Components of Emotional Intelligence at Work

Emotional intelligence is an important attribute in all areas of life, so it’s no wonder that emotional intelligence at work is essential for long-term success. For professional leaders, fostering emotional intelligence skills can help connect with employees, manage emotions in stressful situations, and strive towards personal and professional goals.

A well-rounded leader practices multiple elements of emotional intelligence to achieve a positive attitude and maintain healthy relationships. Hoping to develop your emotional intelligence skills? Here are the top five elements that lead to successful emotional intelligence in the workplace.

Self-Awareness

The first step for improving your emotional intelligence at work is to practice self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and process your emotions in a healthy way. Check in with yourself regularly to gauge your emotional state, and practice mindfulness to help tap into your emotional wellbeing.

Strategies for improving emotional self-awareness include:

  • Journaling
  • Meditation
  • Counseling

Try integrating some of these practices into your routine. The more you practice emotional self-awareness, the easier it will be to recognize difficult emotional patterns or habits.

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation blossoms from greater self-awareness. Self-regulation is the ability to control your emotional response to a stressful situation. Instead of blurting out a hurtful comment or succumbing to anxiety, self-regulation helps you maintain a calm and balanced outlook even in the middle of a stressful day at the office. According to VeryWellMind.com, “self-regulation is all about expressing your emotions appropriately.”

Part of successfully managing your emotions is holding yourself accountable during difficult situations. This doesn’t mean you need to be hard on yourself, but instead means that you should prioritize your emotional responses and be attuned to the emotional environment. Successful leaders have the ability to self-regulate their emotions to provide calm insights and effective solutions even when the situation is tense.

Motivation

Successful leaders know what keeps them motivated, and have a strong sense of values and emotional needs. Emotional intelligence includes being aware of your motivations, and an internal desire to achieve your personal goals.

Setting goals for yourself allows you to maintain a growth-oriented mindset. Motivation shouldn’t be about accolades, rather, achieving your individual goals and improving yourself. VeryWellMind.com frames this idea as intrinsic motivation: “Intrinsic motivation is another important emotional intelligence skill. People who are emotionally intelligent are motivated by things beyond external rewards like fame, money, recognition, and acclaim.” In short, success isn’t determined by the awards you gain, but by your relationship to yourself.

Empathy

Empathy is one of the most important aspects of emotional intelligence at work, and determines how you relate to other people. When you practice empathy, you put yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand the emotional impact of their situation.

Practice Active Listening

A big part of practicing empathy is being an active listener. Employees should feel like they are in an environment that prioritizes communication and respect. Showing that you care about your employees’ wellbeing is essential when it comes to demonstrating empathy.

Be Vulnerable

It goes without saying that you need to maintain a professional atmosphere, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be vulnerable with others and share aspects of work that you find challenging. Empathetic behavior is a two-way street, so it’s important to show your employees that you’re willing to admit when you feel overwhelmed or frustrated.

Social Skills

Social skills apply to everyday interactions, important meetings, employee feedback sessions and practically any other social situation. Social skills are ways of monitoring your behavior to match the emotional tone of a conversation, while maintaining a professional attitude.

Social skills include elements like:

  • Asking employees questions.
  • Listening to employee feedback.
  • Connecting with employees.
  • Fostering an environment that encourages communication.
  • Practicing conflict resolution strategies.
  • Maintaining eye contact.
  • Being aware of body language.

Almost everyone needs to brush up on some aspect of their social skills. Try to relax, be yourself, and approach social skills as an opportunity to grow as a leader.

A Team Dedicated to Emotional Intelligence at Work: Acquirent

Instead of taking on leadership responsibilities by yourself, lessen the load by partnering with a sales development company like Acquirent. Acquirent’s team of expert sales reps will help your employees flourish by offering team training, recruitment, and sales support services. This way, you can focus more on developing your business, and honing your emotional intelligence.

Contact us today to get your free quote.