Rather than suppressing these limitations and weaknesses or seeing emotions as limitations which unfortunately many leaders would instinctively do, the next step ought to be for a good leader is to develop strategies to manage the limitations and channel the emotions. Self-compassion is self preservation, without this as a leader you would burn out, sooner or later. (Read: Self Compassion and Preservation). Easier said than done, I hear you say. Many of the readers who are leaders would agree that looking after self, needs tremendous discipline, as similar to mothers, leaders put their own needs below that of the organisation. This is an error that many would regret. 

Following the original description and definitions of EI in the 1990s a large number of psychometric tools designed to measure it were invented and developed. Currently, there are more than 30 scales and measures being used widely. It seems like some have been adopted readily as valid tests by those adept in this field; the non-psychologists of the world find the choice of tests complex with  overlapping and confusing terminology. 

The picture is further complicated by the fact the EI has been further classified into Ability EI and Trait EI, the former are measures which use questions/ items comparable to those found in IQ tests, trait EI scales use self-report items to measure overall EI and its sub dimensions. We then have the mixed EI that refers to questionnaires that measure a combination of traits, social skills and competencies that overlap with other personality measures. 

for the purpose of defining the reason for the tests.

On literature search the following seem most reliable tools:

1. Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Tests (MSCEIT), Mayer et al. 2002
2. Self-report Emotional Intelligence Test (SREIT), Schutte et al., 1998
3. Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue), Petrides and Furnham, 2001
4. Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), Bar-On, 1997
5. Emotional and Social competence Inventory (ESCI), Boyatzis and Goleman, 2007)

Self-reflection through personal notes & journals has been proven to be so effective that in certain professions- health care services being one- self-reflective exercises have been formalised. They have become mandatory additions to annual professional development activities for team leaders. It forms part of the annual appraisal and performance reviews to emphasise that personal growth is virtually impossible without ’looking in the mirror’ and actively changing behaviours that hamper development and team performance.

Theoretical knowledge is miles away from the ability to apply it to personal behaviours. The significance of reflecting and putting self-observations on paper cannot be overemphasised.

Recognising the triggers following any negative event helps in understanding the facts, triggering factors, and our emotional reactions to specific situations, behaviours that ‘naturally follow’ these. This, followed by viewing the above objectively- preferably with a mentor- can help develop insight into whether our reaction to the event was proportionate and fair.

Recognition of triggers could give a good sense of ways the situation could have turned out differently if our reactions had been more rational rather than emotional. Taking away lessons from this exercise is invaluable in preventing or reducing the intensity of similar situations in the future or at least, better management of behaviour to minimise the harm. New strategies can be developed following this learning.

Seeking Feedback: Gathering, reflecting on, and applying outcomes from feedback is critical to effective leadership. Although feedback on a day-to-day basis ought to be our way of functioning, it can be forgotten and ignored if one is not careful. Some methods that are more practical to apply in daily practice are:

1. Self-observation & Appraisal- Making a note of the daily feedback from colleagues, customers, and personal contacts can help raise self-awareness.

2. SWOT- Building personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats assessments based on feedback is an excellent method that helps use one’s strengths to personal advantage, opting for roles and responsibilities that are likely to play to these.

Targeting training on specific skills considered ‘weaknesses’ may eliminate or reduce them with the right attitude and motivation.

3. Psychometric Tools- A scientific and quantitative approach to feedback that can objectively measure the individual’s mental capabilities, behavioural style and personality traits in the form of psychometric tools can be valuable to indicate an individual’s suitability for a role. Therefore, informing individuals and organisations about assigning jobs for themselves and employees can help them meet their potential and not set them up for failure by ignoring their capabilities. Some examples of reliable psychometric tests would be ILM72 for leadership styles and OPQ32, which measures an individual’s personality preferences in the workplace.

Used appropriately, they can help make the assessment measurable, reduce natural subjective bias and increase self-awareness. According to Cut-e- one of the principal psychometric assessment and talent measurement companies- 81% of companies that use psychometric tools make more reliable and less risky decisions although only 57% believed psychometrics could help predict future performance.

The example of Paul Flowers, chairman of Co-op bank is cited to illicit the latter statistic. He was hired because, apart from being a Methodist minister with little experience in banking, he performed well in psychometrics. 

The unfortunate fact is that by searching Google, thousands of ways to ‘pass psychometric tests’ appear, which can help bag a job that may be unsuitable. Trying to fool these tests and ignoring feedback they provide can be an unfortunate way to “lie to self” about one’s capabilities, strengths and weaknesses.

If used judiciously with other methods, their use can be a fruitful exercise for a manager and the organisation and beneficial to increasing a manager’s self-awareness.

5. Multisource Feedback (360-degree feedback, Surveys)- The patterns of peers’, junior, and senior colleagues’ views about one’s strengths, weaknesses, commendations, and complaints are a powerful tool for recognising things that we are ‘blind to’ or in denial about. If colleagues at various levels of experience state similar observations about working with a person, it may become more believable and less likely to be thought of as a biased opinion.

 The exercise of requesting, reflecting on, and encouraging conversation about the observations made by colleagues is not only helpful towards furthering self-awareness. It also promotes dialogue about the leader’s weaknesses when even junior colleagues can voice their opinions. This provides the opportunity for the leader to develop new skills.