Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: 5 Tips to Success

Most of us are looking at our calendars right about now wondering how 2020 is almost here already. There’s a lot to accomplish by then, so chances are you haven’t spent much time thinking about goals and resolutions just yet. Never fear, Strong executive coaches have a few for you to consider that can put you ahead of the game next year.

In 2016, the World Economic Forum predicted emotional intelligence to be a top job skill for 2020, and it turns out they were spot on. A whopping 83% of organizations consider an emotionally intelligent workforce a necessity for success, but it remains one of the most overlooked and underrated job skills.

 

Our executive coaches want to help get you thinking about this impactful soft skill way ahead of 2020 goal-setting. So here are five simple EQ “hacks” to set yourself apart now:

  1. SLEEP ON IT. Try and create some space after a frustrating experience. No matter how tempted you are to write that scathing email, wait it out. Take a walk and get some air, or better yet, sleep on it. It’s amazing what a full eight hours can do for perspective.
  2. PRACTICE MIRRORING. Adjust your energy, tone, body language and decision-making to be more in line with those you’re interacting with. This works especially well when you’re not connecting with a particular person. Have you ever taken a personality assessment? DiSC is a great tool to help you get a better understanding of your own style, and how to flex your style to others (we teach courses on this, by the way!).
  3. SHIFT TO NEUTRAL.  As a leader, your emotions are contagious. If you’ve had a rough meeting at 10 a.m. and are feeling dragged down, don’t infect the people in your 11 a.m with those emotions. Shift back into neutral between every interaction to show up for your teams in a supportive, high EQ way. Strong Tip: Sometimes it’s easier to do this shift when you imagine it in your mind like a car, and bookend it with some deep breaths!
  4. PRIORITIZE THE FOLLOW-UP.  Everyone feels better when they feel considered. Instead of responding on autopilot and saying  “me too” or “I know” or “I see,” ask follow up questions! This helps to get a sense of what others are feeling — let them tell you rather than make your own inferences. Facilitate and host dialogue, then actively listen. 
  5. PROMOTE PURPOSE.  Help others understand their purpose and contribution. Refer back to the mission and strategy behind a project or the vision of your organization as a whole. Explain how the role the person is performing serves it and plays a critical part in something greater! 

How can you make EQ a priority for yourself and your team next year?

Strong Training & Coaching is a certified provider of the Genos EI Assessment. To learn more about how you can help your teams become more emotionally intelligent in the workplace, contact our team building coaches here: hello@markstrongcoaching.com