In an interview for The Times last week, England Rugby Coach Stuart Lancaster recounted his strange journey towards becoming the saviour of an international rugby team at their lowest point in decades. “Emotional intelligence is the key requirement to get the best out of people,” he explained in the interview. “I was never academically straight A’s, but being self-aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, I am pretty good at that.” 

When Stuart took the reins of managing the England team last year, his lack of international experience was predicted by some to be his downfall. When asked “what are you going to do about the Haka?”, he responded: “I’m looking forward to watching it”. He cites his years as a teacher, which he calls “coaching in its purest form”, as his greatest learning platform, and this is where his Emotional Intelligence came to the fore. 

Kicking “logic” into touch

In the quotation at the beginning of this article, he calls Emotional Intelligence “the key requirement to get the best out of people”. This kind of thinking is all too rare in the managerial working world. A manager can rely far too much on cold, hard logic, and forget about the people behind the statistics. Reading between the lines, and the ability to judge groupthink is sometimes vital for an effective managerial strategy.

Lancaster, later in the interview, is asked whether coming in from the outside, without any pre-conceived notions on the ‘done thing’, was in fact an advantage for him. He replied: “Definitely, 100 per cent.” When we think about how things should be done, and how they have been done in the past, it gathers a respect of its own. How could it have worked for so long if it isn’t the best way? Surely someone would have improved it by now? This kind of thinking can also contribute to a stagnant and unproductive managerial style. A manager that strives to be the ‘someone’ that changes the way things are done can truly change the game.

Managers too frequently ignore their gut instincts and immediate emotional reactions. There is a growing need, especially during a general shift to worker autonomy, for managers to trust their Emotional Intelligence, and make real decisions moving forward.

Is Emotional Intelligence inherent in the leadership teams and managers within your workplace? Iridium Consulting offer a range of solutions for improving emotional intelligence in the workplace. Call the team on 01604 589675 to find out more or click here to send an email.