I’ve spent a lot of time recently interviewing candidates for leadership positions within the City of Marshalltown. We interviewed and selected a Police Chief and we just completed interviews for the Fire Chief position. We will be interviewing Housing and Community Development Director candidates next week and still have the Parks and Recreation Director open for applications.

The prospect of new staff in four of the City’s key leadership positions has caused me to reflect on what qualities I am looking for in good leaders. Does being authoritative make you a good leader? Is it being willing to do anything you would ask staff to do, or is it about being a subject matter expert on all things? I think that some of the time it is one or all of those things. But, in my experience, I’ve found that my ability to understand, utilize, and manage emotions is a critical skill for me as a leader and what I look for in other leaders.

Since my early twenties, I have served in a variety of formal leadership roles. I confess that I have made and learned from many mistakes and I have also taken many opportunities to grow and develop my leadership skills. Along my journey, I read an article by Daniel Goleman titled “What Makes a Leader”. When I am reflecting on a situation, I often review this article to consider my own leadership style or the leadership style of others. A person may possess many of the skills one might expect from a leader (highly trained, knowledgeable, commanding, etc.), but, as pointed out in Goleman’s article, without understanding and managing emotions they still won’t make a good leader

Have you ever had a boss who you were afraid to greet in the morning for fear of how they might “show up” that day? Whether they are in a good mood, bad mood, angry, or happy, it was going to set the tone for the rest of your day, and essentially every day of your working life! As a leader, I try to be deeply aware of my emotions and how they affect other people. Believe it or not, job performance can hinge on whether you smile and greet staff members or grumble and shut your office door. Showing authentic empathy – simply considering feelings as one of many factors in making decisions – builds support, loyalty, and dedication. Everyone wants to know that they matter. I often get calls from residents who are frustrated with a situation and they need some help trying to either understand or to remedy it. Just the other day I had a phone call from a resident who was frustrated with the numerous companies installing fiber in the right of way. He had a lot to say about it and I simply listened, for a long while. At the end of the conversation, he said “you know I want to thank you for hearing me out, I appreciate the time you have given me”. Even though I wasn’t able to solve the problem, he just appreciated me considering how he felt about things. Whether you are leading a small group, an organization of 150, or an entire community, understanding feelings and emotions matters.

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Carol Webb is the Marshalltown city administrator.