What is Emotional Intelligence and How Does It Apply in Today's Workplace?

It is not difficult to see why conflict and communication breakdown abounds in many workplaces. And while difference in opinions is natural – and even healthy at times – business leaders must ensure that they don’t lead to the work environment becoming toxic. This is why strong emphasis on emotional intelligence is needed in every company that desires to be successful.
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence, often shortened to EQ (emotional quotient), is defined as the ability to recognize, understand, and harness your emotions to bring about more positive outcomes for the people you interact with. The term was first coined by researchers John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey, but has been popularized by authors Daniel Goleman and Dr. T. Bradberry, among others.
In the case of the latter, he found that people with high intelligence quotient (IQ) did not necessarily perform better than their lower IQ counterparts. In fact, the reverse was true more often than not. Additional research has since found that success in the workplace is not on account of who has the highest IQ. Instead, it is more about having high emotional intelligence.
Further breaking down emotional intelligence, Daniel Goleman, who is also a psychologist, identified five key elements of EQ:
• Self-awareness
Being self-aware means having full stock of your feelings and emotions. People with high emotional intelligence are in touch with how different events affect them emotionally and are, therefore, more confident in how they approach a variety of life situations.
• Motivation
High EQ people tend to be motivated from within, rather from external influences. They are passionate about things that are important to them and are often more productive than their lesser EQ counterparts.
• Empathy
Empathy is considered to be one of the most notable elements of emotional intelligence, especially in the workplace. It is described as being sensitive to the feelings and emotions of others. People who are empathetic are able to identify with other people’s viewpoints and can figure out someone’s true feelings about an issue, even if they are saying otherwise.
• Self-regulation
This element of emotional intelligence speaks to the ability to manage and control your feelings and emotions. Emotionally intelligent people are not impulsive, but rely on rational thought to determine their actions and are able to manage their moods accordingly.
• Social skills
Social skills have to do with one’s ability to communicate well, including handling conflicts and negotiating. People with high levels of emotional intelligence are generally easy to talk to and know how to make others feel comfortable around them, as well as being able to share messages in a way that others can digest, even for sensitive topics.
In addition to the key elements of emotional intelligence, there are also different levels, as described by researchers Mayer and Salovey. These are:
• Emotion perception
• Reasoning with emotions
• Understanding of emotions
• Managing the emotions

The importance of EQ at work
The workplace is being transformed at a rapid pace. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses that once operated corporate offices have had to quickly transition to remote work, whether partially or fully. This has presented new challenges for company leaders and team members, as it relates to serving the customer, coordinating operations, and executing strategies for business development and growth. Managing these changes in an effective manner depends on how emotionally intelligent staff members are.
But even before the health crisis, emotional intelligence had been receiving growing attention in the corporate world. For instance, it was commonly accepted that both leadership and staff need to have high levels of emotional intelligence, in order to increase the chances of long term success for the business. That is why the World Economic Forum listed EQ as one of the top 10 job skills in 2020. Moreover, research on manufacturing and service businesses conducted by Forum Corp., found that when businesses lose customers, it was related to emotional intelligence (or a lack thereof) 70% of the time.
When it comes on to personal advancement at work, emotional intelligence is believed to account for nearly 90% of “what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are similar” (according to the Harvard Business Review). Research by the Human Capital Institute also found that organizations which widely implemented and valued EQ were up to 3.2 times more effective in the area of leadership development than those that did not.

How to improve emotional intelligence in the workplace
There is much more evidence indicating just how critical emotional intelligence is as a skill in the workplace. So, how can you ensure your organization is driven by people who prioritize emotional intelligence? Here are 11 ways you can improve EQ at work:
1. Evaluate current EQ levels
The first step to improving emotional intelligence is to find out its levels in the workplace. This goes for whether you are an executive leader in the organization, department manager, or production worker. For starters, there are emotional intelligence tests all staff members can do online to find out where they stand in terms of EQ. On top of that, you can ask people who are close to you to give their honest opinion about what they think of your personality and areas in which you can improve. Finally, you want to accept that you are not perfect (no one is) by acknowledging your weaknesses and committing to start working on them.

2. Take note of how you react to work stress
Let’s face it – your job can be a great source of stress, especially with many businesses now having to change up work habits due to COVID. From unrelenting customers demanding answers to being faced with higher than usual workloads in an attempt to meet revenue targets, there are plenty of things that can cause you to feel overwhelmed. Try to remember how you dealt with your last stressful situation at work. If you are facing challenges now, think of how you are dealing with them so far.
Did you easily lose your calm at the slightest prodding? Did you feel things were beyond your control leading to a state of near-panic? Were you quick to start casting blame at a co-worker instead of taking responsibility (where applicable)? When stressful times arise, the way how you react can make a world of difference on the outcome. Emotional intelligence means you can keep your emotions in check under stressful circumstances, so this is something you need to pay attention to.

3. View criticisms as opportunities to learn
To be fair, no one likes to be criticized, especially if the perceived faults are not being pointed out in a constructive way. But criticism in the workplace happens all the time and can come from your superiors, team members, and even clients. Your attitude towards the feedback you receive, however, can determine how you move forward. When you view criticisms as learning opportunities, you are able to detach your emotions from the message and can really examine what was said to extract any benefits.
Avoid getting upset when people point to a shortcoming or highlight mistakes you may have made. Instead, listen with an open mind and try to see if there is any truth to what was pointed out. Even if the criticism was communicated in an unreasonable manner, taking a learning approach can make you better prepared to handle a future occurrence in an appropriate manner.

4. Be responsible for your actions
People with high emotional intelligence know that everyone is prone to making mistakes and misjudgments. As such, they don’t try to deflect or blame other people upon realizing they may have erred in a situation. Practice taking responsibility for whatever you have done as quickly as possible, whether the affected staff are your subjects or not. If your actions led to a negative outcome for someone, apologize right away, instead of ignoring or avoiding what was done. While there might be backlash, depending on how damaging your action, people are likely to be forgiving if you show honesty and responsibility in trying to make things right.

5. Stop to think about people’s feelings
Speaking of mistakes and causing discomfort to others; oftentimes, new work-related situations, changes, and opportunities may cause people to act on impulse without thinking of the consequences. Sometimes more harm can result, including the jeopardizing of people’s jobs, the employee’s reputation being soiled, and even the company’s stability getting disrupted. It is possible to avoid some of those instances by simply taking time to think about people’s feelings before taking action. Lean into your emotional intelligence by imagining how team members would be affected, what their reactions are likely to be, and how the organization will be impacted as a result. This is a part of being empathetic, which leads to the next point.

6. Work on your empathy
Whether you are a leader or a team member, showing empathy is necessary for the smooth running of any organization. As mentioned earlier, empathy means being sensitive to other people’s feelings, but not only when you are making important decision. Empathy also comes into play when staff members relate their thoughts, opinions, and emotions to you.
It is highly unlikely that you will agree with the viewpoints of everyone in the workplace, but being willing to try and see where someone is coming from with an argument will at least build respect and trust. If you are not sure where you stand as it relates to showing empathy, there are a few questions you can ask yourself:
• Are you treating people the same way you would expect to be treated?
• Is it easy to communicate with or tolerate people who have differing viewpoints?
• Do you take notice of non-verbal cues when interacting with team members?

7. Zoom in on the areas of your job that you enjoy
Your motivation levels can wane at work, regardless of how good you are at your job. Challenging work conditions and obstacles, for example, can cause one to question their abilities and maybe even lose sight of long term goals. Individuals with high EQ are able to look past the struggles of work and see them as stepping stones to success.
How do they do this? One way is to focus on the aspects of work that they really enjoy. Do you look forward to helping people achieve impressive results? Are you happiest when you meet large targets? How about how you feel when you get good feedback and compliments? Focusing on these areas will serve to motivate and sustain you during challenging periods.

8. Work on developing a positive mindset
Emotional intelligence often leads to an optimistic mindset, and vice versa. By encouraging yourself and others to keep a positive mental attitude, the work environment will become increasingly EQ-friendly, which will spill over into productivity and heighten the possibility of profitability.

9. Be a good listener
One of the complaints of many employees is that they are not being heard. But 69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt more appreciated, according to a survey by HubSpot. Furthermore, a Salesforce Research survey found that employees who felt they were being heard were almost five times “more likely to feel empowered to perform to the best of their abilities.”
With the traditional office setting left behind for work from home arrangements, listening is even more important for both management and employees. Being a good listener is tied to empathy and involves three types of listening: active listening, attentive listening, and responsive listening.

10. Stay away from unnecessary workplace conflict
Conflicts will arise in the workplace, even when working remotely. But while some conflicts are healthy and promote meaningful conversations, there are others that can contribute to unnecessary drama. High emotional intelligence means you are able to negotiate your way out of office politics that is unproductive and potentially damaging. If something is brought to your attention, you are willing to listen but not quick to pass judgment, choosing to hear both sides of the story if needs be. In addition, instead of being reactive to conflicts, you encourage problem solving actions and suggest ways to reduce tension that might be brewing between team members.

11. Pursue stress-relieving techniques
Consistent work-related stress can wear you down, regardless of your level of emotional intelligence. One way to ensure your EQ remains intact at work is to practice stress-relieving techniques. This can be both when you are at and away work. For example, you can engage in physical exercise before or after starting your workday. Workplaces can also incorporate team-building, fun, and wellness activities a few times per week to help staff members de-stress.

Organizations are melting pots consisting of various backgrounds, cultural beliefs, and individual values. At the same time, staff members are constantly making decisions in order to keep the business operational. Improving emotional intelligence in yourself and among staff will only lead to a more cohesive unit that is able to achieve the organization’s goals.

Media Contact
Name: Robert Moment
Email: Robert@HighEmotionalIntelligence.com
Website: www.HighEmotionalIntelligence.com

About the Author

Robert Moment is an experienced ICF Certified Social + Emotional Intelligence Coach and ICF Certified Executive Coach, Trainer, Speaker and Author of the bestselling book, High Emotional Intelligence for Managers . He is also a Certified Diversity and Inclusion Specialist.
Robert specializes in solving workplace communication, management, leadership and employee problems using emotional intelligence coaching and training solutions for sustainable peak performance with guaranteed profitable results.
Robert is Certified to deliver The Social + Emotional Intelligence Profile-Self (SEIP) ® Assessment, the most comprehensive, scientifically validated, and statistically reliable instrument on the market and review the results with clients and create a comprehensive developmental action plan. This includes the self and 360-versions as well as workplace and adult editions.

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This release was published on openPR.