Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in the workplace

The workplace can be a volatile environment, filled with stress, pressure, anxiety, and even drama from time to time. It can also be a place of happiness, contentment, and excitement. All of these facets can play a role in how someone feels at any given moment, and managing those feelings indicates their level of emotional intelligence (EQ).

The importance of emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is a vital skill to hold, especially for leaders, managers and project managers. By using emotional intelligence, you can work effectively to support your team and your organisation in the correct ways. You can become more effective within your role, and more effective for your wider organisation.

​You can manage your projects, working relationships and team members better, and maximise your opportunities within your career. Let's look at what emotional intelligence is, and explore the benefits of this workplace skill, a skill that all managers, leaders and project managers should develop. 

Benefits of emotional intelligence

It is important to grasp emotional intelligence concepts, as they will make you more effective within your role. You will understand your own emotions and the emotions of others more. You will be able to process these emotions better, and focus on your work more.

Key benefits of emotional intelligence in the workplace:

Emotional intelligence builds better teamwork

People with higher emotional intelligence communicate better within their team. They are also more open to the ideas of their colleagues. If you hold good emotional intelligence, it allows you to recognise the efforts of your colleagues and their hard work. It also builds a better connection between the team members, by creating shared empathy. You understand your colleagues more in the roles that they do, and the problems that they face.
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This will allow you to work with your team better. You will have an understanding of your teammates roles, and what is expected of them. This understanding will also help you get the most out of your role, by knowing exactly how you can help the wider team with your role. This will help you to prioritise your work to get the best results for the team.

Emotional intelligence creates better self awareness

By becoming more self aware in your role, you can understand your own strengths and your own weaknesses more. This allows you to be realistic in setting your goals for development. It also ensures that you are more open to feedback, and instead of using it negatively, you use it as an opportunity to grow and to become more effective in your job.
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We all require feedback, and our first reaction can be a defensive one. This is a natural reaction, as we sometimes feel we are under attack personally. However, this is not the case. The person offering the feedback is doing so to ensure you get the best out of your career, and that you improve in your role to make the most out of your opportunities. By having high emotional intelligence, your first reaction to constructive feedback will be to take it on board, and be grateful for the chance to improve.

Emotional intelligence builds better working relationships

In developing high emotional intelligence, you are able to read the atmosphere within the team better. You are able to understand the pressures that team members are under, and you will be able to assist them. It also allows you to understand what your team members need, and what sort of work and behaviour they like and dislike. This insight into their preferences and their needs is invaluable to building better working relationships with them. This level of emotional intelligence develops better and more valuable relationships with clients and colleagues.

Emotional intelligence creates career longevity

Having high EQ allows you to build great working relationships, understand your role more, and understand how you can benefit your team and wider organisation the most. These 3 advantages are crucial in building a rewarding and lengthy career within an organisation. Emotional intelligence not only allows you to understand the needs of your colleagues more, but it will also help you see the needs of your organisation more.
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By bringing new ideas to the table, researching market trends and emerging practices within your sector, you can create more value in the work you do and how much you benefit the wider organisation. This will lead to improved career longevity within an organisation, and it increases your chances of raises and promotions down the line.

Emotional intelligence is a skill to master. Some experts even suggest that it is an inborn ability, and cannot be taught. However, here at Gestaldt Management Development, we believe this skill can definitely be taught, and once you achieve this you will become much more effective within your role. This is why it such an important skill. In mastering it, you will greatly enhance your capabilities within your role.

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