Series 4.2: The EQ Gap: Unlocking Leadership Potential for Technical Co-Founders

Technical founders have invaluable expertise, there's no doubt about that. They drive innovation, and they provide valuable insights about the industry. They understand everything that happens on a company scale. However, their focus on technical skills and knowledge can sometimes lead to a lack of prioritization of the emotion aspects of leadership. This leads to the EQ gap.

The EQ gap can cause some serious problems in your business, including:

• Poor team collaboration: If you can't identify and regulate your own emotions, chances are you can't do it for your team. Since they focus on technical details, founders can overlook the emotions of their employees, which means they miss the little conflicts that eventually lead to big issues.
• Lack of employee motivation: Without a strong emphasis on emotional intelligence, technical co-founders might fail to recognize the motivational needs of their team. And this lack of engagement leads to missed growth opportunities and decreased morale, and even higher turnover rates. As a result, your revenue operations suffer.
• Poor conflict resolution: Conflict is inevitable in any workplace, but resolving it requires empathy. Technical co-founders might struggle to mediate disputes effectively, prolonging conflicts and creating a toxic work environment. Without proper relationship management, you risk seriously disrupting productivity.
• Weak relationships with stakeholders: Your stakeholders include everyone from investors to customers. But without the right interpersonal skills and the ability to manage emotions, you'll struggle to build a rapport with these key stakeholders. It can damage the customer journey and result in missed funding opportunities. Remember, people invest in relationships, not companies.

And of course, all of these issues can have some serious negative consequences for businesses. This includes high turnover (which means a more complicated and expensive hiring process), missed growth potential, and stunted growth.

So, it's absolutely crucial for co-founders to bridge the EQ gap. Otherwise, they risk damaging their business's growth. Being an experienced leader in your industry is not always enough; building stronger relationships with stakeholders and employees is a necessity if you want to take your company to the next level. The question is how.

Bridging the EQ Gap

Getting over that EQ gap is absolutely crucial for growth-oriented businesses. You just need to know how to do it.

The good news? It's possible to develop emotional intelligence through certain exercises. The bad news? Some people are just naturally talented at it, and a people person is always going to be better than someone who had to learn emotional intelligence. Fortunately, there's a hack that C-suite executives can use: hiring fractional leadership.

Before we get into that, though, here are some ways to boost your EQ:

Self Awareness Exercises

Some exercises can help you to build your self-awareness by reflecting on your own emotions and how you handle them. Consider:

• Journaling: Reflect on your emotions, reactions, and interactions in a journal each day. This can help you to identify emotional triggers and patterns.
• Mindfulness and meditation: Incorporate mindfulness techniques into your day to foster awareness of the present moment and get in touch with your emotions.
• Feedback: Ask peers and team members for honest feedback on your leadership style. This can tell you how others perceive your emotional intelligence.
  

EQ Coaching

There are now tons of seminars and coaching sessions available to help founders develop their emotional intelligence. These include workshops, online courses, or one-on-one mentorship to help you develop these skills.

Working with experts is a great way to gain valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses, and to work on those weak points effectively.

Building a Supportive Culture

Team-building can also be really helpful for developing a company culture that promotes high emotional intelligence among everyone. Ensure that your employees have open communication channels, and make sure you recognize and appreciate your hard-working team members.

With the right culture, you can elicit that all-important feedback and guarantee that your employees have the space to collaborate without conflict.

All of this is possible, but there’s another solution, too: fractional leadership. Want to learn more? Get in touch with me to find out more.