Emotional Intelligence At Work: Why Is It Important?

One of the most widespread psychological concepts outside of academia is that of emotional intelligence. Compared to traditional intelligence, which refers to the ability to solve problems and use logic, emotional intelligence is related to our ability to understand and manage emotions, both our own and those of others.

Although the skills related to this skill can be applied in many situations, it is especially important to use emotional intelligence at work. People who have decided to train and use it in this context notice a great improvement, both in their job satisfaction and in their relationships with their colleagues. Some experts even say that it is one of the keys to achieving higher income.

Therefore, in today’s article we will see how the concept of emotional intelligence can be applied at work. We will focus on three key areas: job search, professional performance, and leadership. But before we get into the subject in depth, let’s get a little clearer on what emotional intelligence is and what exactly it entails.

What is emotional intelligence?

As defined by Goleman, the creator of the concept, emotional intelligence is made up of five different abilities:

• Self-knowledge.  That is, the ability to understand our own feelings and moods. It also involves knowing who we are, our values, goals, and abilities.

• Self-regulation. We talk about the ability to control our emotions. In this way, we can use them to our advantage instead of having to fight them.
• Motivation. It is about the ability to set demanding goals and focus to achieve them despite difficulties.
• Empathy, also known as the ability to understand the feelings, emotions, and needs of others. Empathy is sometimes described as “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
• Finally, social skills, the entire set of skills that help us to relate more effectively with others. They include different skills, such as leadership, persuasion, or social intuition.

The five dimensions are essential for developing emotional intelligence at work, but  each of them will be more useful in a different situation.

Emotional intelligence at work: how to use it to get a job

In order to use emotional intelligence at work, you must first achieve it. Thus, emotional intelligence is a fundamental skill to get a job.

Today, getting “an interesting job” does not depend only on “hard” skills, but our success will be marked by empathy, the way we communicate or social skills. Due to the great competition in the labor market, the decision made by the human resources department could be more influenced by emotions (yours and ours) than by our curriculum.

On the other hand, self-regulation will also be essential during our job search. Without it, we will not be able to persevere in the face of the first rejections, which will demotivate us and make it even more difficult to find a job that we like.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace

However, the use of emotional intelligence at work does not end when we have already achieved it. On the contrary, in an environment as challenging as modern companies, the five skills Goleman described are fundamental. In addition, they are both for our performance and for our emotional well-being.

Despite the fact that we are within the average, in Spain 30% of workers say they feel dissatisfied with their occupation. Although, of course, there are many factors that can influence this figure, without a doubt the lack of emotional intelligence has a good part of responsibility for this data being so high:

• How are we going to choose a job that we like… if we don’t understand each other ? (self-knowledge).
• When something goes wrong, will we let apathy take over the helm of our lives, or will we move on? (self-regulation, motivation).
• Will we be able to understand our colleagues and get along with them despite the differences we may have with them? (empathy, social skills).

Emotional intelligence for managers

Lastly, what if you lead a work team? We might think that then those who need emotional intelligence are them, right?

Nothing is further from reality. For a boss or a manager, the abilities to motivate their employees and to understand how they feel are essential when it comes to achieving a pleasant work environment. Without them, we will not be able to become the leader who is best for the group, so we will have all kinds of problems with our teammates.