Emotional Intelligence at Work

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ for short, is the ability to be aware, understand, manage and communicate your emotions while also empathising and interacting with the people around you. When you notice yourself breathing a sigh of relief or see a colleague distracted with happiness, this is your EQ at play. People are, by nature, designed to experience a range of emotions every day and the better we become at noticing and managing our emotions, the better we can be at work.

So challenge yourself this July. Here are the top four EQ tips, so try one out for each week in July.

1. Check In. Set a reminder in your phone or calendar with an alert. At that time each day, take two minutes to take a breath and see what emotion you are feeling.

2. Avoid Labelling. If your mind is saying this emotion is “good” or “bad,” try changing the label. Instead, use the words helpful or unhelpful. It can be useful to not think of emotions as positive or negative, but rather whether they help us achieve what we are trying to do. Some of the best athletes channel anxiety and nerves to enhance their performance!

3. Take Note. When you are at work, notice the emotions of the people around you. Does this emotion change their actions? In what way? Then, see if there is a practical action that you could take to help. It might even just be a cup of tea!

4. Do Something Fun! While most people think our emotions affect our actions, the opposite is also true, our actions can affect our emotions. Take the opportunity to do something fun, whether it is reading a book in the sun, playing sport or socialising with family and friends; enjoyable activities promote a balance with our emotions.

If you would like to know more, or to see how Emotional Intelligence could improve your team - reach out to Dane Vallely today. We offer an Emotional Intelligence program that has an individual feedback session and a group workshop, all aiming to improve your teams productivity, performance and cohesion. You can read more here: https://www.jpsmith.com.au/services/psychological-services/emotional-intelligence-workshop/