What if everyone you worked with had a psychic ability to understand how you're feeling and respond accordingly? Wouldn't that be great?
While good days and bad days are inevitable in the workplace, dealing with them becomes much easier when your colleagues are emotionally in tune. This is where emotional intelligence makes all the difference—no matter if you're in the office or at home.
Why emotional intelligence matters
Emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ) is the ability to understand and regulate emotions based on how you feel and how others perceive. This helps you build healthy relationships based on strong connections and empathy.
People with high EQs successfully navigate the ups and downs. Whether dealing with stress at work, a difficult colleague, or a challenging situation, regulating your emotions becomes easier with this kind of skill, so you can balance your work more effectively.
The main components of emotional intelligence are understanding and expressing how you feel, empathizing with others and responding based on their emotions, being self-driven and motivated, and utilizing your EQ to socialize with others.
EQ and its impact on human connection
Let's take a look at two scenarios to highlight how EQ impacts human connection—one at the workplace and one outside of it.
Scene 1:
Imagine you're working on an email campaign as part of a cross-team collaboration. To move forward, you need input from the directly responsible individual (DRI) on the other team. Despite constant reminders about the upcoming deadline, the DRI has not finished their side of the work.
You can choose to react in two ways:
Let emotions take over: Confront the DRI in a harsh tone, and express your frustration about the pending work.
Respond constructively: Schedule a meeting with the DRI and loop in other stakeholders to discuss how the delay will impact the output, decide on the best way to get back on track.
While the first reaction may feel right in the moment, it could actually ruin your relationship with the DRI and set a negative tone for future projects. The second option gives you the time and space to analyze why they didn't meet their deadlines, empathize with them, and still move the project forward. Plus, you position yourself as a great collaborator and motivator.
Scene 2:
A major deal that you were about to close today didn't go through, and it's already the end of the month. You're disappointed, but it's Friday, which means it is time to prioritize your personal life.
But when you go home to your family, you aren't in the mood for the usual Friday dinner. Do you sit this one out to ruminate on your missed opportunity? Or do you let work be work and have a happy meal with your family?
Everyone has bad days at work, and it all depends on how we choose to deal with them. As the saying goes, "Don't take your work home with you." It's easier said than done, but leaving that stress at the workplace and setting boundaries will help you maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Applying emotional intelligence in workplace communication
Work can test our patience, especially when communication isn't clear. The best way to deal with tough situations is to navigate them with emotional intelligence. Here are some ways you can tap into your emotional intelligence to enhance your workplace communication.
Being mindful of what we say
Staying aware of our tone and the words we use will help us communicate what we want to say in the best possible way. Sometimes, workplace communication might be limited to just messages, and it's often difficult to perfectly convey our intended tone through words on a screen. In such cases, you can leverage the power of AI assistants to check the tone of your messages and make changes accordingly. Zoho Cliq comes with AI-powered writing assistant tools to help you with your everyday communication.
Avoiding passive aggression
Anger in any form, whether direct or indirect, is a huge red flag in workplace communication. While direct anger may not be as typical at work, passive aggression seems to be a common alternative, be it in the form of sarcastic comments or poor cooperation. Know when you feel passive aggressive and address your emotions appropriately so you aren't affecting team morale.
Listening actively
Listening is an underrated skill that can solve numerous challenges. Focus on what the other person says without interrupting. Give yourself time to process their words and understand what they are trying to express, and speak only when it is necessary.
Being honest and not manipulative
Even if you have made a huge blunder, it's better to be honest about your mistakes than to pretend it wasn't your fault. Honesty shows that you're a trustworthy individual who can be relied upon and strengthens your relationship with your coworkers.
Embracing feedback with the right mindset
If you're striving to advance in your career, constructive criticism is a vital part of your professional growth. You get to explore areas for improvement and develop them steadily. Emotional intelligence plays an important part in this process—accepting and offering actionable feedback benefits everyone involved.
Showing empathy
No two people are ever the same, and we encounter a lot of people, every day, at our offices. Since we never know what challenges others are facing, the best approach is to show empathy. Always address people kindly and build supportive relationships.
Encouraging peers to do better
A supportive environment is the greatest workplace benefit. Know that your mistakes can be learning opportunities. Motivate those around you, exchange knowledge with your coworkers, and celebrate small wins—all of this can impart a positive effect and encourage others to do their best.
These are just some of the many ways you can show your emotional intelligence to build more meaningful and stronger workplace connections.
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