Key Skills for Raising Emotional Intelligence

Key Skills for Raising Emotional Intelligence

Many people think about Emotional Intelligence as just a self-development tool. But it is about so much more than this: if you can master key emotional intelligence skills or ‘soft’ skills it can help you drive tangible results and profits and to secure promotions or get a good commission or bonus.

Businesses don’t promote people who are just ‘nice’; they promote people who get things done through others – particularly the people whom others will follow to increase brand awareness, productivity and profitability. Emotional Intelligence training can help you to be that person. That is, a true leader who can benefit their organization and team. And as you move up the ladder, emotional intelligence skills can help you retain this performance. How? Here are 5 ways to increase your emotional intelligence skills:

Start with self-awareness. When you understand who you are as a people manager, you can then use your natural abilities and work on your ‎communication challenges to increase your emotional intelligence skills. For example, a more results-oriented manager may view team members as ‘agents’ to get things done (left brain). If this is you, then you may need to develop the more empathetic (right) side of your brain to be on the same page as the other right-brainers within your team. Right-brainers may perceive a left-brain communication style as being ‘forceful’ rather than collaborative in trying to achieve team goals. If you were a more right-brain manager working with left-brained competitive, goal-driven people then you would also need to adjust your communication style to win their support.

Control your emotions. As a manager you can get squeezed in the middle, receiving pressure from top management as well as from your team with their day-to-day personal and business challenges. Mastering emotional intelligence skills can help you learn how to never take it out on others. It makes you look out of control and jeopardizes your business relationships.

Find your empathy. Learn how to put yourself in other people’s shoes, including those you may dislike. This soft skill will transform your relationships at work. If your job requires you to interact with customers it will also help win more clients and keep disgruntled customers who may otherwise be unhappy with your company’s service.

Invest in your relationship with your team. Here are some practical soft skill tips you can start implementing today which won’t cost you much effort or cash:
- Explain to your people how each role matters to the departmental objectives and how these all relate to the company’s vision and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). People need to feel a part of something bigger and that their work has real value
- Coach for performance. Coaching as a tool helps you to empower people, to instill a sense of accountability, ‎and to motivate them to achieve their targets
- Take time out. Go for coffee, bowling, ‎on safari, whatever is suitable for your company’s culture and budget. The simplest things can make a difference to building a coherent team
- Show your appreciation and give credit when it’s due
- ‎Involve your team in the big decision making processes. They will feel that their opinion matters and will be more likely to care about what’s good for the long term
- Be a role model. You can’t ask your team to stay late if you don’t for example. They look up to you and need to see the ‎congruence between what you do and what you ask them to do.

HNI’s emotional intelligence training uses a systematic approach developed through our knowledge and industry research. Our programs are engaging, hands-on and customized for the best results. Our emotional intelligence training will help you learn how to: