Think about your office and the people in it. When you have a work-related problem? Whom do you approach? Is it the guy who is super smart and knows everything, or is it the guy who will patiently explain things to you without getting mad at you for not understanding?
When you really think about it, bookish knowledge can get you only so far. At the end of the day, if you work with people, you’ve got to understand how people work. People are full of emotions- even if they deny it. Even those who claim to be the most unbiased, objective people in the group, have some feelings, sentiments, attachments.
It is human to feel emotions, and that’s how we make most of our decisions, on an unconscious level. Our ancestors survived because they learned to make sense of their instincts, feelings, and hunches. We have inherited that quality, and it’s difficult to turn it off like a switch.
So if you work with people, and you want to succeed, what matters is your emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence basically means how well you can understand emotions- both yours, and those of others, and how well you can respond to them.
In the workplace, for example, emotional intelligence would reflect in small gestures like supporting a coworker who is grieving someone, respecting someone’s boundaries, offering a listening ear to someone who wants to talk about their personal problems, and so on.
Why emotional intelligence?
Here’s why emotional intelligence is an important aspect of surviving in modern work culture.
Diversity and inclusion
The landscape of the American workforce is changing. We are seeing more diversity than ever in terms of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, cultural background, nationality, and so on. Multinational franchises often have branches in multiple locations across the globe.
Employees are expected to coordinate and work with teams from all over the world. In such a scenario, misunderstandings due to cultural gap are very common. Well intentioned gestures could appear offensive, and there could be miscommunication on many levels.
So, what difference would emotional intelligence make? An emotionally intelligent person would make sure to understand cultural practices before interacting with people. Would it be flawless? No. But if they do make a mistake, they would have a very composed and mature way of handling it.
In fact, Schutte and Loi (2014) found that emotional intelligence, in the presence of satisfaction with social support, helps people flourish in the workplace. Emotionally intelligent people are able to understand the subtle differences between being curious vs asking intrusive questions, encouraging people vs patronizing them, and taking interest in a culture vs cultural appropriation.
Remote work and mental health
The COVID 19 pandemic paved the way for a remote work model. While everyone celebrated how convenient it was to get work done, it was only later that we started realizing the dark side of this arrangement. People lost grip of work life balance, they felt more isolated from their coworkers, and motivation declined.
In this context, emotional intelligence can help people understand the struggles of others. During the pandemic, people struggled with the depression and isolating effects of quarantine, the anxiety from so much uncertainty, and the grief of seeing loved ones ill or dying. Sure enough, Wittmer and Hopkins (2022) found that in times of crisis like the pandemic, when people are suddenly forced to work remotely, emotional intelligence helps people act as effective leaders.
An emotionally intelligent manager would know how to take care of their employees in such a difficult period. For example, they would know that working night shift hours as per a foreign time zone is twice as exhausting as a regular day job, or that returning to work after maternal leave can be a difficult transition, even in remote work mode.
How does emotional intelligence help in workplace adjustment?
Interpersonal relationships
When a manager makes a decision about promoting, they take a 360 degree look at your performance. Yes, that includes how well you have kept up with your deadlines, fulfilled your targets, and contributed to the company’s profits. But they also look at whether you are a team player, whether you can lead, handle conflicts, etc.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand how others are feeling, what they are expecting in a given situation, and what kind of response will lead to the best outcome. For example, if a client is angry because your team missed a deadline, you should be able to listen to their concerns patiently, and suggest an amicable solution, like extending the deadline and closely monitoring tasks.
Leadership skills
Being a leader is all about helping people reach their fullest potential. A good leader brings out the best in their team, and to do that, you need to understand and gain the trust of your subordinates. When your team members feel like you genuinely care about their needs, they will reward you with honesty, loyalty, and commitment to the work.
Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in communicating with your subordinates. A major part of that is emotional regulation- knowing when and how to express your emotions. For example, when an employee is underperforming because of personal issues, some people resort to reprimanding and threatening, and think that tough love will work wonders.
Maybe, but in most cases, people don’t respond positively to such harsh treatment. An emotionally intelligent leader would perhaps have an open-conversations with this employee, and help him compartmentalize his work and personal life.
Crisis and change management
People don’t like change. They prefer familiarity over uncertainty. So when the company is going through changes, like a takeover or a merger, employees find it difficult to adjust. Some of them react to the situation in negative ways, e.g., being in denial, trying to fight the change, or withdrawing from work and underperforming.
Vince (2006) studied how a company takeover can take an emotional toll on managers, especially feelings of pain and shame. They discussed how managers often try to rationalize these emotions by acting detached from their work, and highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence in coping with such changes.
Emotional intelligence helps people understand what they are feeling, and get to the root cause of the discomfort. For example, perhaps an emotionally intelligent employee would accept that the takeover is happening, ask for more clarity about how exactly the new system is going to work, and probably even form a small informal circle of work friends to talk about how overwhelming this change feels.
Investing in emotional intelligence for success
If you are someone who values emotional intelligence, it’s time to share these insights with your co-workers! Creating awareness about emotional intelligence not only helps people improve themselves, but also creates a friendly and empathetic atmosphere in the workplace. So go ahead, and make your way up the corporate ladder, armed with emotional intelligence and empathy!
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