Emotional Intelligence at the Workplace

IQ gets you hired, EI gets you promoted 

The phrase ‘Emotional Intelligence’ was coined in 1990 by Peter Salovey and John D Mayer. They defined Emotional Intelligence as ‘Emotional Intelligence is a set of skills hypothesized to contribute to the accurate appraisal and expression of emotion in oneself and in others, the effective regulation of emotion in self and in others and the use of feelings to motivate, plan and achieve one’s life.’

Have you come across a person at the workplace who has excellent people skills? They are adept at finding out if another colleague is having a hard time, or a new intern is struggling to keep pace with the environment of the office. Have you known a person who has a dignified demeanor in office at all times, and who seems to have aced the art of dealing with upset colleagues? The chances are this person has a high Emotional Intelligence. They are in tune with their feelings and behaviors and are open enough to read the others at the office. More often than not, people with high emotional intelligence are very good communicators too.

Emotional intelligence plays a vital role in any organization and has a significant effect on how people interact with one another, manage their stress and create work relationships. Emotionally intelligent people also tend to make efficient leaders, who are not afraid of change and can lead their team to uncharted success. The best example of this is Indra Nooyi, who broke the barriers by writing gratitude letters, personally to the parents of the high performers in her team at PepsiCo. She is not afraid to be seen humming a tune or having candid conversations with all members, despite being the CEO of a giant multinational.

The idea of having emotionally intelligent people at work and creating a workplace that values EI was further propounded by David Goleman, in 1990’s. He has listed 5 components of EI, the cultivation of which brings numerous advantages to the personnel and the workplace at large. The components that help in creating emotional intelligence at workplace are

1. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one’s limitations, strengths, emotions and triggers. Consciously practicing self-awareness and incorporating it into daily life will make a person react much less to his or her surroundings and make space for safe responding. Research confirms that leaders who have a high quotient of self-awareness are more receptive to their team’s needs and grievances. This prompts them to work towards creating an environment that generates the satisfaction and well-being of each individual

2. Self-Regulation

Self-regulation allows a person to manage emotions of self and reproduce desired responses. Self-regulation is an art that can be self-taught by small yet effective techniques. It encompasses breathing techniques to calm down, silent observation and introspection to go to the root cause of the trigger. Self-regulation becomes a part of the individual’s personality with steady practice. It is important to note that self-regulation does not mean pushing the negative feelings internally but rather learning a way to deal with them more effectively

3. Motivation 

Motivation is what drives a person intrinsically. Motivation is what creates a sense of joy and satisfaction in accomplishing everyday tasks while looking for new avenues to venture into. Motivation comes from money, fame, power and other external factors too. But emotionally intelligent people are motivated by what they do and believe in their capacity to do more.

4. Empathy

Empathy goes a step beyond sympathy. While being sympathetic makes you see how others are feeling, being empathetic allows you to be in the shoes of the other person. At the workplace, empathy helps you to observe and understand the dynamics between different people, clients and management. Being empathetic also allows you to see events from others’ points of view, with an open mind. Most of the time, simply being heard will create a sense of satisfaction between people. Empathy also means paying attention to how people respond to your words and actions. Understanding people and their behavior, while trying to make an effort to bring about a positive change is a sign of being emotionally intelligent.

5. Social Skills 

Social skills incorporate managing relationships that benefit everyone. Simple steps to create social skills can be to offer coaching and mentoring to those in need. Social skills also help an individual to build effective grievance redressal and offer conflict management. Picking up at the non-verbal cues of the team member and gently soliciting advice to make stronger bonds between people is a sign of a person who has mastered social skills at the workplace.

To sum it up, David Caruso has said, ‘It is very important to understand that Emotional Intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence. It is not the triumph of heart over head – it is the unique intersection of both.’ 

Thus, high Emotional intelligence drives collaborative leadership with a clear win-win attitude for all. It is correlated with perseverance and dedication to create a safe, healthy workplace for everyone. Having emotional intelligence at the workplace creates harmony and an attitude to be better and strive for success, which is more than pumping lakhs of rupees on events that do not generate sufficient ROI. Finally, Emotional Intelligence at the workplace helps in creating a sophisticated workplace, where employees look forward to coming in on a Monday morning.

About Kelp

Kelp was incorporated in 2013 to provide the best HR solutions to organizations, and to improve workplace culture across the board. Over the last 10 years, we have serviced more than 800 clients in India and a few overseas, across various industries in the areas of PoSH (prevention of sexual harassment at workplace), D, E & I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and EAP. But the common objective of all of these services is to build safer, happier, inclusive and productive workplaces.

For our services related to Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D,E &I) or Employee Assistance programs (EAP) do get in touch with us at info@kelphr.com, call +91-95001-29652 and our advisors will help you with customized offerings suited to your organization.