What is more important at work: IQ or emotional intelligence ? Although for many the balance continues to lean towards IQ, in recent years the concept of emotional intelligence at work has taken on a relevant role. Managing efficiently in any situation that may occur in the professional field is essential, and it has been shown that 65% of job success is due to the application of empathy , to being able to influence and even persuade.
Understanding and managing emotions, both our own and those of others, is especially important when we know the positive impact that their correct application has at work:
- High job satisfaction, increased professional development and lower staff turnover ratio in companies.
- Increased performance and productivity .
- Ability to face new challenges with a positive attitude and to adapt to changing environments, finding solutions to problems that arise on a daily basis. A concept called “ resilience ”.
- Workers who are more socially competent, more enterprising and skillful when it comes to managing frustrations.
- Avoid the so-called burnout syndrome or burnout at work.
Daniel Goleman , author of the book Emotional Intelligence among others and the creator of the concept, explains that there are 5 skills that make up emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.
Skills That Make Up Emotional Intelligence
Self Knowledge
Understand and know our values, feelings, moods, goals and abilities. At work, it would help to identify early signs of stress or commit to a manageable workload.
Self-Regulation
In order not to have to fight against our emotions, having the ability to control them will play in our favor. In a professional field, it can be of great help to manage frustration, possible conflicts due to a lack of communication or also knowing how to see things from another perspective to assess a matter with a cool head and make decisions .
Motivation
It is the ability to set demanding goals, but at the same time realistic, and achieve them without thinking about the difficulties that may arise. Motivating employees means, for example, improving the level of commitment.
Empathy
So simple, and complex at the same time, how to put yourself in the shoes of others. understand them. Its application in the work environment is decisive for achieving a positive atmosphere that favors collaboration and teamwork.
Social skills
It consists of the set of skills that facilitates effective interaction with other people. Non – verbal communication would be a good example, since it is necessary for our message to be correctly interpreted. In addition, this will help the relationship between colleagues to strengthen.
Also Read: Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before You Fire an Employee
Dynamics of Emotional Intelligence At Work
In order to master all these aspects, there are a series of steps that we can follow. In the event that, by itself, we do not consider ourselves especially skilled in applying emotional intelligence , we can develop it with time, effort and professional help and the human resources department. These elements will give us tools and, above all, feedback . It also helps, although it seems simple, to expand our vocabulary of basic emotions, since specifically describing our state of mind helps us to know what exactly is happening to us. Being sad is not the same as being disappointed or angry. Nor is it the same to feel happy, proud or relieved. Finally, controlling what we think makes us watch our behavior and body language. Feelings are the result of emotions and what we think about those emotions.
In short, being emotionally intelligent can go a long way. Although it is also true that, depending on our profession, we must give it more or less importance. In fact, there is research that indicates that there are times when an excess of emotional intelligence can be counterproductive. For data analysts or any professional based on a mechanical system, paying too much attention to the body language or emotions of those around us can be seriously distracting.