Growing into Leadership: The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Career Success
"My ultimate goal was to get promoted to a Director. I absolutely loved my job, but felt that if I didn’t change, I may lose my job."
What We Did
Enhanced Emotional Intelligence
Fostered Collaboration
Managed Triggering Interactions
Implemented Reflective Listening Tools
Reinforced Personal Leadership Style
Key Outcomes
Promoted to Director for demonstrating improved collaboration.
Enhanced relationships and communication within and outside her team.
Became more inclusive and respectful in leadership approach.
Increased involvement in cross-departmental collaborations.
Table of Contents
Background
Jody Babcock is the Director of Accounting at Delta Dental of Iowa, a leading dental insurance provider in the state, offering a range of dental and vision plans for individuals, families, and businesses. Starting at Delta Dental as an Accounting Manager in 2015, Jody had a clear goal: to climb to the Director level. While she excelled in the technical aspects of her role, her management style, shaped by her previous experiences in both a military setting and a substance abuse mental health clinic, was holding her back. This is a common trend in leadership today.
According to Harvard Business School, “71 percent of employers value emotional intelligence more than technical skills when evaluating candidates.” Jody’s rigid and confrontational approach was at odds with Delta Dental’s collaborative culture. She loved her job but knew that if she didn’t adapt her leadership style, she might never achieve her goal of becoming a Director.
Challenges
Jody’s previous work environments had been vastly different from the corporate culture at Delta Dental. “I was very controlling and rigid. It was my way or the highway,” Jody recalls. While this approach may have worked in the past, it became clear that it wouldn’t help her advance at Delta Dental. She needed to soften her approach and become more collaborative to align with the company’s values. “I really felt like if I couldn’t soften myself a little bit and work more within the culture of Delta Dental, I was never going to meet that goal of becoming a Director,” Jody admits.
Results
To tackle her challenges, Jody worked with Leadership Resources coach Nikki Weber, whose guidance was pivotal. “Nikki helped me to be more collaborative. I’m a better leader because of her,” Jody says. She learned to listen and collaborate more effectively, even adopting the habit of using sticky notes with “WAIT” to remind herself to pause and listen.
Her improvements were noticeable. “Sherry, my boss, saw these improvements; she could physically see them happening,” Jody recalls. This led to her promotion to Director during a performance review two years ago. “I think if I hadn’t become more collaborative, I wouldn’t have been promoted. Nikki’s coaching was crucial,” she reflects.
Jody’s growth extended to her personal life as well. “I was pretty rigid with my adult children—it was my way or the highway. But I’m not like that anymore. I don’t need to control their lives,” she explains. Her journey at Delta Dental underscores the impact of effective coaching on both professional and personal development. “I was very siloed into my accounting team before, but now I work as one team with the whole company,” Jody concludes.
Learn how you can improve your leadership style like Jody did, read more on emotional intelligence.
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