Why Good Leaders Know How to Manage Themselves

Many people in the business world are realizing the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace. In contrast to the common understanding of intelligence as the ability to apply logic and knowledge to solve problems, emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and to understand and empathize with others around you. Because all leaders need to manage people around them, good leaders need to manage themselves and understand how their own moods affect their colleagues.

Entrepreneur and business executive Kye Giscombe has learned what it takes to be a good leader by managing companies such as Cosmo Horizon, Estate Law Center, and Contact Sports, Inc. Kye Giscombe advises, “You can’t be an effective leader if you always let stressors and setbacks affect the way you approach your work and treat other people. We’re all human, so we all have things that get under our skin, but it’s your response to those things that sets the tone for your workplace.”

To this end, all good leaders must develop self-awareness and practice healthy introspection. Being self-aware means knowing your moods, work habits, and tendencies. Once you have a healthy perspective on your unique traits, you can formulate daily routines that account for your strengths and weaknesses.

Kye Giscombe continues, “Learning to manage yourself includes paying attention to the small details. When are you most productive? What kinds of things distract you? What do you find most upsetting? Plan for these things ahead of time so that you aren’t driven by impulse when you find yourself in challenging situations.”

One important aspect of managing yourself that you should not overlook is taking the time to rest. Pushing yourself too hard and tiring yourself out is one easy way to make your work and relationships suffer. Take care of yourself even as you pursue your business goals and work on becoming a better leader.