How to Build & Improve Emotional Intelligence

Leadership requires a high level of emotional intelligence. One of the most important measures of job effectiveness is your capacity to regulate your emotions, as well as identify and influence others’. According to studies, 90% of great achievers have a high level of emotional intelligence.

Technical abilities can only take you so far. If you want to develop high-performing teams and bring out the best in people, you need to develop emotional intelligence .

Table of Contents

Emotional intelligence And Its Importance

Emotional intelligence, commonly referred to as emotional quotient or EQ, is the capacity to recognise and regulate your own and others’ emotions.

Emotional intelligence, like IQ, may be tested using a variety of tests, however IQ is a measure of one’s cognitive talents, whereas EQ is a measure of one’s emotional capacities.

While emotional intelligence is useful to everyone, it is particularly vital for individuals in positions of leadership. Leaders that are emotionally intelligent are able to sympathize with others, communicate effectively, and resolve conflicts. All of these skills are characteristics of successful life.

Ways To Build Emotional Intelligence

There are steps you may do to improve your emotional intelligence if you have gaps in your present skill set. The following are some examples of methods:

Journaling
Obtain a 360-Degree Evaluation
Active listening should be practiced
Pay Close Attention to Your Feelings

Journaling

Consider how your meetings, tasks, and interactions went at the end of the day, whether favorable or bad. You can identify distinct patterns in your behaviors and emotions, as well as others’, by writing them down.

Where did you excel? What are the moods of your employees? Have you ever been annoyed by specific persons or situations, and if so, why? It’s better if you’re more contemplative. For example, you’ll become more conscious of what irritates you so you may prevent an outburst in the future, or you’ll imitate activities that have been shown to improve employee morale.

Obtain a 360-Degree Evaluation

In a 360-degree assessment, you get feedback from your boss, coworkers, and peers, as well as an individual self-evaluation. You may learn a lot about your coworkers’ perceptions of your strengths and flaws, as well as any blind spots you might have, by going through this procedure.

Active listening should be practiced

Only approximately 10% of individuals can successfully listen. Technology, background noise, and your own thoughts may easily distract you. You must, however, be a good listener to be an effective communicator and emotionally aware leader.

Practice active listening to improve your emotional intelligence. Try to concentrate on what the speaker is saying and demonstrate your interest by paraphrasing and using nonverbal clues such as nodding. It will be simpler to connect with others and fully comprehend their views and feelings if you actively listen at work.

Pay Close Attention to Your Feelings

To comprehend the feelings of others, you must first comprehend your own.

Make a deliberate effort to think about what you’re feeling when you’re experiencing a particularly intense emotion, whether pleasant or bad. Consider why you’re feeling this way and what may have provoked such an intense emotional response.

This will assist you in becoming more conscious of your own emotions as well as better understanding those of your coworkers. You’ll be able to create a high-performing team as an empathic leader.

Conclusion

Not only can developing your emotional intelligence abilities help you grow as a leader, but it will also help you encourage and teach your team more effectively. As a result, you’ll be able to have a bigger influence on your company by increasing morale, productivity, and communication, allowing you to improve your business and career at the same time.

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Psychology