As markets brace for a second wave of national lockdowns to counter the resurgence of COVID-19, leaders must maintain a high emotional intelligence to manage their remote teams effectively, say speakers at the Women in Securities Finance’s latest webinar.
The industry group partnered with the Centre for Advanced Emotional Intelligence (AEI) to host a virtual event this week to continue its 2020 vision of providing professional and leadership development programmes.
AEI was founded in 1995 and promises to offer practical results-oriented programmes for leadership development and corporate culture change.
The event, hosted via Zoom, was an interactive discussion with AEI’s president, Alicia Del Real, and CEO Bob Biglin, on how emotional intelligence can help in all facets of life, and is especially important during the current upheaval brought on by the pandemic.
The discussion focused on four key components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy (social awareness) and social skills (relationship management).
“With emotional intelligence as a cornerstone, exceptional leaders can gain a competitive advantage in building and mobilising strong organisations,” explained Del Real.
During the discussion, Biglin said that “at our core, humans are social beings,” and as such “EQ” a term coined to describe emotional intelligence in similar terms to IQ, “helps us effectively nurture and sustain our relationships”.
“Emotional intelligence is a fundamental skill for success,” Del Real stated, adding that “cross-functional collaboration and working effectively with other people are critical skills”.
The Women in Securities Finance group was formed in early 2018 in the US by Elaina Kim Benfield, senior counsel at Vanguard, Arianne Collette, executive director at Morgan Stanley, and Jill Rathgeber, director at BNY Mellon, who act as joint chairs.
The group hosted an event earlier this year at the IMN Beneficial Owners’ International Securities Finance and Collateral Management Conference about how to develop personal and professional leadership skills, and the importance of effective leadership to drive business results.
Elsewhere, Women in Securities Finance has recently launched its new podcast series Perspectives which provides insight and content to keep members up to date with a focus on professional development and career strategies.
