Emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, impacts almost every aspect of your business. Success or failure hinges on your employees’ capacity to adapt, interact, and solve problems. Emotional intelligence training can make a huge positive impact on your business’ overall efficiency and productivity. Let’s explore how.
How Emotional Intelligence Affects Leadership
Emotionally intelligent leadership involves being aware of yourself before you put on your oxygen mask. This means bringing your best self to work and supporting others. It may seem selfish, but putting your needs first will help you be more present and connected with your employees.
The ability to manage your emotions is one of the keys to effective leadership. Self-aware leaders have a more calm and rational approach to situations and are more likely to take an organization forward. Self-aware leaders are always aware of their emotional state and how it affects others. They also have a clear picture of their strengths and weaknesses and operate with humility.
According to research by the Korn Ferry Hay Group, 92% of leaders with multiple strengths in emotional self-awareness have high-energy teams. These great leaders create a positive emotional climate, resulting in the highest levels of motivation and extra effort. On the other hand, leaders who score low in Emotional Self-Awareness are more likely to create a negative climate for their teams.
How high is the EQ at your company? How high is it among your most important leaders? Here are 3 reasons why emotionally intelligent leadership can make or break a business.
Emotional Intelligence Training Impacts Success
Companies with emotionally intelligent employees tend to be more stable and financially successful over the long term. Emotional intelligence on a personal level is closely tied to emotional intelligence on a professional level, with the habits of EQ benefiting both the employee and the employer.
One study found that 85% of financial success arises from emotional and personality-related factors. In fact, having a higher EQ throughout a career is linked to an individual employee earning almost $30,000 more per year in income due to the additional success they’re bringing to their lucky companies.
But is it really luck? Many companies now make it a priority to hire with EQ in mind. A Forbes study found that 71% of hiring managers prefer candidates with high EQs over high IQs, and 59% of employers would avoid hiring a low-EQ employee even if they had a high IQ.
Higher EQ Fosters Flexibility and Adaptability
Flexible thinking is strongly associated with high emotional intelligence. Successful companies leverage the talent of leaders who use their adaptive skills to form strong interpersonal relationships and resolve conflicts smoothly.
If your company is struggling to adapt to changing market conditions or needs to build new relationships with clients, consider whether you’re battling a lack of emotionally intelligent leadership. EQ often provides a beacon of hope just when companies need it most.
Who are your most flexible thinkers in the company? Consider not only official leaders, but also de facto leaders who seem to magnetically draw others to them and foster effective everyday communication. Look for current employees who show the capacity to build their EQ but perhaps haven’t yet had the best emotional intelligence training.
You need high-EQ leaders who can boldly move forward with your strategic plans and accomplish your biggest business goals. It’s especially crucial to consider refining your company’s learning objectives for emotional intelligence training if you’re pursuing new initiatives like:
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Diversity and inclusion
- Social responsibility
- Sustainability and environmental awareness
- New company values or ethical codes
- Personal/professional accountability initiatives
- Expansion into new sectors, services, products, or client groups
Emotional Intelligence is a Teachable Trait
Here’s perhaps the best news about EQ: It’s something you can learn. Although a handful of people are born with extraordinarily high levels of natural EQ, pursuing emotional intelligence training is the secret to raising the overall level of emotional intelligence throughout your company.
Almost anyone can improve their EQ skills with the right kind of coaching and support. In fact, the best emotional intelligence training programs aren’t just “training” at all. Experts recommend engaging with fully enriched leadership development programs as opposed to traditional employee training seminars.
Leadership Resources’ Accelerate Leadership Program (ALP) is this kind of robust leadership development experience. It educates participants about the fundamentals of EQ while encouraging them to expand their leadership talent, confidence, and drive. Each participant encounters a personalized program that nurtures them along the voyage to having higher EQ.
Ready to make a meaningful difference for your business? Connect with Leadership Resources to boost your company-wide EQ and pursue a higher level of success.
