What is emotional intelligence training? How can it benefit both your employees performance and wellbeing? Emotional intelligence training is at the heart of our work here at Pinnacle Wellbeing Services. We’re passionate about passing on our expertise to our clients to enable both individuals and organisations to flourish. Here’s a look at why EI has become such an important personal and professional attribute.
What is emotional intelligence?
How confident do you feel about recognising and labelling your own emotional journey? Can you sense when you feel overwhelmed, or nervous or apprehensive? Are you able to assess how others may be feeling at any given moment? Can you understand your peers’ thought processes and coping mechanisms?
Emotional Intelligence is the measure of our mind’s ability to do all of this. It is how we perceive, manage, and express emotions. It incorporates three main skills:
- Being able to identify and label your own emotions
- The ability to apply those emotions to your thinking and problem solving processes
- The ability to regulate your own emotions and having an awareness of when to help others to regulate theirs.
Just like regular intelligence, emotional intelligence can vary greatly from one person to another. Whereas some are born with an innate ability to understand and empathise with others, others may struggle to access such emotional literacy. However, with training and practice anyone can build and develop their emotional skills.
Why is emotional intelligence important?
Emotions are at the heart of everything that we do. All of our actions, our judgments and relationships are fundamentally impacted by our emotional state. Someone who is emotionally intelligent is able to recognise this influence. Furthermore, they can use their awareness to manage their emotions. They don’t let their emotions manage them.
In recent time, the concept of emotional intelligence has become an increasingly important measure of an individual’s ability to perform both in the workplace and in their personal lives.
If we can become adept in recognising emotional language we can become better able to sustain personal and professional relationships. Moreover we can become more confident in our decision making. Our self confidence grows. Emotional intelligence is vital in leadership roles. It is now widely believed that it is the greatest differentiator between being a good manager and leader and being a great one. Indeed, studies have shown that Emotionally intelligent people with average IQs outperform those with high IQs 70% of the time.
So, emotional intelligence can empower us and make us feel more happy, content and successful… you can’t get much more important than that!
Emotional Intelligence and the workplace
So emotional intelligence makes us happier, but how can it improve the productivity of your workplace?
Firstly we should acknowledge that emotions are incredibly contagious, particularly within the enclosed bubble of a work environment. Negative thought pattens, feelings of panic and fear can spread like wildfire through a workforce. Consequently work can quickly become a toxic environment led by feelings of dis-ease and distrust. This will have a direct impact on the quality and quantity of work your employees produce.
Imagine instead an environment where every where employee feel valued and supported. Where they trust their colleagues and can therefore feel confident about their place within the corporate structure. They are not scared or suspicious of difference in views or outlook. They appreciate that they are within a culture that acknowledges and embraces individuals, and that supports accountability.
In a positive working environment all employees should feel respected and valued.
Moreover – higher levels of emotional intelligence don’t just make your office a nicer place to work. They can have a direct impact on your organisation’s success. Here are some hard stats on why EI can be an invaluable asset:
- Salespeople with high EQ can produce twice the revenue of those with average or below average scores. (source – a Hay Group study of 44 Fortune 500 companies)
- Restaurants with high EQ managers have higher guest satisfaction, lower turnover, and 34% greater profit growth (source – UK’s Whitbread group)
- The reason for losing customers and clients are 70% EI-related (source: Forum Corporation on Manufacturing and Service Companies)
- Emotional intelligence accounts for 90 percent of career progression when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar (source -‘What Makes a Leader” Harvard Business Review)
- Case study – at a Motorola manufacturing plant, 93% of employees became more productive after the facility started emotional-intelligence programs (source)
Emotional intelligence and your company culture
Previously we looked at the value of building a company culture. We examined how a positive work environment:
- attracts talent
- retains workforce
- results in higher employee satisfaction
- Improves productivity
- encourages collaboration
- reduces workplace stress
An awareness and the promotion of emotional intelligence is central to the creation of any such positive company culture. Therefore, in defining your culture you must address how you approach EI amongst your employees.
A recent study shows that within the next five years 75% of the workforce will be millennials. How therefore should this influence our corporate planning? Well firstly, this is a generation who values socially aware organisations. It is a young, tech savvy, energetic generation that looks for a company that values them and their skill set. Therefore, if – going forwards – you want to attract the best of a generation then it is your organisation’s responsibility to create a work environment that suits them!
How does emotional intelligence training work?
EI training should include development of four key areas:
- Relationship management
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social awareness
The balance of how we develop these should be in response to your current needs. At Pinnacle Wellbeing Services our corporate training is tailored to be a bespoke fit to your organisation. Our experienced team of Psychologists, Coaches and Trainers work with you to develop a programme that’s a perfect fit for you and your employees.
So get in touch today for a chat about how we can help!
