A few years ago, I had the privilege to attend a workshop on Emotional Intelligence.  As I sat waiting for the session to start, I overheard a gentleman on the phone expressing his frustration with being required to attend a session on emotional intelligence. He felt that the training was pointless, and he could make better use of his time by being in the office and ensuring that work gets done.  As he continued with his complaining, I couldn’t help but think this guy is demonstrating a lack of emotional intelligence and, whether he likes to admit it or not, he desperately needs this session.  The reality is that leaders are under an enormous amount of pressure, more so than ever before, and are often required to produce more with less.  Unfortunately, this has led people mangers to overlook and neglect their number one asset – their employees.  While most managers argue that they support their employees, a survey conducted by Gallup found that 50% of employees leave organizations due to a bad relationship with their direct manager.  So, what is emotional intelligence and how can it benefit an organization’s performance?

According to Psychology Today, emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.  Emotional intelligence focuses on the following areas: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness and Relationship Management. While some may not see the value of demonstrating emotional intelligence, organizations are realizing that managers skilled in emotional intelligence are ranked high in their overall performance and retain employees.  Moreover, a study conducted by CareerBuilder suggests that managers who are skilled in emotional intelligence are likely to remain calm under pressure, know how to effectively resolve conflict, make more thoughtful business decisions, listen more than they talk, learn and grow from their mistakes and lead by example. 

Now that you know the benefits of emotional intelligence, how do you get started with building an emotionally intelligent workforce?  In our Emotional Intelligence seminar, we help individuals gain awareness on their emotions, assess individual EI efficiency and develop strategies for successful relationship management.  In sum, a successful business values emotional intelligence and employees who are skilled in emotional intelligence deliver invaluable benefits to their organization.