leaders were 25% more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, 20% more likely to have symptoms of depression, and 15% more likely to report suicidal thoughts.
Characteristics of Leadership Inspired by Emotional Intelligence
Leadership inspired by emotional intelligence is essential in education for the following reasons:
- Creating a positive and productive learning environment: Inspiring leaders create an atmosphere of trust and respect where students feel comfortable learning and taking risks.
- Motivating students to reach their full potential: Inspiring leaders help their followers build confidence and self-esteem, which motivates them to reach their full potential.
- Preventing behavioral problems: Inspiring leaders create an environment of respect and cooperation, which helps prevent behavioral problems.
Emotional intelligence allows leaders to connect with people. Empathy is another critical leadership skill that builds relationships and creates positive collaborative environments. A positive leader can motivate their team because they inspire through their positive example and purpose in life. Thus, the teams can collect information, evaluate it, and make appropriate decisions even under pressure in changing and challenging environments. Leaders with high emotional intelligence skills can resolve conflicts constructively because of their empathy and assertiveness.
Below is the scientific basis for emotional intelligence for leadership:
- Studies have shown that leaders with emotional intelligence are more effective at motivation, teamwork, and conflict resolution (Van Rooy & Viswesvaran, 2004).
- Neuroscience research has identified the brain areas involved in emotional intelligence (Mayer et al., 2004).
- Emotional intelligence training improves leadership skills (Cherniss et al., 2010).
Reflection
The dizzying changes we are currently experiencing, the post-pandemic challenges, the need for quality training, technological advances in Artificial Intelligence, and the short-term future of education require educational leaders to be more adaptable and flexible. Teachers and academic leaders must be able to lead change, guiding and accompanying students in this process. To do this, they need to develop leadership using emotional intelligence, which allows them to connect with people, motivate them, and create a positive and productive learning environment.
About the author
Pablo Martínez Del Castillo (pablo@empireo.org) is a chair professor at Universidad Anáhuac. He teaches leadership classes and tutors graduate programs in education at Anahuac Online. Pablo is the CEO of Empire Consulting. He has a proven track record of success in developing innovative personal development programs. Pablo is also the founder of Orquesta Business Institute, an edtech to certify labor competencies. With extensive experience in the business and education worlds, he has a profound understanding of management and leadership principles and higher education and success in developing innovative educational programs.
Empire Consulting offers personal and professional development programs that can help teachers and academic leaders develop their leadership skills using emotional intelligence.
References
Abrams, J. S., Allen, J. P., & Porter, M. E. (2018). The effect of bullying by school leaders on student academic achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 55(3), 511–547.
Cherniss, C., Goleman, D., & Emmerling, R. (2010). Leadership that gets results. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Grissom, J. A., & Noguera, P. A. (2019). The impact of bullying by school leaders on student motivation. Educational Administration Quarterly, 55(1), 78-112.
Maxwell, J. C. (2012). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Theory, findings, and implications. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 197–215.
O’Keefe, M., & Holt, M. K. (2017). The impact of bullying by school leaders on student mental health. Journal of School Psychology, pp. 63, 1–18.
Van Rooy, D. L., & Viswesvaran, C. (2004). Emotional intelligence: A meta-analytic review and implications for organizational behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 702-728.
Editing
Edited by Rubí Román (rubi.roman@tec.mx) – Editor of the Edu bits articles and producer of The Observatory webinars- “Learning that inspires” – Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education at Tec de Monterrey.
Translation
Daniel Wetta
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