“Leave your emotions at the door”. Does this sound familiar?
A common misconception in organisations is the belief that emotions have no place at work. But, whether we plan to or not, our emotions will influence a number of areas in our role including decision-making, building relationships and how we deal with stress. Therefore, the notion of leaving our emotions behind us, instead of acknowledging and using them to our advantage, is rather counterproductive.
The EQ-i 2.0 defines emotional intelligence as a set of emotional and social skills that collectively establish how well we: perceive and express ourselves, develop and maintain relationships, cope with challenges and use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way.
Someone who scores highly in emotional intelligence is more likely to perform better in their job role, demonstrate an effective leadership style and have greater well-being and resilience.
So how can you develop your emotional intelligence?
Here are just 3 ways to get you started:
1.Develop your emotional self-awareness
Emotional self-awareness addresses how we recognise and understand our own emotions, including the impact they have on ourselves and on others. If we do not have an understanding or awareness of our emotions, then managing and controlling them is much more difficult.
At set intervals throughout the day, ask yourself, “What emotion am I feeling right now?”. This helps you get into the habit of regularly stopping to reflect on and acknowledge how you feel, increasing your emotional self-awareness.
2.Develop your empathy
Empathy refers to recognising, understanding and appreciating how other people feel. Displaying empathy helps build stronger relationships and encourages collaboration between colleagues. This results in more effective communication, problem-solving and conflict management.
Practice actively listening to others in your conversations. You can do this by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions that will help you better understand that person’s perspective, listening without interrupting and taking the time to reflect back on what you have heard.
3.Develop your stress tolerance
Stress tolerance focuses on how you cope with stressful or difficult situations. Effective stress tolerance protects you from the negative physical, emotional and behavioural consequences of stress, such as increased sickness and anxiety.
Make sure you take regular breaks away from what is causing you stress. For example, try physically removing yourself from the situation, avoiding emails on your day off, or engaging in mindfulness and deep breathing techniques.
Despite what people tell you, your emotions cannot be left at the door. However, you can better manage and understand your emotions by developing your emotional intelligence, which in turn will lead to improved job performance, leadership skills and well-being.
If you want to learn more about how to develop emotional intelligence in yourself and your organisations, contact us to find out more.
MHS Staff. (2011). Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0) Technical Manual. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems Inc.
Author:
Imogen de Vries, Consultant at Psysoft
Imogen works as a consultant for Psysoft, helping clients to recruit, retain and develop talented people. She designs and delivers a range of workshops and psychometric training courses, including the EQ-i 2.0 & EQ 360 emotional intelligence certification and the BPS Test User: Occupational, Ability and Personality qualification.