by Tammy S. Robbins
Emotional intelligence—the ability to recognize, understand, and utilize emotions in a healthy, constructive manner—has significant impact in the workplace. In fact, research shows it is the strongest predictor of performance, as well as a crucial characteristic of successful and authentic leaders.
What is emotional intelligence?
The theory of emotional intelligence was introduced by Psychologists Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer in the 1990s and further explored by Daniel Goleman, author of The New York Times Best Seller book, Emotional Intelligence.
Emotional intelligence, also referred to as EQ ("emotional quotient"), refers to a person's ability to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions, as well as identify, influence, and adapt to the emotions of others.
The four main components of emotional intelligence are:
Emotional intelligence, also referred to as EQ ("emotional quotient"), refers to a person's ability to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions, as well as identify, influence, and adapt to the emotions of others.
The four main components of emotional intelligence are:
- Self-Awareness: the ability to identify and understand your own emotions and the impact you have on others.
- Self-Regulation: the ability to control impulses, moods, and behaviors so that worry, anxiety, fear, and anger do not interfere with what needs to be done.
- Social Awareness: the ability to understand the emotions of others and utilize effective verbal and nonverbal communication with other people to achieve the best results.
- Relationship Management: the ability to connect, negotiate, and interact with others; build positive relationships; diffuse volatile situations; and resolve conflicts in a healthy, productive way.
Why is emotional intelligence important?
Emotional intelligence is no longer a “soft skill.” It is now universally recognized as a critical skill that improves communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and relationships. Studies have shown that employees with higher scores on measures of EQ often rate higher in areas of interpersonal functioning, leadership abilities, and stress management.
EQ helps leaders cultivate high morale through empowerment and engagement between individuals and teams by understanding motivations, fostering fair and digestible methods of conflict resolution, and gaining consensus and support to achieve common goals. People with high emotional intelligence remain calm under pressure, display empathy, utilize active listening, and reflect and react appropriately to the opinions of others, all paramount behaviors that contribute to long-term organizational success.
People with low EQ tend not to take responsibility for mistakes and are typically unable to handle constructive criticism. If a workplace is littered with low EQ across multiple levels, the environment can become fractured, counterproductive, and much more challenging for employees to work together as a team.
Many organizations are weighed down by employees and managers who focus on protecting themselves from real and perceived threats instead of getting the job done. In a fear-based environment, productivity and morale are lost in short-sighted attempts to elevate status, avoid the boss’ wrath, or compete for promotions.
People with high EQ collaborate to better resolve critical issues, are less combative, focus on the bigger picture, and make solid, insightful decisions. When an organization consists of people who are empathic, compassionate, and self-aware, everyone, from stakeholders to support staff to clients, will benefit.
EQ helps leaders cultivate high morale through empowerment and engagement between individuals and teams by understanding motivations, fostering fair and digestible methods of conflict resolution, and gaining consensus and support to achieve common goals. People with high emotional intelligence remain calm under pressure, display empathy, utilize active listening, and reflect and react appropriately to the opinions of others, all paramount behaviors that contribute to long-term organizational success.
People with low EQ tend not to take responsibility for mistakes and are typically unable to handle constructive criticism. If a workplace is littered with low EQ across multiple levels, the environment can become fractured, counterproductive, and much more challenging for employees to work together as a team.
Many organizations are weighed down by employees and managers who focus on protecting themselves from real and perceived threats instead of getting the job done. In a fear-based environment, productivity and morale are lost in short-sighted attempts to elevate status, avoid the boss’ wrath, or compete for promotions.
People with high EQ collaborate to better resolve critical issues, are less combative, focus on the bigger picture, and make solid, insightful decisions. When an organization consists of people who are empathic, compassionate, and self-aware, everyone, from stakeholders to support staff to clients, will benefit.
How to Establish a Culture of Emotional Intelligence
Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist and author of the book Insight: Why We're Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life, wrote in the Harvard Business Review that the more power someone accumulates, the more likely they are to believe they know themselves well. Receiving honest, constructive feedback is key to becoming self-aware, and people residing at the highest levels usually have fewer people giving them feedback. To build a culture of high EQ, leaders, managers, and supervisors must model emotionally intelligent behaviors.
- Create a low-stress work environment. Deploying rational thinking and controlling our impulses and reactions creates more positive energy and reduces negative emotional ripple effects.
- Know your team’s strengths and weaknesses. Advancing social awareness skills and relationship management abilities leads to identification, assessment, and maximization of individual skill sets that can increase morale, productivity, and job satisfaction.
- Define purpose and encourage feedback. Set goals, share vision, ask for continuous feedback, nurture open communication, embrace change, and cultivate passion for the process as well as the results.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence applies to every human interaction in business: from staff motivation to customer service, from brainstorming to company presentations. Workplaces are relational environments, and EQ is tightly woven across every interaction and decision. Emotional intelligence is closely linked to perseverance, self-control, and performance under pressure and provides leaders and employees with the fortitude to adapt to change, work together to achieve goals, and deal maturely with setbacks.
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