How do you show Emotional Intelligence at work?

Emotional intelligence as a concept has been around for a while… but more and more it is being referred to in the workplace setting. Not only that, we are starting to appreciate the skillsets that come with high emotional intelligence and are actively seeking people with those abilities in order to create emotionally intelligence workplaces.

What do we mean when we talk about emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise and read the emotional and interpersonal needs of a situation and be able to respond appropriately.

It sounds simple enough, but we’ve all worked with someone who lacks this ability and the results can end up being disastrous. In fact, some research carried out by Wiley has shown some interesting outcomes:

• 86% of managers, directors and executives said EQ was a bigger factor for organisational success than it was 5 years ago.

• Managers indicated they spend significantly more time on interpersonal issues where higher EQ would be helpful.

• 80% have worked on a team where low EQ hurt productivity.

• 80% have seen low EQ create a toxic culture.

• Over 40% have left a job after working with people with low EQ.

Showing emotional intelligence at work then is not just about you as an individual – there is a direct knock-on effect on others around you, culture, productivity and ultimately the bottom line. So it’s time we sat up to take a little more notice of how important it is that we develop our emotional intelligence.

Why is Emotional Intelligence important?

Growing groups of psychologists have reached the conclusion that the old concepts of IQ revolved around a narrow band of linguistic and maths skills and that doing well on IQ tests was not necessarily a predictor of success in the classroom or even as we go through life. Personal intelligence (emotional intelligence) can be expanded into 5 domains:

1. Knowing one’s emotions: self-awareness is a keystone of emotional intelligence. The ability to monitor feelings from moment to moment allows us to explore self-understanding. Not noticing our emotions leaves us at their mercy.

2. Managing emotions: handling feelings so that they are appropriate is an ability that builds on self-awareness. Being able to manage feelings and emotions builds on our resilience and ability to bounce back more quickly from setbacks.

3. Motivating oneself: being able to reach your “flow” state enables outstanding performance and people who have this skill tend to be highly productive.

4. Recognizing emotions in others: empathy is the fundamental “people skill”. People who are empathetic are more attuned to subtle social signals that indicate what others need or want.

5. Handling relationships: the art of relationships is in large part the art of managing emotions in others. These are the abilities that are the foundations of popularity, leadership and interpersonal effectiveness.

What areas can I work on to improve my EQ?

The Everything DiSC® Agile EQ™ Mindsets give us a great starting point for eight areas that we can use in our daily interactions. There are some areas that will naturally feel more comfortable to you than others, but when you can see the full range, you can see where you can strengthen different areas in order to be able to operate in all eight.

Dynamic: Initiating action on your ideas, influencing people, projecting a strong social presence.

Outgoing: Establishing and maintaining relationships and expressing your emotions and unfiltered thoughts to others.

Empathising: Reaching out with compassion, seeking to understand people’s emotional needs and struggles, and being supportive.

Receptive: Staying open to others’ ideas and being willing to compromise or set aside your own needs and preferences.

Composed: Reflecting before acting, moderating your responses even under stress, and exercising diplomacy.

Objective: Separating facts from emotion and keeping discussion focused on logic.

Resolute: Standing your ground in the face of opposition, speaking up about problems, and pushing through any resistance.

Self-Assured: Asserting your opinions and rights, projecting confidence in your ideas and abilities, and taking charge of situations.

Showing emotional intelligence at work is therefore something we need to be considering in our daily interactions. It will not only help you develop as an individual, it can help build better relationships and ultimately create thriving, positive and productive workplaces.

Sources:

• Agility Unlocked: Revealing the connection between agility and emotional intelligence. Wiley.

• Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Daniel Goleman.