Three Top Strategies to Apply Emotional Intelligence at Work
Things really improve when both leaders and the organization show strong EQ.
This post is part of my Implementer series: long-form articles chock full of expert insights, frameworks, habits, and best-in-class leadership strategies you can implement in how-to action steps. If you’re joining me for the first time - welcome to your leadership development journey! Get started by clicking on that red box below. From there, I promise to do everything possible to provide the pathways to make you that much better and more effective as a leader.
In the last article of the Implementer series, I shared insights from recent research by O.C. Tanner that pointed to what organizations should focus on to create an impactful culture of care:
Meaningful employee recognition
A culture of emotional intelligence
A positive onboarding experience
Support during transitions
According to the research, all these factors significantly enhance the employee experience. For this article, we’re going to drill down on that second bullet: a culture of emotional intelligence.
Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Work
For years, emotional intelligence (EQ) was mostly seen as a skill for charismatic leaders or people in certain demanding professions. But not anymore! Studies show that these interpersonal skills are incredibly useful across industries, where they can quickly boost trust, spark innovation, and even improve the bottom line. Organizations that build emotional intelligence at every level aren’t just creating a friendlier work environment - they’re outperforming their competition by a lot. This is a big deal. In my work with global executive and management clients, I advise them that understanding and managing emotions should become a skill they’re expected to develop!
According to the World Economic Forum, EQ traits are among the top skills companies want right now. So, a question you may be asking is: Are some people just born with emotional intelligence, or can it be learned?
Let me end the suspense. Turns out, just like empathy (which is a component of EQ), people can build their EQ muscles with practice. And when they do, it makes a huge difference. I have seen how high EQ behaviors create trust, encourage innovation, and foster a supportive and caring workplace.
Speaking of trust, according to research, when people show high EQ, it signals integrity (yes, there’s a strong link), which helps build trust. The integrity piece is important here because if employees see their leaders as having high EQ, they’re 44 times more likely to believe the organization has integrity, too. This puts a lot of responsibility on leaders to model EQ, as their behavior often sets the tone for the whole organization.
Before I transition to my recommendations for shifting to a culture of emotional intelligence and applying the principles immediately, I have one last thing to share.
When an organization has high EQ (employees and leaders alike), it usually makes for better employee engagement and a positive work experience. This also means the leaders of those employees are thriving! But if leaders lack EQ, it can cancel out - or even reverse - that positive impact. That’s why it’s so important for companies to help leaders build their EQ skills. As you see in the table below from the research, things really improve when both leaders and the organization show strong EQ.
3 Recommendations to Immediately Apply EQ at Work
To make emotional intelligence work, leaders and managers need to start thinking “big picture” and help create policies, resources, coaching, and support systems that encourage, reinforce, and reward EQ across teams. Once leaders are on board with EQ at an organization-wide level, they can focus on using it to connect effectively with individuals and groups. Here’s my three-point strategy to bake EQ practices into your organization, with help from the research:
1. Encourage Leaders at All Levels to Model EQ Skills
To build trust and integrity, leaders need to consistently practice EQ, plain and simple. But it starts at the top. Senior leaders must champion this cause and encourage middle and frontline managers to listen to employee concerns, keep their promises, and act in ways that are fair and align with what they say. In other words, act with integrity! Naturally, C-suite leaders need to model these behaviors themselves so they trickle down to other levels. Some ways to implement EQ practices include:
Training leaders on their listening skills. So much of communication requires active listening to respond supportively, manage emotions, be open to feedback, and embrace change.
Teaching middle managers to foster a workplace where it’s okay to admit mistakes and where people hold themselves accountable.
Shift to a culture where EQ practices are supported at all levels of leadership, reminding them that when they walk the talk, employees are more likely to trust and advocate for the organization.
2. Use EQ to Rebuild Trust and Handle Conflicts
When trust is broken, EQ practices can help restore it. But it takes eating some humble pie. If leaders are honest about their mistakes and work consistently to fix them, trust can be rebuilt. O.C. Tanner's research states the chances of a strong sense of trust go up:
7 times if leaders admit they’ve made a mistake
6 times if direct leaders are consistent in making amends
6 times if senior leaders are actively involved in rebuilding trust and improving culture
I often tell my clients in leadership positions that it’s crucial to create a space where everyone feels safe to admit their mistakes and work on fixing them. And it all starts with leaders showing humility in their own actions. When leaders do this, employees are more likely to own up to their errors, which leads to valuable learning moments, lowers conflicts, and helps sort out work issues more quickly.
There’s something else that EQ does remarkably well: it helps to diffuse conflicts. We’ve all faced disappointment, anger, and even betrayal that may lead to conflict - it’s all part of the human experience, especially when dealing with other people.
In any workplace, we’re constantly engaged in various relationships - with peers, direct reports, vendors, customers, investors, and other stakeholders. And let’s face it, buttons will get pushed, and drama is almost inevitable.
From my observations having coached executive teams, emotional intelligence works wonders during crunch times, tight deadlines, or when different parties clash with conflicting agendas and personalities. That’s when it’s time to kick your EQ into high gear.
The research shows leaders with high emotional intelligence (EQ) are 40 times better at handling conflicts than those with lower EQ.
3. Use Recognition to Boost Emotional Intelligence
Finally, we return to where we started with the previous article on employee recognition. Companies where people regularly give and receive recognition have higher EQ scores among employees and leaders. Why recognition? Recognition is a wonderful way to help your team members build their EQ skills, such as empathy, self-awareness, and communication. Celebrating these skills not only encourages positive behaviors but also shows everyone just how important they are in our workplace.
Make it a point to recognize both employees and leaders who showcase great EQ by sharing their stories in your meetings and huddles to inspire others and highlight the value of these behaviors.
Once everyone understands how much the organization values practicing EQ at work, you can open it up for team members to nominate each other for special recognition. Peer-to-peer recognition can be even more impactful since coworkers often witness these moments firsthand. Plus, sharing these success stories with the whole company helps everyone appreciate and learn from one another.
In my next article, we will cover the next strategy to create an impactful culture of care, according to the evidence: creating a positive onboarding experience.
Leave a comment and let me know what resonates with you. Let’s get a conversation going!