Tips to Improve your Emotional Intelligence at Workplace
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our emotions. The skills contributing to emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Emotional intelligence has recently become a buzzword in human resource departments around the world, but researchers are stepping out to say it’s time to take emotional intelligence seriously. Recognizing and embracing the nuances of human emotions at work can have pragmatic benefits, such as better employee collaboration and a happier work environment, according to Rex Huppke. Huppke reminds us that we are human beings every day, and not just when we leave our desks.
How can emotional intelligence help?
Many areas of psychology are experiencing heated debate about how the brain works, but world-renowned behavioral scientist Daniel Goleman has stated that “the part of the brain on which emotional and social intelligence relies is the last circuit of the brain to reach its anatomical maturity and, because of the plasticity of the brain, the brain is shaped by our repeated experiences. Goleman adds that it should be taught systematically to children. “A pilot project carried out in more than 100 schools has reduced antisocial behavior, promoted social behavior and increased student grades,” continues Daniel Goleman.
The benefits of emotional intelligence are obvious, both at work and outside.
In Western society in particular, we unfortunately tend not to be able to understand and manage human emotions. This trend extends to other areas of life, including the workplace. We often leave our emotions at the door when we go to work, but this has devastating effects not only on companies, but also on employees (from the bottom of the ladder to the CEO). After all, we are emotional beings. But businesses are changing, and we are beginning to offer extensive, personalized work programs and new services (e.g. mental health support through health insurance plans) to deal with people at work. This includes hiring psychologists in human resources departments: understanding your workers as well as possible and offering useful training has immediate effects on the relationship between employees and employers.
What are the elements of emotional intelligence?
Self-awareness is about understanding yourself: knowing our weaknesses, our strengths, what motivates us, our values and our impact on others. So many elements of a good intuition, in fact. In practice, it manifests as self-confidence and a thirst for constructive criticism. If you’re a manager, you might know that tight deadlines bring out the worst in you. A self-aware and emotionally intelligent manager plans their time well and gets the job done well before deadlines.
Self-management is the ability to control and redirect destructive urges and moods. Think reliability, integrity and a relaxed acceptance of change. It’s about not letting your emotions paralyze you, and instead harnessing your positive emotions and aligning your emotions with your passions. For example, if a team misses a presentation, its leader must resist the temptation to shout. On the contrary, he must reflect on the possible reasons for this failure, explain the consequences to the members of his team and seek solutions with them.
Motivation consists in appreciating achievements as an end in themselves. A passion for your work, optimism, and the energy to improve are hallmarks of an emotionally intelligent and driven person.
Empathy is understanding the emotions of other people. It’s about thinking about other people’s emotions, especially when making decisions. Empathy includes expertise in recruiting and retaining top talent, the ability to develop other people, and the sensitivity to bridge cultural gaps. Imagine a consultant and his team trying to advertise a service to a potential foreign client, for example a Japanese client. After their sales pitches, the customer remains silent, which q
that the team interprets as a sign of disapproval. The consultant, on the other hand, feels an interest expressed in body language and continues the meeting, and the team lands the assignment. This is empathy.
Finally, social skills are about building a relationship with others to move them in the desired direction. It is a question of influence.
How to improve your Emotional Intelligence?
Lucyna Bolin, Talent Development Manager at PageGroup, says it is important to “assess yourself and be open to self-assessment. Ask yourself where you stand on the five essential components. Ask for feedback from other people, think more about yourself, and be more honest with yourself. It’s clear that we all have some emotional intelligence, but we need to spend more time on our self-assessment and working on our emotions. As with anything, it takes practice, but even small steps can make a big difference.
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