Attracting the best and brightest talent to your firm is one of the ways to keep your business ahead of the competition. But, in a competitive market, there is more to consider than test scores, algorithms and fancy certifications. Emotional intelligence is one of the keys that increasingly unlocks doors for job seekers. Today, armed with the insight that comes from working with scores of the nation’s top companies for nearly two decades, the team here at Corporate Essentials is poised to tell you what makes emotional intelligence in the workplace such an important factor.
Emotional intelligence is a good predictor of performance in the workplace
While it might be difficult to define, emotional intelligence is the divining rod we all use to manage our behavior and understand the nuances of social situations. And, while work is primarily a professional arena, our input to the office culture and interactions with one another are personally driven – so it stands to reason that one’s emotional intelligence is a solid predictor of their success in the workplace.
Book smarts can be trumped by higher emotional intelligence
Being able to memorize and recite technical details and do currency conversions on the fly are great skills. Most jobs require a level of intelligence and expertise that can be readily absorbed from textbooks or on-the-job experience. However, the emotional intelligence that true success requires is a more difficult skill to acquire. You can hire the brightest minds in your industry, but that does not make them emotionally intelligent – in fact, for some, the narrow focus on developing particular professional skills can lead to a lack of EQ. In fact, according to Travis Bradberry, a noted author on EQ topics, those with the highest IQ are outperformed by those of average intelligence around 70 percent of the time – emotional intelligence is a huge contributing factor to that figure.
Low emotional intelligence makes it harder to accept negative feedback
One of the hallmarks of professionalism is how people deal with criticism in their workplace. Whether this is receiving informal feedback on a new design pitch or more specific information during the annual review cycle, an employee with lower emotional intelligence is likely to have a bad reaction to negative feedback. This can lead to a tide of disquiet across the company, particularly where creative teams are concerned. Those with a higher EQ are more readily capable of understanding the issue with their work or project and finding a way to address it without taking the criticism personally and letting it derail their workflow.
One employee with low EQ can negatively impact the whole office
As mentioned in the last point, one negative reaction can easily cascade across the team and through the whole building before you know it. An overall lack of emotional intelligence in the workplace can prove toxic, which is why emotional intelligence training has become increasingly popular. But it is worth understanding that one person with low EQ can cast a shadow over an otherwise happy turn of events, whether because they feel left out or because their work was not chosen as Best in Show. The best way to combat this is to nurture your workers by cultivating a culture that promotes emotional intelligence development for all.
Employees with low EQ are prone to self-sabotage
There is little worse than self-sabotage in the workplace. It hurts morale for the whole team to watch someone consistently trapped in a spiral of failure – particularly as the individual sinks deeper into the mire of self-doubt that comes from repeated failures. However, emotional intelligence can play a role in breaking that cycle. By encouraging employees with lower EQ to engage in workplace emotional intelligence training exercises, you can help them identify their negative behaviors and eliminate the ongoing struggles caused by simple things like always saying “yes” to additional work.
Employers better understand where employees need improvement
Your business has objectives, and you are accustomed to providing training and resources to your teams to meet those objectives. The task of determining what training, resources or support might be necessary for any given project is made easier through improved emotional intelligence in the workplace – simply because staff are able to identify their own needs with clarity. Gone are the days of asking the guys on fourth if they need help with a task and receiving only blank stares. The gift of emotional intelligence allows those staffers to feel comfortable admitting they need help with data input or training in the new software before there is a deadline looming.
Leaders with high emotional intelligence are more likeable
When your staff completes their annual review cycle, hopefully they have the opportunity to submit feedback about their managers and team leaders. This can be invaluable when you are looking to strengthen your overall corporate culture – as it helps you understand how people see one another. One thing that companies with higher overall EQ consistently report is that the management who have a more developed sense of emotional intelligence are better reviewed. There are multiple reasons for this, but the salient point here is simple: people like to feel good, and those with higher emotional intelligence sprinkle “feel good” into the atmosphere wherever they go.
You are always one step ahead of competitors
If you have ever pitched for a job against a team that seems unbeatable because they were just so in synch with one another, you have witnessed one of the secret powers of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Having teams that operate seamlessly, where there are no power struggles and everyone feels valued and supported, gives your people more time to think about putting their pitch together. It also gives your presenters an edge during the pitch itself as they are able to read the audience and adjust the tone of their discussion accordingly. The same holds true for negotiating teams – being able to read one another, as well as the people you are negotiating with, gives you insight beyond the facts and figures you may be discussing. It lets you understand what makes the person on the other side of the table tick, and that is a clear advantage over a less-insightful competitor.
High emotional intelligence leads to client base growth
In a similar vein, higher emotional intelligence in the workplace is likely to bring your company a boost in client numbers. By providing true interaction with potential and existing clients, beyond the buying and selling that goes on, you give a different sort of value to the interaction. Being emotionally intelligent means taking the time to understand others and allowing them to better understand you. This in turn adds value to the transaction your companies were already doing. Enjoy a cup of coffee together in the break room, be open to suggestions and listen to all they have to say. If people like doing business with you, the benefit your company receives in word-of-mouth alone will lead to expansion of clientele.
Less turnover of customers and clients
Higher workplace EQ means better client retention. This is partially because emotionally intelligent workplaces attract and retain quality staff, which makes interacting with clients and customers simpler, but also because you are able to focus on the client’s genuine needs. When you are able to give customers a reason to buy their widgets from you instead of the guy up the road, a reason that is more than “they’re 5¢ cheaper”, they are likely to stick with you purely for the joy of the transaction.
Better customer service
Having staff whose emotional needs are met means your company is truly in the best position to serve your customers. When staffers are distracted by petty emotional matters, they’re less likely to provide good customer service. This in turn creates customer relationships that are less than welcoming and authentic, which leads to fewer repeat visits and less brand ambassadorship. Emotional intelligence in the workplace and the best customer service go hand in hand. Whether you sell widgets, build websites or sling cappuccino, customers flock to operations where they feel they get the best service – and the best service happens w employees have a solid EQ.
There is a better office atmosphere
Cultivating a great company culture is a solid start toward fostering the growth of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Your teams need to feel valued, secure in their roles and supported to grow as their understanding (or industry) changes. By providing little perks, like great office coffee and a relaxing break area with healthy snacks, you give people the space to develop their emotional intelligence in a positive atmosphere. You also provide the tacit reassurance that your firm has their back. Supported people are more likely to support one another; which builds a greater team atmosphere; which leads to better customer service; which makes for more happy customers, who send in even more customers, who help provide revenue to enhance ongoing programs that benefit everyone. It really is a huge circle – and if you start it with a positive, engaging space, the EQ will flow through your firm.
It builds a sense of trust in the workplace
Emotional intelligence provides people the opportunity to do a lot of things they might otherwise miss out on due to insecurity. When coworkers have trust in their teammates, and understand their various points of view, it is much easier to establish a workplace culture that fosters an air of trust and mutual respect. When workers have a general sense of trust in their workplace, their satisfaction with their job is higher. This is another cyclical relationship for workers: higher emotional intelligence in the workplace means people feel trusted, and trusted people trust back.
Employees are more mindful of others
Whether they feel put upon by the demands of a special project or because they need a blue pen but can only find a black one, it can be easy for people in any office to become victims of the “gimme, gimme, gimme!” mentality. What separates the average workplace from an office with better-developed emotional intelligence is that EQ gives people the ability to see through their own needs and focus on the needs of others and the wider impact those combined needs have on workplace functionality.
Creating high-performance teams is easy
Because people are operating without the distraction of petty inter-office squabbles and generally more able to focus on the big picture, it is far easier for management to create an “A-team” packed with expertise when there is improved emotional intelligence in the workplace. Further, it is easier for these teams to be seen as helpful tools to the organization, rather than an elitist or exclusive group. When all employees are able to see the high-performance team as an asset for everyone, it is easier to get staff to commit to joining it for special projects, and easier for staff to work with the group without fearing that their contribution will go unnoticed.
Conflicts are simpler to resolve
In a busy, deadline-driven workplace where personalities often clash, conflict resolution can be a huge obstacle. When workers have gained a deeper understanding of one another’s feelings and motivations through EQ, conflicts are often avoidable. And when they inevitably do occur, it is easier to diffuse situations by encouraging staff to speak with honesty to one another, safe in the knowledge that the workplace and team are there to support both sides for mutual benefit.
Employees use their emotions as strengths
Rather than being held hostage by their feelings or increasing stress levels because they are stifling their reaction to events in the workplace, emotional intelligence teaches your employees how to use their feelings as an asset. This can open new doors to people who have previously been cut off in their career path – because through understanding the impact of emotion, people are able to communicate and negotiate more effectively. Staff become more agile negotiators, capable of reading the people on the other side of the table and alerting colleagues in the room to fluctuations in mood that might be as simple as someone needing a snack – or could be as serious as someone having personal issues that mean today is just not the best day to make that deal. Owning how we feel has a tremendous power, and becoming capable of expressing those feelings productively to others in workplace settings, even more so.
Emotionally intelligent workers are self-motivated
Being more in tune with their own needs allows workers to find their path toward meeting deadlines, generating new creative output and even coming up with innovative ideas for problems you may not have realized are lurking in the periphery of your workplace. By encouraging a higher level of emotional intelligence in the workplace, you cultivate an environment where the occasional walk down the hall for a quick snack becomes a self-guided journey to the next big thing. And what’s more, instead of suffering from boredom or getting bogged down by routines, your staff is thrilled at their ability to stay focused and motivated toward their goals.
Employees are able to realize their full potential
This might seem like a double-edged sword, but let us assure you, it is all for the benefit of the firm. Employees who are able to meet their own goals and satisfy their needs are far more likely to achieve their true professional potential as well. This is another area where emotional intelligence in the workplace creates a circular relationship between employees, clients and the company. Encouraging staff to embrace emotional intelligence as a tool toward fuller professional development allows people to access the tools within themselves that can truly unlock their potential. By meeting the needs of one, you ultimately achieve the goals of all.
Emotionally intelligent employees know when to exercise restraint
Being able to bite your tongue in a tricky situation is absolutely a life skill. However, there is a difference between stifling your belief, reaction, or gut instinct and exercising appropriate restraint in professional situations. Emotional intelligent employees have learned the difference, and are better brand ambassadors because of it. Knowing when it is appropriate to share feelings, which is the best meeting to use a more personal touch and who the soft contact in a room is, are huge benefits to any company that does any sort of negotiation. Emotional intelligence in the workplace gives your team an edge in this arena, but also insures they are not exploiting that advantage with potentially negative consequences.
Employee turnover is lower
Because of the circular relationship we keep mentioning between employees having their needs met and the company getting great results, a workplace with higher emotional intelligence is more likely to have lower staff turnover. This is, in turn, a huge boon to your company. From lower recruitment and retention costs to improved client relations thanks to long-standing team members, decreasing employee turnover can pay dividends. Additionally, attracting emotionally intelligent staff to your firm is easier when you have established a reputation for respecting and valuing the “whole” contribution staff can make to your teams.
Enhanced EQ encourages participation
One of the things we discuss frequently is the importance of a reciprocal corporate culture, where employees are offered a multitude of diverse opportunities to engage with one another in both professional and non-work settings. The beauty of working to grow emotional intelligence in the workplace for your company is that it will boost participation in your regular office events. Sure, the allure of being the first to sample the new office coffee for the season can be a great draw – but for some, walking into the room full of unfamiliar faces can be an obstacle. By providing a level of emotional intelligence training to all staff, you can smooth that rough spot over for those who feel intimidated by group settings.
Employees strive to be valued rather than right
Everyone has a colleague who just has to be the supreme authority on all things – to be right at any cost is exhausting. Fortunately, for those aiming to build a business with greater emotional intelligence in the workplace, EQ is a great tool to help eliminate the superiority that some perceive expertise or other knowledge gives them. Emotional intelligence helps people better interpret the value of the information they are sharing, and how it may reflect upon them. EQ also gives staff the ability to see that allowing everyone to contribute equally to the pool of information is as important as shouting the correct answer first.
EQ plays a key role in professional development
For many professions, there are only so many certificates you can get to demonstrate your commitment to continued learning. However, by adding the wildcard component of emotional intelligence to the mix, employees at all levels can reap greater rewards from their annual training. These benefits take many forms, including decreased stress and improved workplace relationships – but also extend to simple things like better external relationships and even improved sleep. By focusing development on purely professional skills, you deny your staff the opportunity to truly grow as individuals, which ultimately stifles their development. Including emotional intelligence in the workplace development plans for all staff allows people to explore new avenues that can improve their overall performance at work and beyond.
Building an office culture where EQ can thrive takes time, but as we have explained, having emotionally intelligent staff in your organization offers tremendous benefits to everyone. From your clients, who benefit from more stable relationships and fruitful discussions with your employees; to your staff, who benefit from a more welcoming and engaging workplace environment; to your company, which receives a more stable client base that grows with ease along with a reputation for attracting the best of the best. With 20 years in the business of providing break room supplies that serve as the foundation for great office environments, the team at Corporate Essentials is happy to help you take the first steps toward improving emotional intelligence in the workplace, one cup of coffee at a time.
