Improve Your Emotional Intelligence at Work
Emotional intelligence (EI), broken down into simple terms, is the art of managing and expressing one’s feelings and emotions, as well as recognising the emotions of others. A great deal of attention is starting to be placed on developing emotional intelligence as employers recognise that professionals with greater EI perform better at work. And not only that - managers with high EI levels tend to lead teams that are more motivated, more content and ultimately more productive as a result.
Though formal training in emotional intelligence is one of the best ways for employees to develop concrete skills in this area, there are a number of quick ways that you can try to train yourself on-the-job. It won't be easy but you know what they say - practice makes perfect!
Control your negative emotions
One of the most important aspects of developing emotional intelligence is controlling and managing negative emotions. On a daily basis, professionals have to deal with a lot of stress regarding delivery, work progress, relationships with colleagues and a range of other issues. Understandably, this can lead you to develop negative emotions that start to affect your mood as well as your productivity.
The key is trying to recognise when these feelings start bubbling up and proactively doing something about it. For example, try talking a walk to clear your head at lunchtime instead of sitting in front of your computer to eat. Or take 3 minutes to listen to your favourite song. Basically, find a concrete way to counter those negative emotions before they get out of control.
Manage your environment
If you feel nervous and anxious about work, try not to create additional stress by letting your work environment turn into a war zone.
Control the things you can: keep your desk tidy, don't let important documents get lost in mountains of paper and make sure your work equipment (chair, desk, computer screen etc.) is set up properly. The last thing you want is to add physical discomfort to the mental stresses that you are already made to deal with on a daily basis.
Express difficult feelings when necessary
It is important to set boundaries and make people understand that sometimes it is okay to say "no".
This is a crucial aspect of assertive behaviour and something that will help you avoid biting off more than you can chew. In addition, it will help you gain more respect from colleagues, which will improve your professional relationships and enable more effective collaboration. As collaborative behaviour is increasingly being shown to enhance productivity, this will help everyone work more effectively and with greater satisfaction.
Stay proactive when dealing with difficult people
Both at home and in the workplace, It is common to have to deal with difficult people on a more or less regular basis.
This is no easy task, but you will probably find that you benefit from taking a proactive approach rather than waiting for a situation to escalate. This means working on your communication skills, ensuring that you express yourself clearly, ask the right questions and make the concessions you can to satisfy both parties.
Question yourself!
It is common to face adverse situations on a daily basis. But bouncing back from those with a positive attitude and the ability to learn from your mistakes is what makes life interesting and challenging. You need to question yourself on a daily basis: "How did this happen?", "What can I do to improve this?", "How do I revert back?”.
Make adverse situations constructive by asking questions that help you learn and providing perspective into the situation.
Learn to listen
This is an absolutely critical part of developing emotional intelligence. How can you ever expect to understand how others really feel if you don't listen to them?
People are different and express emotions in different ways, but if you make an effort to be a good listener (and observer), you will realise that you can understand how others feel by asking the right questions and listening to the answers. And this just doesn't just apply to others: listening to yourself is just as important!
Remember emotional intelligence is a continuous lifetime process
It is not something you’ll fully acquire in one day. Developing emotional Intelligence is a gradual process that you have to develop over the years with diligent practice and perseverance.
But in the current corporate world, it is as important to have emotional intelligence as it is to have the technical skills you need for your role. So stick to it and never underestimate the value you can draw out of understanding your own and others' emotions.