This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 21, 2025 – July 27, 2025

In the military, the most effective leaders are rarely the loudest. Those who earn trust and hold teams together under pressure are often attuned to more than just tactics — they read both the room and the terrain. They sense when morale is slipping, course-correct early and do so with calm authority, not bluster. Their leadership relies less on firepower and more on emotional intelligence (EQ).

Today’s corporate leadership mirrors this as boardrooms are culturally, generationally and technologically complex. Around the table, people seek more than just technical skills or charisma. Increasingly, they are looking for something deeper: Trust. And that does not come from a business degree or strategic brilliance alone — it comes from EQ.

Once dismissed as a soft skill, EQ — the ability to manage one’s own emotions and understand others’ — is now recognised as essential. It shapes how leaders communicate, resolve conflict and create environments where people feel heard and respected. And that, more than ever, is where performance begins.

A 2023 Harvard study found teams with emotionally intelligent leaders had 20% higher psychological safety and engagement, leading to more innovation, better decisions and lower turnover. In a world where talent moves quickly and workplace culture shapes brand reputation, this matters.

In Malaysia, EQ is more critical as organisations are layered with cultural, religious and generational diversity. A lack of EQ can lead to silos, missed perspectives and quiet disengagement. In such environments, leadership that can navigate nuance with empathy is not just valuable, it is necessary.

This is especially true for women in leadership. Today, women hold 33% of board seats among the top 100 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia. While a meaningful milestone, the question is no longer just about numbers — it is about what kind of leadership is recognised and supported once women are in the room.

Many boardroom cultures still lean towards assertiveness over reflection, volume over nuance, and legacy over adaptability. Women are often expected to conform to leadership styles that were not designed with them in mind. In such spaces, EQ becomes not just an asset but a form of resilience.

Data supports this. TalentSmartEQ’s 2024 global study, based on over a million assessments, found that women consistently scored higher than men in three of four key EQ competencies: Self-management, social awareness and relationship management. On the fourth — self-awareness — they scored equally. These findings held across industries and regions.

These are not just personality traits. They are leadership capabilities. Leaders who manage emotions and relationships build trust, ease tension and shape positive organisational culture.

Yet traditional leadership development often overlooks these skills, rewarding assertiveness and individual performance instead. That is easier to quantify but less reflective of what modern teams need. When EQ is brought to the forefront, it opens new possibilities for how we define leadership and who gets to lead.

Some companies are adapting. DBS Bank integrated EQ into leadership in the 2000s and Microsoft, under Satya Nadella, made empathy a core value in 2014.

Artificial intelligence (AI) adds a new layer. It can scan resumes and detect sentiment but it cannot sense when someone feels excluded or when silence means discomfort, not agreement. Without emotionally intelligent oversight, AI risks amplifying bias and reinforcing exclusion.

Leadership in the AI era will require questioning assumptions, reflecting on unintended consequences and making space for dissent. These are deeply human skills and more important than ever.

As the 30% Club Malaysia marks its 10th anniversary, the theme “Inclusive Future” feels both timely and urgent. Progress is clear — but are diverse leadership styles truly supported or just tolerated? It is time to see empathy and insight as strengths, not exceptions.

Representation gets women in the room. EQ changes the room. It transforms presence into influence and diversity into performance. The next chapter of inclusion will not be about who gets a seat — it will be about how leadership is practised once the meeting begins.

About the Author

Ahila Ganesan is a professional architect and the founder of Future LinQ, a consultancy that helps businesses connect sustainability to strategy. She also sits on various boards and advisory committees. She is also a steering committee member of the 30% Club Malaysia. These are her personal views.

This op-ed is part of a thought leadership series — Equity, Equality, Prosperity, by diverse voices for inclusion — done in collaboration with the 30% Club Malaysia, part of a global business campaign.

The article was first published by The Edge Malaysia.

Photo by Nik on Unsplash.