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

Emotional Quotient (EQ) –

Before we understand the importance of EQ in the workplace, we need to first understand what emotional quotient means. How does it affect your day-to-day work? Can you improve it with exercise or practice? Or does it remain consistent throughout one’s life.

Emotional Quotient is primarily 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 intelligence.

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

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 life. Here are some of the key takeaways from the book:

Self-awareness

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

Self-regulation

Individuals with high EQ are able to 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.

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.

Empathy

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

People skills

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

Why EQ is important for managers:

If managers lacks empathy or emotional intelligence, it is highly possible that their teams do not like working with them. Their behaviour simply does not allow them to see past 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 even roll their sleeves and pitch in when their teams demand it.

How does Feedback fit into all of this?

Teams tend to trust managers with high EQ. If the manager is truly looking out for her team’s interest, she will offer constructive feedback in real time. Rather than waiting out for periodic reviews. This not only limits to constructive feedback but also praises.

Why EQ is important for employees

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

How To Develop Emotional Intelligence

• Improve your ability to show more empathy
• Learn to look at yourself more objectively
• Improve your social skills through conscious practice
• Be more approachable to your team
• Listen carefully and acknowledge what others are speaking
• Look for ways to increase self motivation
• Prepare to leave your comfort zone
• Avoid being overly critical and instead give constructive feedback

Get to know the people around you and gain an understanding of 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 get to see what are their true motives and how they can get better.