Emotional intelligence is among the competencies that facilitate healthy interactions in the workplace. Basically, this competency is concerned with the ability to understand one’s own feelings and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. While emotional intelligence benefits all employees, it is particularly important for leaders. This is because leaders are confronted with difficult situations that require them to maintain sobriety and exercise wisdom. Using emotional intelligence, the leaders are able to navigate the complexities of the workplace as they steer their organizations toward growth. Emotional intelligence is a key resource that promotes effective decision making and all leaders should endeavor to develop this competency.
Emotional Intelligence Attributes
Emotional intelligence is a broad skill that is composed of a wide range of attributes. Self-awareness and self-regulation are some of the essential attributes that make up emotional intelligence (Carblis, 2008). A person is said to be emotionally intelligent when they have a deep understanding of their emotions. For example, emotional intelligence enables individuals to acknowledge their feelings instead of hiding them. On the other hand, self-regulation is concerned with a mastery of one’s emotions. People who are emotionally intelligent are not at the mercy of their emotions. Instead, they exercise total control and are able to express their feelings appropriately. For instance, emotionally intelligence helps one to steer clear of distractive emotional outbursts that could strain relationships in the workplace. Empathy is yet another attribute that underlies emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2009). This skill basically enables one to identify with the needs and situations that others face. Empathy is particularly critical for healthy relationships in the workplace. Using this skill, one is challenged to embrace others instead of using stereotypes to pass judgment. Furthermore, empathy creates a workplace environment where free and open communication and interactions can flourish. Social skills are other competencies that form part of emotional intelligence (Emmerling, Shanwal & Mandal, 2008). The importance of these skills cannot be overstated. In addition to promoting communication, the social skills also play a vital role in cementing relationships in the workplace. Furthermore, social skills are useful in dispute resolution and conflict management. It is important to note that the impact of the individual attributes can be rather limited. However, when consolidated, these attributes have a tremendous effect on workplace relationships.
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Embodying Attributes
It is clear from the discussion above that emotional intelligence is vital for healthy interactions among employees in the workplace. In order to witness the benefits of emotional intelligence, individual employees need to embody the various attributes that constitute emotional intelligence. Writing for the Medium, Andrea Juhan (2014) noted that there are a number of practical approaches that individuals can adopt as they seek to become emotionally intelligent. These approaches include sleep and breathing exercises. According to Juhan, these approaches enable individuals to find balance, thereby allowing them to better manage relationships in an emotionally intelligent fashion. Personally, I feel that exercise is a highly effective strategy. It is the primary intervention that I will employ as I strive to embody the four attributes of emotional intelligence that have been discussed above. To embody self-regulation and self-awareness, my plan is to take time away from others and gain a deeper understanding of my spirit. I believe that this strategy will allow me to become more familiar with my emotional rhythms and better control my feelings so that I can participate in fulfilling interactions with my colleagues.
Empathy and social skills are other aspects of emotional intelligence which have been highlighted. My strategy for embodying these attributes is to engage in open and sober discussions with my colleagues. One of the factors that hamper successful and strong relationships is the use of stereotypes to form judgments. When one relies on stereotypes, they essentially become biased and rob themselves of the opportunity to truthfully engage with their colleagues. I am convinced that by being open and welcoming, I will be able to demonstrate empathy and exhibit my social skills.
Employing Plan to Increase Motivation, Satisfaction and Performance
Emotional intelligence is among the factors that have been linked to improved employee motivation, satisfaction and job performance (Rezvani et al., 2016). These benefits of emotional intelligence can only be experienced when steps are taken to employ emotional intelligence in the workplace. As part of efforts to exploit emotional intelligence to improve motivation, satisfaction and performance, training is to be conducted. Through the training, employees will be introduced to various aspects of emotional intelligence. For example, the training will expose them to the definition and significance of emotional intelligence. They will be challenged to recognize that emotional intelligence holds the key to strong and warm workplace relationships and personal wellbeing. Furthermore, thanks to the training, the employees will gain insights into the specific techniques and strategies that they can adopt in their quest to become emotionally intelligent. For instance, in order to become empathetic, the employees will be advised to be keen listeners who are genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of their colleagues. It is expected that as a result of the training, the employees will experience dramatic enhancements in their motivation, performance and satisfaction levels. For example, since the training will enable them to better regulate their emotions and use their social skills properly, it is reasonable to expect that the employees will encounter lower levels of frustration, moodiness and stress. Consequently, the workplace will be transformed into a space that harbors fulfilled and happy employees who are committed to their jobs.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Plan
The training play recommended above promises to be an effective approach for introducing the employees to the dynamics of emotional intelligence. To fully understand this approach, it is helpful to examine its advantages and drawbacks. One of the benefits of training in general is that it provides practical insights to employees. As noted above, through the training, the employees will be enlightened on such issues as the importance of emotional intelligence and the practical interventions that they can implement. The employees are likely to emerge from the training as highly emotionally intelligent individuals who are dedicated to transforming the workplace into a safe space for fulfilling interactions. Another advantage of the training is that it can be used to respond to any concerns that the employees may have. For example, an employee could seek clarification regarding whether suppressing emotions is healthy. By responding to this question, the training facilitator offers clarity and enhances learning. While it is true that the training plan will have positive impacts, it should be noted that it also suffer some drawbacks. The main challenge involves cost. As it offers training, the firm will incur various costs. For example, it may need to purchase literature and pay the facilitators who conduct the training. While the costs may be significant, the firm should take comfort in the fact that the various benefits of the training will offset the cost.
In closing, the modern workplace exposes employees to various challenges that are rather difficult to navigate. Left unable to address these challenges, the employees become frustrated and stressed. Emotional intelligence is among the skills that the employees can adopt as they seek to tackle workplace challenges. Comprised of such attributed as self-awareness and self-regulation, emotional intelligence also enhances workplace relationships. To sensitize employees on the importance of emotional intelligence, training should be conducted.
References
Carblis, P. (2008). Assessing emotional intelligence. Amherst, NY: Cambria Press.
Emmerling, R. J., Shanwal, V. K., & Mandal, M. K. (2008). Emotional intelligence: theoretical and cultural perspectives. Nova Publishers.
Goleman, D. (2009). Emotional intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ . Bloomsbury.
Juhan, A. (2014). Basic sanity- or the least amount of embodied emotional intelligence I can get away with and still feel functional. Medium. Retrieved April 27, 2019 from https://medium.com/@andreajuhan/basic-sanity-or-the-least-amount-of-embodied-emotional-intelligence-i-can-get-away-with-and-817e3f308019
Rezvani, A., Chang, A., Wiewiora, A., Ashkanasy, N. M., Jordan, P. J., & Zolin, R. (2016). Manager emotional intelligence and project success: The mediating role of job satisfaction and trust. International Journal of Project Management, 34 (7), 1112-22.
