You may be familiar with the term ‘competitive advantage’, where one organisation does, or has, something to make them stand out from their competition. But this is not the only type of advantage in the workplace.
Your organisation can also get ahead by using emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence refers to a set of emotional and social skills that influence the way we perceive and express ourselves, develop and maintain social relationships, cope with challenges, and use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way.
But you may be wondering, what is all the fuss about?
Well, here are just 3 benefits of developing emotional intelligence in the workplace:
1) High performance
Emotional intelligence is highly correlated with job performance as well as increased revenue growth in organisations. Additionally, emotional intelligence accounts for significant differences between high and low performance in various job roles and industries, such as lawyers, managers, debt collectors, salespeople, insurers, and athletes.
2) Effective leadership
Emotional intelligence is a key driver for effective leadership and is linked to transformational leadership styles. In fact, according to Daniel Goleman, every style of leadership includes at least some emotionally intelligent behaviours. Research has found that emotional intelligence predicted high performance as a leader 80% of the time and that almost one-half of the skill set required for successful leadership is comprised of emotional and social skills.
3) Improved wellbeing and resilience
Emotional intelligence is also associated with improved wellbeing and resilience, with research showing that emotional intelligence and happiness are positively correlated. Those with higher levels of emotional intelligence have more effective coping strategies in the face of setbacks, making them better able to cope with stress, challenges, and organisational change.
So, if you are looking to enhance job performance, leadership, or wellbeing in your organisation, emotional intelligence could be the place to start.
Find out more about emotional intelligence.
Goleman, D (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78-90.
MHS Staff. (2011). Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0) Technical Manual. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems Inc.
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