How Emotional Intelligence Makes You Better At Work

How Emotional Intelligence Makes You Better At Work

In this article, Jann Richardson – a professional coach and trainer, explains what emotional intelligence is and how it can help to foster richer and more fulfilling relationships both at work and at home.

Emotional intelligence, is a key area in personal and professional development and has been a key component in the way many companies develop their leaders for over 20 years.  So how does emotional intelligence help you to succeed in the workplace?

In short, it makes you better equipped to motivate and support your team and helps you to understand and predict how people react to the things that you say or do. Improving your understanding and application of ‘emotional intelligence’ will allow you to make significant progress and build fruitful relationships with your co-workers.

To understand the way it works, you need to look at the five separate elements:

Self-Awareness – Self-awareness is about knowing and understanding your emotions, strengths and weaknesses – and having a strong sense of your own worth. It also makes you more aware of people around you and helps you to understand their emotions.

Self-Regulation – This empowers you to choose how you feel by letting you control your emotions. It gives you the ability to identify the emotions you or someone else is feeling. It helps you to communicate clearly and directly, even when you’re feeling uncomfortable. For example, when you need to explain to someone why you’ve decided not to promote them. It means you no longer need to avoid these situations, you can hit them head on in an appropriate manner.

Empathy – Research has shown that empathy is the number one driver of overall organisational performance. A high-performing team that displays empathy does so from having nurtured strong personal relationships alongside collaboration. They’ll think about their colleagues’ circumstances, understand their challenges and frustrations, and recognise that those emotions are every bit as real as their own. This helps develop perspective and encourages team members to helping each other.

Social Skills – The term ‘social skills’ covers a variety of skills, many of which are rooted in self-esteem and personal confidence.  By being easy to talk to, being a good listener, being sharing and trustworthy, you also become more charismatic and attractive to others. This improves self-esteem and confidence which makes it easier for positive personal communication.

Motivation – Self-motivation is the personal drive to improve and achieve. It’s your commitment to your goals, the initiative to seek out and seize opportunities, and an optimistic and empowered outlook. Time management and clear, achievable goals are key to self-motivation.  Do not make unreasonable demands on yourself, learn to prioritise and be assertive rather than just saying ‘yes’ to the demands of others.

Most importantly, emotional intelligence can be taught and learnt. For information on how I can help you to master these fundamental skills and reap the benefits at work and at home, get in touch with [email protected]

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