4 Tips to Boost Your Emotional Intelligence

The most successful leaders are not those with the highest intelligence quotient (IQ) but those who demonstrate great emotional intelligence (EQ). The ability to deal with feelings may not come easily for most managers, so here are some practical tips to boost your EQ.

1. Have empathy

By understanding others’ feelings, thoughts and behaviors, we can then create stronger and deeper relationships. Learn to read the emotions of others as you interact with them. One way to do this is to pay attention to the non-verbal communication of hand gestures, body language and facial expressions. Only when we learn to see things from others’ perspectives, can we empathise with them. Empathy lays the foundation for building emotional intelligence.

 2. Manage your emotions

What would you do if someone higher up put you down during a meeting? Some of us would feel indignant and react by standing up for yourself while some of us may choose to be silent. The main thing to bear in mind is to learn to manage your emotions. For instance, you could tell yourself that while your superior is being unreasonable, you will not sink to his level and that you will find a solution after the meeting has ended. When you manage your emotions, it can help defuse potential destructive thoughts or behaviour from manifesting.

  3. Explore your “hot buttons”

Does it annoy you when a colleague misses his deadline or when someone goes ahead with a decision without consulting you? Be aware of what frustrates you at work, then think about your reactions in those situations and what you can do to change it.

 4. Be an optimist

Having a positive outlook helps one to maintain motivation and prevents burnout during tough times. In particular, positive self-talk supports a “can-do” spirit. If a manager tells himself “I am sure I will find a solution to this” compared to someone who grumbles about how tough it is to convince the other party, the latter will be less productive and be paralyzed by his internal fears.