EI/EQ in the workplace matters much more for leaders today as remote work expands widely due to COVID-19.
Emotional intelligence is a vital consideration in the workplace for many reasons, but there are two that really stick out:
- It is linked to the higher job satisfaction for those with high EI/IQ as well as employees who work with or are managed by those with high EI/IQ.
- It is strongly associated with job performance.
Daniel Goleman, author of the 1995 book, “Emotional Intelligence”, explained in his article What Makes a Leader? “It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but mainly as threshold capabilities”, that is, they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions.
A leader with high emotional intelligence is likely to be more effective in their duties:
Communication, problem-solving, and management because they have primary skills required to handle their ob and salso a deeper understanding of themselves, their team, and how their words and actions impact success.
Every leader or manager interested in improving their emotional intelligence in the workplace must prioritise these five skills below, breaking them down into even smaller skillsets for the best results. For example, to become self-aware, a manager must learn to listen actively and encourage giving and receiving feedback within the team or organisation.
Self-awareness
As a manager, you perform better when you are continuously honest and aware of your strengths and weaknesses.
Without the ability to reflect and view yourself objectively, you may lean towards blaming others or failing to see how your actions contribute to particular outcomes. Self-awareness helps you recognise and understand your moods and emotions, as well as their effect on others.
Self-regulation
Being aware of our emotions and their impact on others is a strong starting point for good leadership. The next step is to manage these emotions and the reactions they evoke.
Good leaders and managers must be able to handle pressure and refrain from emotional outbursts or strong negative reactions at work as these actions can cloud the leader’s decision-making, break team morale and cause confusion in a bad situation. Emotionally intelligent leaders hold their emotions in check and channel their energy into creating positive outcomes.
Empathy
Combined with self-regulation, empathy helps leaders and managers understand their team members and other partners. Having empathy simply means to understand and share others’ feelings and be able to put yourself in their shoes.
If you pay attention to your team members’ moods and actions, you may recognise actions or behaviors that warn you before a molehill problem grows into a mountain. Without empathy, a leader is unable to recognise the impact of their actions on others. They may be unkind to employees and team members without being aware. They may ask for more than their team can handle and create a toxic work culture.
Social Skills
Good social skills have a direct, measurable impact on almost all aspects of leadership and management. We can go as far as to say that good communication skills are the sine qua non of emotional intelligence in the workplace.
Social skills help you deal with challenging situations and improve interpersonal relationships, collaboration, and team performance. They also help to resolve conflicts, build and maintain company culture, and develop project plans.
Motivation
More than the promise of bonuses, salary increases, perks, or a more senior title, good leaders are motivated by strong intrinsic values. They communicate clearly and often to their teams and employees.
Leaders with emotional intelligence understand their internal motivations and how they correlate with those of their team members and the organisation. Intrinsic motivation, more than just emotional intelligence, is a competitive advantage in almost any business context. The ability to harness and communicate this motivation to leaders, project managers, and employees cannot be underestimated.
How to improve emotional intelligence:
You can improve your emotional intelligence with training, reflection, and deliberate practice.