“As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership.” – Amit Ray
Conscious businesses and leaders have been waking up to the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace over the last few years. That is not to say that IQ, academic accomplishment and the honing of more traditional skills are not highly valuable and sought after, but good emotional intelligence is crucial to the workplace moving forward with a force of empathy and positivity.
Perhaps the pandemic can take some credit for the realisation that our mental health is of high importance. Many of those who may have considered their mental wellbeing to be rock solid, will almost certainly have found that their emotional state was not quite as infallible as they had first thought!
Now, it’s all very well conscious leaders focusing on emotional wellbeing in their businesses to make us all feel happier. However, the benefits of creating a culture with emotional intelligence at the forefront extend beyond the upkeep of a workforce’s mental health. Recognising it also has huge benefits to the business itself; how it operates, what its atmosphere is like, its efficiency and its popularity. Let’s have a think about the main effects of emotional intelligence on the workplace.
1. Motivation
One of the benefits of being emotionally aware of yourself is that you recognise when you are having a ‘good day’ emotionally, and when you are having a ‘bad day’. If the day is good, then your motivation is likely to be good without you having to do much to conjure it consciously. However, if you can recognise when you are having an off day, you can work out clear ways to bring yourself out of it, and what it takes to motivate yourself. Understanding the self in all its aspects is key to unlocking ways to function under stress.
Furthermore, once you have worked out how best to remain motivated, whatever kind of day you are having, you are much better positioned to help others with their motivation.
2. Loyalty
An environment that fosters empathy and emotional intelligence is a popular one with employees, both current and prospective. If your workforce feels that the company is listening to their needs, being sensitive to their mental health, and prioritising worker wellbeing, they are far more likely to be loyal to the organisation. Not only that, but people will work harder for a business if a business is making their lives a priority.
3. Efficient Working Relationships
Empathy is such a valuable tool. If you can not only notice when someone is struggling but also put yourself in their shoes, then you are much more likely to work with that person in a useful way. If you ignore the energies of the people that are working with you, this makes for a clunky and inefficient working dynamic. Emotional intelligence is a huge catalyst for efficiency and high-quality output.
4. Developing Leadership Skills
Companies now search for candidates with excellent people skills, the overarching skill being emotional intelligence, as a priority. Learning how to be more insightful about other people’s emotions, in terms of your career, will open more doors for you. In terms of a business as a whole, a company full of empathetic leaders and collaborators can only be a good thing.
5. A Nicer Place to Work
Frankly, at the end of the day, we all want to go to work and enjoy the people we are at work with. Emotional intelligence allows us to navigate other people dexterously and smoothly. It helps us to communicate in a way that is freer of judgment, and fuller of honesty and clarity. Emotionally intelligent workplaces are supportive, comfortable, profitable and positive places to spend your time.
By Chris Thomson
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