by Gina Brennan
May 31, 2023
May is National Nurses Month – an annual, month-long celebration recognizing the vast knowledge and expertise nurses bring to every healthcare setting, serving patients and communities throughout the continuum of life and care. Nurses embody characteristics such as kindness, fairness, caring, empathy, and compassion, among many others. Emotional intelligence and the impact it can have on the nursing practice offers lessons for any association leader.
What is emotional intelligence?
By definition, emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. However, the way in which emotional intelligence is applied is critical to excelling as a nurse, as seen by Smithbucklin’s Vice President, Association Management, Kim Eskew (CAE). Eskew is responsible for overseeing the teams and management of all of Smithbucklin’s nursing organizations, bringing together cohesive teams to drive growth, innovation, and client impact. She leads with empathy at the forefront of her mind, focusing on the opportunities, solutions, and trends that are unique to nursing specialty organizations. Eskew partners with both her teams and client boards to navigate them through emotionally charged and difficult decisions that ultimately lead to achieving their goals.
“In working side-by-side with nursing associations, I quickly learned the importance of ‘bedside manner’ and why nurses are so good at it,” Eskew said. “It comes from understanding, recognizing, and having the ability to influence the emotions of those around you. By leading with a genuine concern for those I interact with, I have formed long-term relationships built on trust and honesty with my volunteer board members, staff team members, and even my mentors. These types of relationships lead to successful outcomes.”
Leading with emotional intelligence sets your organization up for success.
The integration of emotional intelligence into leadership practice is fundamental to guiding a team with empathy.
Similar to Eskew’s experience, tapping into emotional intelligence begins with vulnerability and self-awareness of areas that may need improvement. Diving into these qualities serves as an excellent way to move toward vulnerability and transparency with members of your organization. By letting volunteer board members and staff team members get to know a leader, their work style, and why they’re passionate about the organization they serve, an opportunity to establish a genuine, lasting connection is presented.
How can you lead your organization with emotional intelligence?
Leading with emotional intelligence is critical to developing trusted relationships with your board of directors, partners, and staff teams. Consider ways that you can do the following:
- Be intentional about your communication style and reactions to colleagues. Practice mindfulness around your leadership style and be open to feedback from fellow board members and staff.
- Focus on self-awareness and social awareness. To be an emotionally intelligent leader, you must be aware of your own place and the responsibility you carry when it comes to driving an organization to success. One of the many exceptional traits of a strong leader is self-awareness.
- Be vulnerable. Be open with volunteers and staff about your vision for your organization, and don’t be afraid to acknowledge where room for improvement may exist.
- Keep pushing for change – both in your organization and in yourself. Just as you work to see your organization grow and improve, set yourself to the same standard. The more you aim to grow in your role as an association leader, the stronger your emotional intelligence will become.
Though it takes time and practice to implement, understanding what it means to lead with emotional intelligence and empathy will help form trusted relationships with the members, volunteers, and staff of your association.
Gina Brennan is in Corporate Marketing at Smithbucklin.