Emotional Intelligence in the workplace

One of the things I hear a lot from businesses is the rhetoric that their employees are ‘their best asset!’ The intention behind this is good, they’re trying to say that the success of any organisation is its people, and make it attractive to want to work there.  

But assets are a ‘thing’, an object to be owned and utilised, not very human when you think about it! 

In the competitive strive on productivity in an ever changing and volatile world, there is finally the realisation that having happy employees who have a purpose, where there is psychological safety, perform better. (This shouldn’t be news right!) 

So how can organisations put the ‘human’ back into the workplace? Emotional Intelligence training for managers could be the key.

White males still dominate boards and executive committees, with less than a third of the UK’s top jobs held by women. Emotions have traditionally been feminised, men learn technical skills, and become experts, whereas language around emotions is soft, even the term soft skills. Emotions are fluffy, it means being nice to everyone all the time… does it? On the contrary emotional intelligence gives you the tools to have those difficult conversations!

If we start reframing emotions as a science it helps to make it accessible (having worked predominately in engineering and technology sectors, putting a scientific lens on it really resonates!) 

Emotions have a purpose; evolution has developed it within us because it’s telling us something. If we reframe how we think about emotions, if we start to acknowledge them, understand them, label them and listen to what they’re telling us, we can manage them; we can stop anxiety from crippling us or let anger lead to rage. Nelson Mandela famously said, “don’t allow anger to control your reason, but rather your reason control your anger”.  

Emotions also help us to identify our values so we can strive for them and recognise when they’re being compromised. 

The best thing about Emotional Intelligence is it can be learnt! Unlike IQ, which is largely fixed, EQ can be developed. 

Scientific journalist, author and psychologist, Daniel Goleman, popularised the concept of emotional intelligence (EQ) in 1995, in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. He developed a framework of five key components that make up emotional intelligence, plus a range of skills that can be developed and improved, so it’s possible for anyone to become more emotionally intelligent.

Goleman breaks down EQ into five components:

#1. Self-awareness

#2. Self-regulation

#3. Motivation

#4. Empathy

#5. Social skills

Self Awareness helps us understand our own biases and what triggers us so that we can work towards creating an inclusiveness 

Self-regulation allows you to become approachable, able to deal with conflict, and create a nurturing environment. This isn’t easy to do as neuroscience has taught us that our emotional brain is faster than our newer rationale brain. 

Motivation and understanding what we’re passionate about drives our performance, in fact optimism is one of the key characteristics of success. 

Empathy is a superpower! Being able to understand other reactions to defuse conflict, listening to diverse perspectives to foster innovation, and understanding what your employees and colleagues need from you so that they can also perform at their best. 

Social skills such as active listening (really listening), verbal communication, body language and persuasiveness enables you to connect with your team and break down organisational silos. 

When looking at many organisations’ People Strategies, emotional intelligence training for managers can make an impact on all of them; from wellbeing and diversity to leadership development. Maybe that’s why I love it so much! 

Siobhan is a certified Practitioner specialising in RocheMartin Emotional Capital Psychometric Reports – unique science-led analysis with practical coaching strategies to build EQ and transform leadership skills.