Sharpening your intellect can be helpful in your leadership journey, but it can only take you so far. To be a good leader in the workplace, you’ll need to learn how to manage your feelings and read others’ emotions, as well as your own.
Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is the ability to have empathy for others, show self-confidence, express and manage your emotions, and respond to feedback and mistakes. Unlike IQ, or intellectual intelligence, which can only be slightly changed over time, EQ has a great potential for growth over your lifetime. As a leader, you can take advantage of this potential by putting emotional intelligence into practice.
Here are four ways to develop your EQ in the workplace.
1. Ask questions.
You can start growing your emotional intelligence by developing a curiosity about others. If there is someone on your team who you are struggling to understand or relate to, try to get to know them better. Make an effort to learn about their personality, what they do outside of work and their unique perspectives.
You can also understand your team members’ emotions by asking them how they feel about an upcoming project or how they are managing their stress levels. Having open, intentional communication will help you develop empathy for them as you get to know their personality, preferences and work styles, allowing you to lead them more effectively.
2. Research.
Maybe you’re struggling to connect or empathize with someone on your team, or perhaps you need help understanding your own emotions. One practical way to grow your EQ is to be a lifelong learner by reading books and articles, or listening to podcasts and videos with diverse perspectives.
There may be people on your team who have a very different background than you or have beliefs that differ from yours. Seek to understand them by researching the things you want to understand about them. Look for books or shows about different places, cultures or worldviews. Reading stories from different perspectives, even if they’re fictional, can also help you grow your empathy for others as you follow their perspective and are introduced to new ideas.
3. Seek input from others.
Having self-awareness is crucial to developing your EQ in the workplace. Oftentimes, it is difficult to check your own emotional reactions or see areas where you need improvement, so you may need input from someone else.
Seek out a mentor or accountability partner who can offer constructive criticism and give you advice on how to handle situations with emotional intelligence. Learning how to respond to criticism is essential to developing your EQ, but it takes practice. Asking a mentor or friend to give you input first is a great way to get feedback from someone you trust before you hear it from others. By developing your emotional intelligence, you’ll be able to listen to and engage with criticism without taking it personally and dig deeper to understand your team’s unique perspectives.
4. Build up your team.
You can develop your emotional intelligence by focusing less on yourself, and instead, valuing the importance of others. Practice your emotional intelligence by not being judgmental or considering yourself more important than your team members. Instead, look at their emotions, dreams and ideas with value and appreciation.
When trying to boost your EQ in your workplace, make sure you let your team know how much you value them. Experiment with activities that encourage teamwork, allow people to showcase their individual strengths and appreciate the unique abilities of others. Give your team the opportunity to socialize and appreciate one another so they can flourish as a team.
It takes time and effort to develop your EQ, but applying these practices can help you grow. As you develop your EQ, you’ll see how important a role it plays in creating a happy, healthy and productive work environment.