CSS Training on Emotional Intelligence at the Workplace

Did you know that your Emotional Intelligence is more important than your IQ when it comes to career success? You could have the highest IQ, but if you lack emotional intelligence, your chances of success will be very minimal. In fact, research has shown that people with average IQs outperform those with high IQs 70% of the time.

Emotional Intelligence training
CSS Staff at the EQ Training

This information emerged recently during a training session on the importance of emotional intelligence at the workplace.

The training, held on Saturday 13th May 2017, was one in a series of many others attended by the Corporate Staffing Services staff.

It sought to reveal the connection between an employee’s performance and their emotional intelligence.

 

So, do you know how high or low your emotional intelligence is? Are your efforts to get a promotion at work being met by rejection? By understanding what emotional intelligence is and how you can use it to succeed in your workplace, you’ll become a more sought-after employee.

Here is what we learned from the training and hope you can learn too.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

It can be defined in two ways. First, emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand and manage one’s emotions. And second, it is the ability to recognize, understand and influence other people’s emotions for personal and professional success.

In layman’s terms, if you are emotionally intelligent, you understand your own emotions and can use the emotions of others to your advantage. You can influence your boss to give you a promotion, your co-workers to work better as a team and potential employers to give you a job. And as you know, all these three are necessary in order to succeed in your career.

What are the benefits of being Emotionally Intelligent?

When you have a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ), you are able to enjoy various benefits in your career and life. These benefits include;

  • Great career success
  • Strong personal relationships
  • Improved optimism and confidence
  • Better health
  • Decreased occupational stress
  • Increased team performance
  • Improved decision making
  • Increased leadership ability
  • Increased personal well-being

The 5 Competencies of Emotional Intelligence

For you to be considered emotionally intelligent, there are 5 competencies you need to master. If you haven’t already mastered these, make a point of working on them from today going forth. You will thank yourself later. The competencies include;

1. Self-Awareness

This is the ability to understand your emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals, as well as how they impact others. When you are self-aware, you don’t need someone telling you that you have a short temper. Why? Because you will already know that you do.

Strive to know who you are and the rest will fall into place.

 2. Self-Control/Management

This is the ability to control your emotions or redirect disruptive impulses and moods. You know that time when you are getting really angry at your boss or customer? When your hand is forming into a fist and your veins are becoming more visible?

At such a moment, most people are prone to explode and put their jobs in jeopardy. But if you excel at self-control, there would be no need to explode. You would know how to manage your emotions and approach the issue in a calmer manner.

3. Self- Motivation

This is the passion for working based on reasons that are beyond money or status, and the willingness to defer immediate success for long-term results. One of the common interview questions today is, what motivated you to apply for this position?

Unfortunately, most people are quick to answer with something like this, “Because I need a job” or “because I need the money”. While these could be true, they don’t portray you as the ideal candidate. And the same is true in your workplace, especially when you are seeking a promotion.

To achieve a high emotional intelligence, you need to find new motivation besides money.

4. Empathy

As you would guess, this is the ability to understand the emotional wants and needs of people. When you have empathy, you are skilled at treating people according to their emotional reactions.

For instance, you cannot handle someone with a short temper the way you would someone who is slow to anger. The reactions of these two people are very different and you could start a conflict you never intended.

Mastering this particular competence can help you excel at conflict management by effectively reading people’s emotions.

5. Social Skills

This is the last of the emotional intelligence competencies. It is defined as the ability to manage relationships to move people in desired directions.

Have you been recently promoted and are required to supervise a team? You will need to have great social skills. Do you want to convince potential employers that you are the best hire? You will need social skills. Do you want to become an influencer? Social skills are your gateway.

In the End…

Your emotional intelligence plays a big role in determining whether you get hired, promoted or excel as a leader. If you find yourself falling behind in your career, assess how emotionally intelligent you are.

Do you know yourself in and out? Do you understand your emotions? Are you quick to react or do you wait to think before reacting? By assessing yourself, you can identify the areas you need to improve on. Start on the 5 areas above. When you have mastered all of them, you can expect great success in your career.

Do you have a question on emotional intelligence? Would you like to take a self-assessment test? Comment below and we will get back to you.

 You can also contact lucy@corporatestaffing.co.ke for assistance on any training you require.

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