Although academic skills and technical proficiencies are often equated to success, how we use emotional information to guide our conduct is a more important predictor of our ability to reach professional goals and objectives (Hess and Bacigalupo, 2011).
Emotional intelligenceenables us to make decisions and solve problems effectively, promotes clear communication between co-workers, and enhances an overall positive work environment.
In addition, leaders with high emotional intelligence are betterable to motivatetheir subordinates and inspire them to operate at high standards (Krén and Séllei, 2021).
There are many contexts in which emotional intelligence has proven to be an important skill in the workplace:
Stress tolerance
People with greater emotional awareness are more capable of recognizing situations that can increase theirstress levelsand putting in place strategies to promptly manage difficult emotional reactions (Sunil and Roopra, 2009).
In turn, they can respond more effectively to unpredictable circumstances at work, make more rational decisions without acting on autopilot, and prioritize their well-being outside the work environment torelieve stress.
Leaders’ emotions significantly influence team dynamics, affecting both mood and performance.
Positive and well-regulated emotions in leaders foster a more positive and productive work environment, while negative emotions can lead to decreased performance and morale
Ability to deal with change
As many work environments require employees to embrace new initiatives and redefine plans to maximize outcomes, maintaining an open attitude to change is necessary to promote flexibility at work.
People who can reflect on their beliefs around change and challenge the difficult emotions associated with it can also assume a more optimistic outlook and identify new opportunities for professional growth (Sunil and Roopra, 2009).
Sense of self-efficacy
With greateremotional awareness, it is possible to better understand our own personal resources and build confidence, which can help reach desired outcomes when confronted.
This skill is also important in education, where adjusting difficult emotions associated with academic performance allows students to assume effective coping skills and achieve higherself-efficacyin activities such as classes or internships (Sun and Lyu, 2022).
Conflict management
People who take the time to understand different perspectives and are open to redefining their own views can work more effectively towards finding a shared solution, enhancing teamdecision-making.
Managing conflicts also allows better communication between colleagues, preventing misunderstandings based on unspoken assumptions and encouraging different parties to take responsibility for their mistakes (Jordan and Troth, 2004).
Job satisfaction and performance
Most importantly, emotional intelligence has been shown to be strongly associated withjob satisfactionandperformance.
Job satisfaction also influences the enthusiasm and productivity of employees of an organization, as the sense of gratification deriving from one’s work can motivate behaviors directed towards further achievements.
Is emotional intelligence as important as IQ at work?
It is recognized thattraditional intelligence (IQ) supports critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are crucial to determining the employee’s adaptability to a work environment.
However, a person’s emotional quotient (EQ) is just as important.
People who have difficulty managing their own emotions and struggle to acclimatize to a team are more likely to leave their job and not progress in their careers (Papoutsi, Drigas, and Sianis, 2019).
In addition, although IQ is associated with leadership success, EQ allows for a better understanding of employees’ needs and priorities, which can enhance team trust and cohesion. Ultimately, this leads to improved performance within an organization (Sadri, 2012).
In general, both IQ and EQ are considered essential abilities for success. Balancing logical thinking with emotional intelligence andempathycan result in greater versatility, which represents a highly valued attribute in today’s workforce.
On the one hand, IQ allows us to maintain focus, analyze problems with accuracy and respect deadlines, which can be advantageous in fast-paced work environments.
On the other hand, applying emotional intelligence skills in everyday work situations promotes more constructive relationships between co-workers, leading to successful group outcomes (Zeidner, Matthews, and Roberts, 2004).
How to increase emotional intelligence in the workplace
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the ability to recognize our own emotions and understand the effects they can have on our moods, behaviors, and interactions with other people (Goleman, 1996).
The first step towards achieving greater self-awareness ispaying attention to how we are feeling.
What is causing us to experience discomfort, and how do the firstsigns of stressmanifest in us (e.g., fatigue, irritability, headache)?
Another helpful exercise might involvereflecting on our emotional strengths and weaknesses.
For example, how effective is communication with our colleagues, and how often do we create opportunities to understand more about each other, including the personal values underlying work attitudes and performance?
Do we often find ourselves experiencing annoyance or impatience with others, and what are the ripple effects of our emotions on the work environment?
Another aspect to keep in mind is thatdifficult emotions are temporary.
There might be days when we feel more stressed because of a differing opinion with a colleague or a task we have to get done quickly; however, it is important to not let these emotions influence our decisions and have a detrimental impact on our longer-term goals (Bradberry and Greaves, 2009).
Self-management
To manage emotions more effectively, a relatively straightforward strategy is taking thetime to think before making a decision.
Decisions that are made while hurrying through our day are rarely as effective as those made when we set aside some time for problem-solving and clear thinking (Bradberry and Greaves, 2009).
Another helpful attitude isaccepting the fact that we cannot control everything.
Not least important,finding techniques to relieve workstress, like hobbies, exercise, or meditation, can promote a better work-life balance and help us feel more focused when returning to work.
Social awareness
Social awareness involves the ability to recognize the emotional needs of others, pick up on emotional cues that are not always visible, and the ability to understand the power dynamics that regulate the functioning of a group or an organization (Goleman, 2020).
This approach is particularly effective in meetings, where people might tend to make their opinion prevail to influence others or, at the other end of the spectrum, passively listen without providing any input when others are talking.
For example, we can practice asking ourselves if the organization has a mission statement, what are the spoken and unspoken norms guiding work attitudes, and who are the real decision-makers within a team.
Relationship management
Relationship management skills can be expressed in a variety of contexts, including team collaboration, inspirational leadership, and conflict management.
A necessary element to enhance this skill ispromoting effective and clear communicationwithin teams.
Another way to build a more supportive relationship with employees involves providing direct and constructive feedback.
This does not only involve sharing a genuine opinion about a person’s work performance but also suggesting areas of improvement and offering solutions for change.
Leadersthat take the time to identify their employees’ developmental needs are more likely to instill hope and motivation to perform at higher standards (Fianko, Jnr and Dzogbewu, 2020).
Frequently Asked Questions
Are emotionally intelligent people highly successful?Numerous studies have shown that emotional intelligence represents a significant predictor of performance when considering critical factors for life success.Specifically, Freedman and Fariselli (2016) found that the emotional intelligence competencies of seeing possibilities (i.e., “Exercise optimism”) and maintaining a sense of internal drive (i.e., “Engageintrinsic motivation”) are the largest contributors to success.According to their interpretation, it might be that maintaining a sense of possibility about reaching a goal can build resilience in the face of adversity and ultimately help individuals achieve successful outcomes.
Are emotionally intelligent people highly successful?
Numerous studies have shown that emotional intelligence represents a significant predictor of performance when considering critical factors for life success.Specifically, Freedman and Fariselli (2016) found that the emotional intelligence competencies of seeing possibilities (i.e., “Exercise optimism”) and maintaining a sense of internal drive (i.e., “Engageintrinsic motivation”) are the largest contributors to success.According to their interpretation, it might be that maintaining a sense of possibility about reaching a goal can build resilience in the face of adversity and ultimately help individuals achieve successful outcomes.
Numerous studies have shown that emotional intelligence represents a significant predictor of performance when considering critical factors for life success.
Specifically, Freedman and Fariselli (2016) found that the emotional intelligence competencies of seeing possibilities (i.e., “Exercise optimism”) and maintaining a sense of internal drive (i.e., “Engageintrinsic motivation”) are the largest contributors to success.
According to their interpretation, it might be that maintaining a sense of possibility about reaching a goal can build resilience in the face of adversity and ultimately help individuals achieve successful outcomes.
What is a boss with low emotional intelligence like?
This rigidity can also translate into reduced flexibility towards work schedules and commitments, where adaptations around employees’ working needs are not taken into account.
Bosses with low emotional intelligence might also present with poor listening skills, and they might be highly critical and hard to please, or fail to recognize signals of discontent in employees.
Are there any limitations to emotional intelligence in the workplace?Whilst there is a constant focus on improving emotional intelligence in the workplace, presenting this skill to the excess can also be a problem.Indeed, some employees might use emotional intelligence tomanipulate, deceive or take advantageof their co-workers, acting in dishonest ways to meet their own interests (Lubbadeh, 2020).However, in an organization where reciprocal respect is promoted as part of the work culture, these behaviors are easier to identify and less likely to happen.
Are there any limitations to emotional intelligence in the workplace?
Whilst there is a constant focus on improving emotional intelligence in the workplace, presenting this skill to the excess can also be a problem.Indeed, some employees might use emotional intelligence tomanipulate, deceive or take advantageof their co-workers, acting in dishonest ways to meet their own interests (Lubbadeh, 2020).However, in an organization where reciprocal respect is promoted as part of the work culture, these behaviors are easier to identify and less likely to happen.
Whilst there is a constant focus on improving emotional intelligence in the workplace, presenting this skill to the excess can also be a problem.
Indeed, some employees might use emotional intelligence tomanipulate, deceive or take advantageof their co-workers, acting in dishonest ways to meet their own interests (Lubbadeh, 2020).
However, in an organization where reciprocal respect is promoted as part of the work culture, these behaviors are easier to identify and less likely to happen.
What types of training can be offered to increase a work team’s emotional intelligence?Training for emotional intelligence is generally aimed at developing a set of skills, including a team’s communication skills and ability to perform well as a group, individualmotivationto reach high levels of standards and goals, and emotional awareness to improve as part of one’s managerial skills (Hodzic et al., 2018).There are many workshops and programs available online that address emotional intelligence skills at different levels and can be adapted to different job roles.Some specific examples include assertiveness training to improve confidence and communication styles when dealing with difficult work interactions or situations andstress managementtraining to boost employees’ well-being and resilience in an organization.
What types of training can be offered to increase a work team’s emotional intelligence?
Training for emotional intelligence is generally aimed at developing a set of skills, including a team’s communication skills and ability to perform well as a group, individualmotivationto reach high levels of standards and goals, and emotional awareness to improve as part of one’s managerial skills (Hodzic et al., 2018).There are many workshops and programs available online that address emotional intelligence skills at different levels and can be adapted to different job roles.Some specific examples include assertiveness training to improve confidence and communication styles when dealing with difficult work interactions or situations andstress managementtraining to boost employees’ well-being and resilience in an organization.
Training for emotional intelligence is generally aimed at developing a set of skills, including a team’s communication skills and ability to perform well as a group, individualmotivationto reach high levels of standards and goals, and emotional awareness to improve as part of one’s managerial skills (Hodzic et al., 2018).
There are many workshops and programs available online that address emotional intelligence skills at different levels and can be adapted to different job roles.
Some specific examples include assertiveness training to improve confidence and communication styles when dealing with difficult work interactions or situations andstress managementtraining to boost employees’ well-being and resilience in an organization.
References
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Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Sara ViezzerBSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc in Applied NeuropsychologySara Viezzer is a graduate of psychological studies at the University of Bristol and Padova. She has worked as an Assistant Psychologist in the NHS for the past two years in neuroscience and health psychology. Sara is presently pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Sara ViezzerBSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc in Applied Neuropsychology
Sara Viezzer
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc in Applied Neuropsychology
Sara Viezzer is a graduate of psychological studies at the University of Bristol and Padova. She has worked as an Assistant Psychologist in the NHS for the past two years in neuroscience and health psychology. Sara is presently pursuing a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
