Here's why you need to be emotionally intelligent at work

It’s great to be an emotionally intelligent person, but there’s always scope for improvement. This will improve your ability to understand and reason better. And having this as part of your personality is an asset in the workplace—where relationships and decisions depend on interpersonal understanding, teamwork, and communication. Here are a few areas where you can improve to become more emotionally intelligent. 

Being more self-aware

This is where you need to pay attention to your feelings. In doing so, you're able to understand how they influence your work day, helping you understand how your colleagues, managers, and clients perceive you. You could try speaking to your colleagues and actively listening to what they have to say, whilst recognising your weaknesses, which will help you recognise the areas you need to work on to improve your emotional strength. It's crucial to understand that most of your feelings at work are fleeting, so don’t go about making any rash decisions in the heat of the moment.

Being more empathetic

One has to show a high degree of empathy when they demonstrate emotional intelligence at work. This means they are able to see and understand what others are going through. When you take the time out to see a situation from their point of view, read their verbal and non-verbal cues, recognise their input and express gratitude, and praise their work, you’re in a much better position to understand the different dynamics at work and find a middle ground whenever there is conflict. 

Always being motivated

People who have strong EQ in the office tend to be motivated to achieve their goals. A person displaying emotional intelligence at work won’t give up when things get tough but will instead inspire others to persevere and succeed. Instead of materialistic gains, they focus on the feeling of accomplishment after the completion of a task or helping the company progress towards its goals (which they played an instrumental role in). 

Why is it important?

Being an emotionally intelligent person at work gives you the chance to fix a situation before it worsens. For example, if you see and know that a person is sad (because you paid attention to their cues), you will take them aside, listen to them, and offer empathy to improve their well-being. This improves your decision-making skills as well as lets you complete tasks efficiently. Such qualities as showing patience, being an active listener, and being positive and empathetic can also help you get a promotion or raise. The thing about positive emotions is that others can latch on to them, and showing just how motivated and responsible you are (because you’re emotionally intelligent) will inspire others to follow in your path. 

Benefits of emotional intelligence in the workplace

When at work, you’re spending a lot of time speaking to your colleagues, superiors, stakeholders, clients, etc. With there being ample room for interactions where you've got to show emotions, your being an emotionally intelligent person can be the difference between those conversations being positive or not. Such conversations, where you understand others, will lead to strong and meaningful connections that are great for networking. As mentioned earlier, being productive and the best version of yourself will put you in a position where you motivate those around you (a great opportunity to put yourself in the hat for a leadership position).