How Emotional Intelligence Improves Workplace Relationships


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Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (EI) has become one of the most popular leadership theories in business. It looks at how well you control your emotions to determine the success of your workplace and organization.
Many believe that having high levels of EI can boost productivity and help promote healthy relationships at work. And research seems to back this up!
A large majority of studies show that people with higher levels of EI are more likely to enjoy their job and colleagues, and they’re less likely to experience mental health or relationship problems like depression, anxiety, and stress.
Some even claim that being emotionally intelligent is a key factor in achieving career success. But what exactly is emotional intelligence, and why is it important?
In this article, we will discuss all these questions and go into much greater detail about just how powerful a tool EI is.
It's important to be authentic
Sometimes, instead of showing your true self at work, you show someone a fake version of yourself that you portray to them.
This is not only frustrating for them, but it can hurt your career as well.
By hiding who you really are, you may lose trust in others which could potentially cost you in the workplace.
Emotions connect us all, and when we suppress our emotions, it shows. Your colleagues will definitely notice!
If you want to improve relationships at work, then you must learn how to manage and control your own emotional reactions.
You should never assume that someone else has this ability until you recognize that you do.
Once you realize that you're using emotion to hinder progress, you need to let go and develop other strategies.
It might feel uncomfortable at first, but eventually you'll find what works for you.
They can tell when you are not being honest
As mentioned earlier, emotional intelligence (or EQ as it is often referred to) plays an important role in workplace relationships. Your colleagues and superiors will feel comfortable around you if they perceive that you have certain levels of empathy and understanding for others.
They will also trust you more easily because they believe that you are telling them the truth. On the other hand, low-emotional-intelligence individuals may try to avoid coming across as too friendly or nonjudgmental, which makes people question their authenticity.
As we know from previous chapters, authentic emotions like happiness, sadness and anger serve a purpose. But there is a difference between having these normal feelings and overreacting to situations out of jealousy, fear or frustration.
Empathic people recognize this and make an effort to be aware of how others might be feeling. This way, they learn what buttons should be pressed and what arguments work best with different individuals.
They will appreciate you more
Recent studies show that emotional intelligence (EI) is one of the most important qualities in your workplace career. What makes this quality so powerful is that it can have positive impacts across all departments, not just those who you meet during lunch or after work.
This includes improving relationships with colleagues, superiors, and even clients. By boosting other people’s self-esteem and motivation, they’ll feel happier and perform their jobs better.
When someone feels good about themselves and their job, they’re going to do extra things for you, which creates a mutually beneficial relationship. And we all know what happens when there are no more benefits!
Improving your own emotional literacy is also an excellent way to boost your own confidence. If you understand how emotions work, you can choose whether to put yourself into emotionally rich environments or not.
They will be more open with you
As mentioned earlier, emotional intelligence (or EQ as it is commonly referred to) impacts how people interact with others. If someone you work with has high levels of empathy or other-focusedness, then your colleagues and superiors will feel comfortable sharing things like their struggles at home or personal issues they are going through.
This can help create supportive environments where employees can address important workplace topics such as performance issues or conflicts.
Open communication in the office helps avoid potential power imbalances and allows for better teamwork and productivity. It also promotes trust between coworkers and superiors, since these individuals would not hesitate to speak openly about matters that affect them.
Emotionally intelligent professionals are also known to have higher rates of job satisfaction than those who are less empathic. This comes from feeling appreciated by peers and supervisors, as well as knowing that they got the best out of themselves at work every day.
They will respect you more
As mentioned earlier, emotional intelligence (or EQ as it is often referred to) can have a major influence on how well your colleagues work with each other.
It has been proven time and time again that high-EQ individuals are more likely to develop positive relationships with others. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that having low levels of EQ may be one of the reasons why people feel the need to put in extra effort to ensure their friends or family members get along.
By lowering your own level of empathy, you may be subconsciously encouraging others to avoid anyone who ‘invites sympathy’ by being less fortunate than they were. It could even hurt your career if superiors notice that you don't relate to those around you.
In addition to this, lack of empathy can also negatively affect your personal life – something most office workers deal with at least once a week! If someone does not like you, chances are they will say or do things that play upon your low tolerance for strong emotions.
On the other hand, people who are highly empathic are aware of what others are going through and will use that knowledge to help them cope. This helps promote teamwork and collaboration since team members know what strategies worked for each other before and can apply these lessons in the future.
They will inspire you more
As mentioned earlier, emotional intelligence (or EQ as it is commonly referred to) plays an important role in workplace relationships. It can make your work life a lot happier and healthier, especially when talking about interpersonal relations.
This is due to two main reasons. First, high levels of emotional intelligence are linked to higher job satisfaction. Second, people with high levels of emotional intelligence are more likely to promote socialization and teamwork outside of work.
When you have high levels of emotional intelligence, you’re better able to understand other people and how they feel. You also use appropriate emotion regulation strategies that help you control your emotions.
They will understand you more
Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (EI) has become one of the most popular leadership theories in business. It looks at how well someone controls their emotions to determine if they are performing their job effectively.
This theory was first proposed by Daniel Goleman back in 1995 when he published his best-selling book “Emotional Intelligence”. Since then, there have been many studies that prove the link between having high levels of EI and achieving success in life.
It also seems to be very important for your career growth. A number of companies now offer training courses in EI to promote it among their employees. These classes focus either on developing your EQ as a leader or improving an individual’s ability to recognize and manage their own feelings.
While some people may think that being good with your feelings is a luxury, research shows that it can play a major role in helping you get along with others, increase productivity at work and achieve your goals.
They will motivate you more
As mentioned earlier, emotional intelligence (or EQ as it is commonly referred to) plays an integral part in workplace relationships. You see, aside from helping you manage your own emotions, people who have high levels of empathy are motivated by others’ emotions.
This makes them more likely to put in extra effort into their job because they want to see the same level of dedication and motivation in those around them.
On the other hand, individuals with low levels of empathy are less concerned about how others feel and tend to keep to themselves. This can be disastrous at work where communication and collaboration are key success factors.
So what kind of person has higher or lower levels of EQ? There isn’t one definitive answer for this, but we do know that people who were raised in stable homes with supportive parents and families are usually happier than adults who weren’t.
That’s why it’s so important to develop our emotional skills as kids – not just for ourselves, but for others too.