Emotional intelligence: what is it and how to apply it at work?
Emotional intelligence has stood out as an ideal skill set for professionals in the corporate world, due to the great success and impressive results of leaders and collaborators who are able to develop their competencies with this focus. But, after all, what is emotional intelligence, what are its benefits and how does it directly influence relationships in the work environment? That's what we'll talk about in today's post. Shall we go?
Emotional intelligence, do you know what it is?
According to Daniel Goleman, the journalist who popularized the term as we know it today, emotional intelligence is the behavioral ability to know how to identify, evaluate, and influence our feelings and those of others, managing emotions well within us and in our relationships, whether they are professionals or not. In your Book about emotional intelligence he also reinforces that, with the skills of this competence, individuals are able to deal with their emotions in a way that they do not interfere negatively with their daily lives. To delve a little deeper into the subject, there are some basic pillars for emotional intelligence to be used in everyday life. We will talk about them below.
Pillars of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman qualifies emotional intelligence based on 5 pillars that help to put into practice and develop skills for better interpersonal relationships in companies:
1. Self-knowledge or recognizing emotions:
In this pillar, we develop skills to have greater self-knowledge and to be aware of your emotions when they arise. With emotional intelligence, it is possible to identify emotions through gestures, speech, expressions, and other forms of language. By knowing well the emotions you feel, it is easier to put the next pillar into practice.
2. Emotional control
In this pillar, we talk about the abilities of, by recognizing what you feel, knowing how to control emotions. This is paramount for Know how to adapt them to each situation, knowing how to put them in place, seeking to balance what you feel. Imagine a situation in which you feel angry or afraid, the most appropriate thing is to know how to control those emotions, cooling your head before making any decision or talking to your collaborators. This helps avoid unnecessary conflicts that can directly impact productivity.
3. Self-motivation
Another ability that is highly observed in people who have emotional intelligence is self-motivation, that is, the ability to Use feelings and direct them to fulfillment, keeping us always fighting and pursuing our goals.
4. Empathy
Knowing how to develop the recognition of emotions in other people can help a leader to understand the feelings of their team and to put themselves in their place. Empathy is fundamental for decision-making and for having a good relationship, making leader a more open and sensitive person.
5. Ability in interpersonal relationships
Creating healthy relationships with your team members will help you have a more balanced life, with a more positive and light environment. Here it is worth valuing quality interactions with others, through social skills. You may also be interested in: After all, is micromanagement good or bad for business?
What is the importance of working on emotional intelligence?
Did you know that 58% of your work performance depends directly on emotional intelligence? That is a fact that the book “Emotional Intelligence 2.0" introduce us. In addition, other information that draws attention is that for every 10 professionals with a high IQ, 7 are surpassed by employees who have high emotional intelligence. Want another good reason to learn more about emotional intelligence? In a research conducted by the World Economic Forum, emotional intelligence is among the 15 skills that are trending in the labor market, alongside analytical thinking and innovation, creativity, problem solving, and leadership. With emotional intelligence, leaders will be more able to talk to employees properly, helping them to seek better performance, forming a collaborative team and interconnected. For employees, it is easier to identify strengths and weaknesses and take effective actions to improve productivity and their interpersonal relationships, in favor of the company's objectives and goals. Also read: 10 time management techniques to achieve focused results.
What are the benefits of emotional intelligence at work?
Professionals who develop emotional intelligence are better prepared to work with resilience and have a greater capacity to assist your leaders and professional companions. In addition, these people have a greater ease of learning. Below we talk more about the benefits of emotional intelligence at work. Check it out:
1. Improves the means of resolving conflicts
With developed emotional intelligence, it is easier to resolve conflicts, which are often inevitable within the work environment. Knowing how to master emotions is essential in these moments, for managing feelings even during the most difficult conversations, bringing people to an agreement as soon as possible, without major damage.
2. It helps to control emotions within the company
Knowing how to deal with emotions in the workplace only brings advantages, both for the individual and for the company in general. People with good emotional intelligence are able to better understand their emotions and know how to apply them more correctly according to situations. In addition, employees with a good emotional control tend to be more balanced, cautious, and intuitive, which helps — a lot! — in the small decision-making in the tasks. The result is companies that are optimized and have more effectively achieved objectives and goals.
3. Improves interpersonal relationships
Working in multidisciplinary teams and building healthy relationships involves the exchange of experiences, good relations and respect for differences, right? With social skills and a good understanding of our emotions and those of our colleagues, it is possible to create a more friendly environment and make relationships move towards the same objectives.
4. Communication is more effective
When leaders and collaborators are more fully aware of their emotions and are more prepared to deal with the feelings of others, it is easier to transmit messages clearly, reducing the possibility of noise in everyday conversations.
5. Helps reduce stress
When a professional does not have control over your emotions and Can't recognize your limits it is more difficult to take action against overload and, consequently, against the stress and anxiety that all this causes. We know how physical and mental exhaustion can negatively impact people's health and productivity, which is why it is so important to develop emotional intelligence, in order to better control emotions and be better prepared to deal with the pressures and challenges of the work environment.
How to apply emotional intelligence at work?
There are some daily attitudes that help you deal with negative emotions, be a more empathetic person, and know how to recover from adversities that help develop emotional intelligence at work. These are small steps that put your skills into practice and can make the results appear faster. Check out the tips:
1. Manage negative emotions
In the daily work routine it is normal to experience moments of anger, frustration, anxiety, and even fear, but when identifying these and other negative emotions try focus efforts to understand the causes and how they can affect your work within the company. Avoid jumping to conclusions when a situation bothers you. Give preference to listening to all sides, understanding what is happening, and motivating your team to seek solutions and focus only on them.
2. Be more objective
Try to define which emotions are most useful and positive for the work environment. Feelings such as security, optimism, calm, or focus, when put into practice in everyday relationships, help to avoid impulsive attitudes and they make you more objective when it comes to solving atypical everyday situations.
3. Find out what causes you the most stress
Do you know how to say what makes you unserious in the work environment? Are the meetings lengthy? The email box full? When you find your negative triggers, it's easier to deal with and overcome these problems. If your problem is with the emails, for example, how about choose a time of day just to resolve these issues quickly, to get “free” of them? We wrote content about the Eisenhower Matrix, to help prioritize everyday activities. It can be a great way to see what to do first or even delegate when necessary. Finally, knowing your stress weaknesses, fight so they don't overwhelm you and prepare to face adversity.
4. Learn to recover from adversity
And speaking of adversity, they are in the daily lives of every leader in the company, as are the various challenges that this position requires so much. How you handle it is what determines whether you are on the path to success or are taking steps backwards. As we said before, relying on self-motivation will make you a different leader, ready to fight and leave negative thoughts aside. Let go of the constant complaints and focus on the positives. Oh, and never stop questioning yourself in the midst of challenges, because it is in great difficulties that leaders grow and help other employees on the team to grow.
5. Avoid impulsive reactions during conflicts
Don't let yourself be carried away by the heat of emotion and don't let the emotional explosion take over the atmosphere. People with good emotional intelligence have a greater control over emotions and keep in mind that, at these times, the most important thing is to resolve the situation and prevent it from taking out of control.
6. Practice active listening
A leader with emotional intelligence must be a good listener, always listening carefully to the caller before answering, always seeking to understand what the other is saying before speaking. A good tip is to also pay attention to non-verbal details, they can also help you identify discomforts and pass on important information. Be sure to show respect for who you're listening to.
7. Learn how to receive criticism
Always be open to hearing feedback from your team and know how to receive criticism. Always try to understand how they are affecting other people and how to solve the problems mentioned, in a constructive way.
8. Always seek empathy
It's practically impossible to talk about emotional intelligence without talking about empathy. This virtue allows the leader to put himself in the shoes of his team to better understand your points of view. This makes it easier to act in different situations with different people, to have a more harmonious relationship with everyone. Before judging, try to understand why the person acted in a certain way.
9. Use clear and persuasive communication
People who are emotionally intelligent have an easier time communicating clearly and don't approve aggressive or passive communication. They are always Ready to put your point of view, without imposing anything or disrespectful. Learn to argue to convince different profiles, always looking at your emotions, in order to help you take more favorable paths that lead to the best way to achieve your objectives. Now that we understand the importance of emotional intelligence at work, it's time to put it into practice on a daily basis. With our tips we are sure that you will be able to take the first steps towards a more welcoming and motivating management. Continue to follow our blog for more management tips. Until the next post!
