It’s become clear to top managers and human resources (HR) professionals that emotional intelligence in both leaders and employees is critical to a successful, high-performing workplace. Today, it’s actually one of the most sought-after qualities in new hires.

In this blog, we’ll discuss:

• What we mean by emotional intelligence
• Why it matters to your business
• How you can cultivate emotional intelligence in your workforce

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (sometimes referred to as “EQ” as an abbreviation) is the ability to:

1. Understand one’s own emotions and self-regulate these emotions in different scenarios.
2. Understand the emotions of others – and the reasons behind those emotions – so that they can interact more easily with others.

As you can see, there’s an internal and external component to emotional intelligence.

People who exhibit high emotional intelligence tend to be:

Self-aware. Evaluating oneself can be an unpleasant task, but it’s important for growth and development. It’s also critical to have an idea of how you can come off to others so you can be mindful about your words and actions and prevent any unintended consequences.

Confident. Being able to evaluate yourself objectively and identify shortcomings, as well as a plan of action to improve these issues, can naturally imbue you with a sense of assuredness. Control of oneself equals confidence.

Mature. These people can manage their emotions in healthy ways, control impulsive behaviors and accept constructive criticism.

Resilient. They demonstrate greater flexibility and adaptability to change.

Empathetic. They can understand the perspectives of others and why they might feel and act the way they do, which guides their own actions, improves their relationships with others and aids in finding compromises and solutions to conflicts.

Socially adept. They can read others’ cues and body language, and pick up on what is being said as well as what’s left unsaid. This informs their communication, rapport building and relationship and conflict management.

A few major misconceptions that persist

The most common misconception about emotional intelligence: People are either born with it or not.

Consider this: Studies show that only about 10 to 15% of employees exhibit self-awareness. If it were true that people have to be born with emotional intelligence, most workplaces would be in big trouble!

The reality is, people can develop their emotional intelligence. Like any other competency, it’s a skill that can be nurtured over time in those to whom it doesn’t come naturally.

Another misconception: Extroverts dominate in emotional intelligence.

Actually, emotional intelligence has nothing to do with extroversion or introversion. Both types of personalities can display emotional intelligence. It just may come easier for extroverts who already enjoy interacting with others more frequently.

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