Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (or EI for short) has become one of the most popular workplace strategies. Many companies make it a requirement that you have as well as a training program to ensure your career success.

Some even use it as a basis for promoting someone into a senior position. While having high levels of EQ is clearly helpful in the work place, there are some who believe this theory is purely motivational hype.

Others argue that it’s just an excuse not to take responsibility for your actions. Some say it’s simply a way to get paid for psychological testing.

Whatever level you feel emotionally intelligent or not, improving your skills is always worth doing. This article will talk about five ways to boost your EQ at work.

You can read these tips here either as separate bullets or as a whole topic. Either way, they all relate to each other so none of them makes sense unless you have done the others first!

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Give yourself credit for good decisions

No matter what kind of person you think you are, there is always something you could do better.

Everyone makes mistakes and experiences failure sometimes, but being aware of and giving yourself credit for good decisions is important.

This helps you to avoid making the same mistake twice by acting on feelings instead of facts. It also gives you more motivation to make sure such errors don’t happen again.

Have patience

When someone does something that makes you feel bad, try to be conscious of your emotions and take time to relax before reacting. Try to think about what could have caused this reaction and whether or not it is worth keeping them as a friend or colleague.

This will help you focus more on solving the problem instead of being distracted by negative feelings.

Running into an obstacle in your career can sometimes result in feeling discouraged or even depressed. While these reactions are normal, they are not helpful when trying to improve yourself at work.

You must remember that there is no quick fix for professional development. It takes time to develop leadership skills and expertise in certain areas.

Never get too focused on having a big title or moving up the ladder, those things are irrelevant in the workplace today. If you want to see changes, then look at the person next to you or behind you!

Their behavior can tell you a lot about how they manage their relationships and what kind of leader they strive to be.

Make eye contact

A lot of people don’t make much effort to look directly into someone else's eyes, but it is one of the most powerful ways to connect with others. It creates trust, confidence and emotional stability.

Making direct eye contact isn't always easy, especially when you're in a fast-paced situation, but trying your best to do so will boost your self-confidence and help you communicate more clearly.

It also sends a message to the other person that you are aware of their presence and you want to be connected to them. This makes them feel less anonymous and important, which can motivate them to do things for you or work harder to achieve their goals.

When looking into another person's eyes, hold the gaze for around a minute - this is considered a normal amount of time. If the other person looks away first, break the eye contact.

Be realistic

Even if you have excellent emotional control, it can be hard to know when something is going too far or that someone needs your help before they ask for it. If you’re constantly over-exerting yourself, then people will stop asking how you are because they’ll assume you don’t want to talk about things or you’ve given up.

On the other hand, if you never say anything at all, people won’t feel comfortable coming to you either. An easy way to fix this is by learning some basic tools of EQ.

You can learn simple strategies like using “I” statements or practicing acceptance and non-judgment. Both of these work by replacing negative thoughts with more positive ones.

For example, saying “I am not sure what I could have done differently” instead of “Why did she/he do that? He/she is so stupid!” helps you move past blaming others and giving up.

At the same time, acknowledging and accepting what happened can help you let go and focus on moving forward.

Share your experiences

As mentioned earlier, one of the important things that can boost your emotional intelligence is sharing your experiences with others.
As human beings we all have different personalities and personal styles in how we deal with situations.

This is what makes us who we are; some people are more outspoken and direct whereas other people prefer keeping their thoughts to themselves.

It’s okay not to say everything that goes through your mind, but it is helpful to be aware of the effects that those around you are having on you so you can make the most out of this experience for them as well as yourself.

By being aware of the effects that your actions have, you will know when to keep quiet and what to share.

If someone else has gone through a similar situation as you, they may learn something from your approach.

Be honest with your peers

When you are in the workplace, there will be times when you feel like something is not working and that someone else is getting more credit for an achievement than you.

This can often create feelings of jealousy or resentment towards this person. These emotions may even cause you to do things that you would never normally consider doing, such as trying to sabotage their career or reputation.

It’s important to remember that relationships are built upon trust and respect, so unless you believe that they are capable of performing a specific job well, then it makes no sense to put doubts in their mind. And if you do happen to come across something that seems questionable or odd, speak up!

By being aware of these potential pitfalls, you will know what to do if situations like this arise. Always keep yourself professional and level-headed and don’t get distracted by personal issues.

Listen to others closely

Develop your ability to listen with intensity, without getting distracted, and retain what you hear. When someone talks about their personal life or work experiences, pay close attention and ask questions that help them disclose more information.

This is particularly important for people in positions of power, such as managers, executives, and owners. Employees look up to these individuals and may feel intimidated by them.

By showing an interest in what they have to say, you show that you are interested in their well-being and success. This creates a supportive environment where employees can share things like how much stress they are under due to budget cuts or challenges they face at work.

Furthermore, listening gives you another tool to use when trying to communicate something new or find out more about something. You will know what actions to take next if and when it’s time to give feedbackor discuss issues related to workplace performance.

Don’t be egotistical

As we have seen, emotional intelligence (EI) is an important factor in workplace success. However, when people show poor levels of EI, it can sometimes contribute to something more negative, such as being overly-focused on their own personal success instead of helping others succeed.

This may seem like a contradiction in terms — after all, what successful person doesn’t want to feel that they have succeeded? And how could someone who isn’t succeeding help you or themselves by giving themself high praise?

However, studies suggest that this kind of self-appreciation actually has a limiting effect on one’s career progress. This happens because those with low empathy are never satisfied with their status, and so they keep looking for ways to improve their position.

They might actively look for opportunities to advance their own career, but also avoid taking responsibility for ensuring that other people get the same chance.

Be humble

A lot of people have a perception that emotional intelligence (EI) is about being very expressive with your feelings, but this is not an appropriate way to develop it.

Research shows that there are five core components of EI. These include others’ appraisal, motivation, behavior regulation, empathy, and self-regulation.

By limiting yourself to only showing emotions and using emotion-focused strategies, you could be missing out on important skills for workplace success.

There is some suggestion that people who score highly in EI also tend to show less negative emotions than average. This can make them seem distant from other people, which may negatively impact relationships at work.

If you feel that your job requires you to use more powerful or aggressive tools to motivate colleagues, then you might want to consider whether you have enough empathy to do so effectively.

On the contrary, having low levels of empathy can hurt your career because you may fail to recognize the needs and desires of others.

You don't need high scores in any one element of emotional intelligence to succeed, but developing all of these qualities will help you achieve your goals and contribute to your happiness.

So, while sometimes crying is needed, staying calm and focused is just as valuable. By breaking down barriers created by fear and lack of confidence, you'll set up better opportunities for progress and improvement.