Over the last decades, the definition of leadership has evolved, highlighting the ever-increasing importance of Emotional Intelligence. This skill has become essential for its correlation to personal life and success at work.

A study conducted by McClelland in 1999 revealed that once the supervisors working in manufacturing plant were given training in areas of Emotional Intelligence such as how to listen better or show empathy, grievances went down from 15 per and lost-time accidents decreased by 50%. The plant itself exceeded productivity goals by $250,000.

This valuable skill of EQ can be used to grow firms by inculcating it in the workforce. Use these four ways to improve the Emotional Intelligence of your employees.

1. Check The EQ Of Every Team Member

Start by getting every employee tested for their EQ; for this, you can try the ESCI, or a competency-based test that measures a respondent’s expected EI, which may differ according to a role. For instance, a CEO will be expected to rate higher (be more competent) than a manager. Another good alternative for groups is the Work Group Emotional Intelligence Profile (WEIP) that offers a measure of Emotional Intelligence in team members. It is a self-report measure containing 30 items rated on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

After the results, you can start working on building the skill individually in each employee, depending on their score.

2. Hold Training Sessions

Training sessions play an important role in taking the first step to helping your employees work on their emotional Intelligence. Several training courses and programs are available for improving Emotional Intelligence in the workplace, some of which have impressive outcomes. Here are some resources that can help.

The Emotional Intelligence Matters Workshop is designed by Careerstone Group to help organizations improve their emotion recognition, emotion management, and social skills. Using Emotional Intelligence On The Job is a course offered by Udemy that comes highly recommended by professionals.

3. Focus On Mental Health And Wellbeing

With mental health issues reaching an all-time high due to the pandemic, leaders need to create an environment where talking about these issues is normalized. Sharing their own experiences and strategies for promoting mental health and wellbeing allows staff to open up about their own experiences and ask for help.

For example, Johnson & Johnson offer their employees and their family members resources and programs to ensure positive mental health in every employee’s home. They also have a custom mindfulness and resilience app for employees that uses behavioural science to reduce stress and offer six covered therapy visits per year and on-site counsellors in some offices. This creates a psychologically safe workplace and a positive culture for all team members.

4. Leaders Should Take Charge

When leaders demonstrate high Emotional Intelligence, it creates a positive work culture that allows employees to follow suit. Leaders with high EQ can also assess their employees’ emotional and psychological state faster and therefore provide them with resources to improve their mental health.

For example, Microsoft’s Sonja Kellen said in an interview, “We didn’t ask, but it has happened that many of our leaders stepped up and started telling their stories, their personal struggles or ones they’ve witnessed.”  This greatly helped strengthen the EQ of the organization that led to more growth, productivity and mainly trust in the organization.

In Conclusion

As we live in this increasingly diverse world, Emotional Intelligence has transformed into a critical tool for providing social and economical solutions to grow companies worldwide. As John Hancock, American Merchan Stateman, said, “The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and influence their actions.”