Emotional intelligence (E.I) has been a popular topic for years, there is plenty of agreement that increasing levels of E.I in our people, especially leaders, has a positive and lasting impact on the work environment and people’s wellbeing.
E.I encompasses a range of skills including self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills. Leaders with high emotional intelligence can recognise their own emotions as they arise, understand the reasons behind them, and regulate them in a way that is constructive rather than disruptive. Additionally, they can empathise with others, accurately perceive their emotions, and respond appropriately. All this makes both leader or team member a great deal more influential and effective.
E.I, whether integrated into a development programme, or delivered as a stand-alone course, has the potential to have a radical impact on people’s lives, both within and outside of the workplace.
By increasing E.I leader’s report being calmer and gaining greater levels of cooperation and innovation from their teams. Teams report feeling more motivated and engaged. Increased E.I can significantly change the relationship dynamic between two “once contentious” parties, by helping people explore perspectives before making decisions.
As someone who has worked in all forms of leadership development for a very long time; I can confirm that just telling people what EI is, does not on its own make people emotionally intelligent. E.I development is best experienced over multiple sessions using a “little and often” approach. Promoting experimentation and testing in between modules, as self-reflective and social observation is key to promoting quality conversations and personal discovery.
The time that organisations are prepared to commit for personal development has been depreciating for years. There are less people in work teams, harder and higher targets to be met, and tough commercial environments in which to compete. All of this makes releasing people for training more difficult. What organisation should recognise is how people are able and willing to contribute more if their emotional intelligence has been invested in. Targets and pressure without emotional support results in poor wellbeing and mental health, leading to reduced performance and higher sick leave.
Companies need to be proactive and bold. They need to display collective emotional intelligence to train people before the “difficult match” and not afterwards when the team or individual has got injured.
E.I development has provided real change for our client partners. Evidencing stronger leadership -employee relations, improved decision making and higher empathy in conflict resolution. This in turn has driven up retention and productivity.
Please get in touch to experience our Emotional Intelligence programme in your organisation.
Stuart Mander – Senior Consultant Berrison Ltd