Introduction to Emotional Intelligence at Workplace
Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Leadership, Emotional Quotient, and Emotional Intelligence Quotient all of these are defined as the competence of an individual to recognize, perceive, comprehend and conduct their own feeling and use emotional information to analyze ones Emotional Intelligence at Workplace towards the destined goal.
The objective of emotional intelligence at work is to enable the employees to differentiate between the emotions when we empathize with our coworker and when we have deep conversations about our relationships with our significant other. It allows us to communicate with others and lead a more well balanced and happy life.
It not only allows the employees to connect with other fellow workers but also it helps the organization to present a clear picture of the fitment of the individual irrespective of their qualification.
In this piece, we will be discussing emotional intelligence, its principles, importance, benefits, usage and cultivating it at the workplace.
Principles of Emotional Intelligence
There are five pillars of Emotional Intelligence, and; on these pillars, a person can be evaluated at the time of hiring.
- Self-Awareness: Defined as “the ability to decode one’s emotion”. If a person is capable of regulating their emotion is usually better at handling constructive criticism.
- Self-Regulation: Defined as “the ability to regulate one’s emotion”. If a person manages their emotion and expresses it properly and tactfully then they are less likely for an emotional outburst.
- Motivation: Defined as “an inner force that drives to work towards satisfaction and accomplishment”. Emotionally Intelligent people are self-motivated and they are usually optimistic and resilient.
- Empathy: Defined as “the ability to connect with the emotions of other people”. This does not mean showing sympathy or any sort of agreement to their behavior, it’s just that you can understand a thing from their perspective on a more professional front.
- Social Skills: Defined as “the ability to interact with peer group to fulfill each other needs and demands”. This skill is by default present in people with Emotional Intelligence and generally enjoy and respect other’s presence.
Emotional Intelligence is equally important for employees, managers and organizational leaders to work towards the goal of the organization and meet the needs of the workers.
Benefits of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence is extremely important and beneficial for an organization. Here’s how a highly emotionally intelligent person can work effectively and efficiently towards the organization’s goal:
- Team-Work & Office Environment: People with higher EQ communicate better in general, so they share ideas and are open to other’s ideas as well. Such employees are great team players and are more likely to be trusted with their ideas and inputs. They are respectful and thoughtful for their coworkers and such a situation is an ideal situation for an employer and an employee to work. Such a work environment boosts the moral of the workers and as a result, reflects in their performance.
- Adapting to Changes: Change is the only constant and this is the truth every organization should keep in mind for improvement. Every company undergoes some changes and some employees do not welcome such changes openly. As it is human nature, to struggle with changes.
However, emotionally intelligent employees embrace changes with open arms, adjust easily and grow alongside the company. This trait always works in favor of the company’s growth.
- Time Management: In any business, deadlines are something that can cause frustration and divide the management and employee. Here comes the role of time management and employees with the trait of emotional intelligence can manage their time in a more efficient manner and maximize their productivity. They know how to prioritize tasks and deliver in less time.
- Leadership Capabilities: A team under the supervision of an emotionally intelligent leader makes a huge difference in emotional Intelligence at the Workplace. There is a sense of respect among the employees. Such employees are the company leaders in the making.
- Step Ahead: Hiring emotionally intelligent employees can help a company to stand out in the crowd of businesses. While, some companies will be struggling for teamwork and self-motivated employees; on the other hand, your company will have a dream team comprising dream employees. So realizing the importance of Emotional Intelligence on a nascent stage is beneficial for any company. And this is a high time when tumultuous businesses are arising every day to take a hold of the essence of EQ and add it in their hiring process.
Cultivate a Culture of Emotional Intelligence
The key to a productive business is to strip off the preconceived notion about the management or a boss and set perception about how they are emotionally intelligent. Nowadays employees look for respect and value and not a best friend in a boss.
So, companies should practice emotional intelligence just as other technical and soft skills, where employees and managers can work together towards the perfection of their emotional intelligence.
This can be performed by setting some goals such as below:
- Identify emotional trigger points and discuss with teammates
- Plan a get-together with coworkers
- Be approachable
- Pay attention during the discuss
- Avoid complaining, no matter what
After setting the goals, ice-breaking sessions are extremely important, this will need encouragement and maybe a little awkward at first but once the discussion will start soon things will become comfortable.
All of the above suggestions are intuitive like self-awareness, treating people with respect, etc but apart from these understanding and implementing emotional intelligence at the workplace needs a lot of practice. Emotional Intelligence always begets more emotional intelligence and the more emotional intelligence the employee and the employer have the more they are likely to succeed. One should always keep in while practicing emotional intelligence that it not only plays an important role in one’s well being but also in success at the workplace.
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