Emotional Quotient (EQ) – Why it is important in the workplace

Emma and David often clash at work. Emma feels her contribution to the team goes unrecognized, while David feels he is being overloaded with other people’s work. Their team manager, Alex, recognizes the source of their conflict. Rather than issuing unilateral orders, he sits Emma and David down together and helps them recognize each other’s perspectives. 

He also proposes developing a channel for conflict resolution and using a fair system to equitably divide the workload to deal with similar issues in the future. This scenario highlights Alex’s emotional quotient, a quality that is crucial in any workspace. 

In this article, we will explore what EQ means, the components of EQ in the workspace, its importance, and steps to develop it. 

What is emotional quotient (EQ), and why does it matter in the workplace?

Before we understand the emotional quotient in the workplace, we need to first understand what the emotional quotient is.

Emotional quotient refers to your ability to understand other people and what motivates them, as well as your own motivations and emotional intelligence. In addition to this, the ability to monitor and manage your own emotions also ties in with your level of emotional quotient.

It is crucial to determine your emotional intelligence as it impacts almost everything you do and say each day.

Now, why does emotional quotient matter in the workspace? Emotional quotient is crucial for both managers and employees to handle day-to-day conversations and interactions effectively. Let us understand the role of EQ in the life of both separately. 

Importance of emotional quotient for managers

If managers lack empathy or emotional intelligence, it is highly possible that their teams do not like working with them. Their behavior simply does not allow them to see past their own biases and prejudices. You will find that their teams are never motivated but, on the contrary, discouraged from giving their best.

Managers should guide their teams and help them navigate out of any difficulties they may face. Occasionally, they should even roll their sleeves and pitch in when their teams demand it.

Importance of emotional quotient for employees 

High EQ, more often than not, reveals future leaders for organizations. It could be one of the competencies when employees are considered for leadership and managerial positions.

Also, employees with a high EQ are better at teamwork than their colleagues. They are also more adaptable to working in a dynamic team environment. These factors make these employees more likely to be successful in the long run. 

How does emotional intelligence help?

In his book, “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ,” Daniel Goleman explains how emotional intelligence helps individuals in their daily lives. Here are some of the key takeaways:

1. Self-awareness

When you have a degree of self-awareness, you can better gauge your strengths and weaknesses. It gets easy for you to understand how your actions affect others. Self-aware individuals can handle and learn from constructive criticism better than those who aren’t.

2. Self-regulation

Individuals with high EQ can control themselves, i.e., they decide when to reveal their emotions and when to restrain themselves. Others can be prone to emotional outbursts and have no control whatsoever.

3. Motivation

Being self-motivated is one of the traits of emotionally intelligent individuals. Money or prestigious titles are not motivating factors for them. They are not easily disappointed when they face failure. On the contrary, they are driven by an inner ambition to overcome these failures.

4. Empathy

Empathy helps individuals become compassionate and helps them to connect with others on an emotional level. Emotionally intelligent people are thus able to respond genuinely to others’ concerns.

5. People skills

Emotionally intelligent people can quickly build rapport and develop trust with their team members. They stay away from power struggles or backstabbing to get ahead in the company. They are more liked as well as respected by others around them.

Developing a healthy EQ is an important component of professional growth. Let’s understand how.

Emotional quotient intelligence: How it impacts professional growth

Emotional quotient intelligence has a significant impact on professional success. It impacts leadership, teamwork and even career success. Here is how emotional quotient intelligence contributes to different spheres of your professional life: 

1. Leadership: Emotional quotient is important to understand the team members, their perspectives and how they drive their decisions. It also helps leaders to guide their team better and build trust among the team members. With strong emotional involvement, leaders can build a deeper connection with the team members and handle conflicts better. 
2. Teamwork: Emotional quotient intelligence enhances team communication and collaboration. It assists professionals in dealing with diverse team members and even resolves conflicts quickly. Lastly, a high emotional quotient directly impacts team morale and productivity, which helps achieve better team outcomes. 
3. Career success: EQ helps employees adapt to a dynamic environment and network better with other professionals. With enhanced adaptability, it becomes easier for professionals to climb the ladder and achieve their professional goals faster. Career success comes easier if you develop strong professional relationships and showcase growth mindset and accommodating abilities.

Inculcating emotional intelligence can help professionals become more adaptable and gain professional success faster. It also helps them put their best foot forward and become more resilient. 

How do you develop emotional intelligence?

Building emotional intelligence is not as difficult as you might think. Here are a few ways you can develop emotional intelligence:

• Improve your ability to show empathy: Take time to understand other’s perspectives and support their feelings. Respond to others with compassion and validate their feelings.
• Learn to look at yourself objectively: Reflect on your emotions and reactions in different situations to develop a more objective view of yourself.
• Improve your social skills through conscious practice: Engage in active listening and practice clear communication. You must also try to adapt to different social situations through conscious effort.
• Be more approachable to your team: Foster an open and encouraging environment so your team members feel comfortable communicating with you. 
• Listen carefully and acknowledge what others are speaking: Show that you value others’ input by acknowledging their thoughts and responding properly. 
• Look for ways to increase self-motivation: Set personal goals, focus on your strengths, and maintain a positive attitude to drive yourself forward.
• Prepare to leave your comfort zone: Challenge yourself with new experiences and difficult conversations to build emotional resilience.
• Avoid being overly critical: Instead of being overly critical, focus on providing constructive feedback and encouraging others. 

Being emotionally intelligent demands you to take small steps on an everyday basis. By practicing these ways, you can gradually develop emotional intelligence. 

Conclusion

EQ helps professionals lead better lives by making them more resilient, improving their decision-making and ameliorating their interpersonal relationships. It is an important skill for employees and managers alike to communicate better and build healthy professional relationships. 

Get to know the people around you and learn what’s going on and why people react the way they do. The more you get to know about the people around you, the more you’ll understand their true motives and how to better interact with them. 

FAQs

1. What is the definition of emotional quotient (EQ)?

Emotional quotient (EQ) is the ability to understand and process emotions, both one’s own and others’. 

2. Why is emotional quotient important in the workplace?

Emotional quotient is important in the workplace because it helps improve team collaboration and makes it simpler to resolve conflicts. It also improves the decision-making abilities of professionals. 

3. What are the key components of emotional quotient?

The components of the emotional quotient include self-awareness, empathy, social skills and emotional regulation.

4. How can you improve your emotional quotient?

The best way to improve the emotional quotient is to be an active listener, cultivate empathy, control your own emotional responses, be tolerant and respect others’ opinions and consider issues objectively. 

5. What does emotional quotient mean in the context of leadership?

Emotional quotient is an important tool for leaders to have. Understanding and empathizing with their subordinates will help them manage teams better and foster a positive workplace culture.