EQ matters in a remote working world
EMOTIONAL intelligence (EQ) has long been recognised as more important than the traditional IQ intelligence for career and life success.
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live, work and connect – putting even higher value on the importance of EQ in sustaining healthy, engaged and productive relationships which are fundamental to business success in times of increased challenge, change and fewer in person meetings.
We miss out on critical and sensory cues in virtual meetings that we would have easily in physical meetings. Taking time to strengthen your EQ is a very good investment – in order to sustain a feeling of connection, motivation and ultimately high team performance over the coming months.
WHAT is EQ?
‘Your EQ is the level of your ability to understand other people, what motivates them and how to work cooperatively with them,” Howard Gardner, Harvard theorist.
How to boost the 5 main categories of emotional intelligence skills.
1. Self-awareness. The ability to recognize your emotions as they happen is fundamental to a strong EQ. Developing self-awareness requires tuning into your feelings. It involves both Emotional awareness and self-confidence in your value and capabilities. Honest self-reflection, meditation and mindfulness, and developing a habit of focusing on what you are doing when you are doing it all help boost self-awareness. The average person is present only 52 percent of the time.
The ability to ask for help when you need it is also an important aspect of self-awareness.
2. Self-regulation. Reactions can take time to change – but we can all learn to shift gears emotionally from negative feelings such as anger and anxiety. Meditation, prayer and spending time in nature and generally just having a habit of asking yourself what can I learn from this are all excellent ways of helping you shift gears quickly and rebalance. Having a flexible mindset is key.
3. Motivation. When we are clear on our purpose, it is easy to feel motivated. Do your best to get really clear on why you are doing what you are doing. A positive attitude and the ability to pick up after disappointment is key to sustaining motivation. Trying to have a minimum of 3 positive thoughts for every negative is key. Five to one is thriving. Being positive is being solution oriented and consistently looking for better outcomes.
4. Empathy. The ability to understand how others are feeling is key to relationships, business and understanding in life. The better you are at understanding the feelings others (colleagues, clients and other stakeholders) are experiencing, the better you can relate with them, solve their problems and show meaningful respect. Serving and supporting the needs and goals of others, helping them grow and encouraging and involving them are all part of empathy.
5. Social skills. Because we are now living in an ‘always connected’ world with so much automated – peoples’ needs and expectations from more limited social interaction are greater than they would have been before COVID when we had more access to human connection.
Because we are all missing out on the more subtle cues to understanding what people are feeling and thinking than if we were beside them in a meeting room, it is wise to engage in a more conscious and clear way in virtual meetings. Listen more. Communicate clearly. Have your camera on where at all possible and encourage others to do the same. Check in with people privately. Speak about things other than work.
By making efforts to boost your EQ and engaging more consciously you can redress the balance.
Calodagh McCumiskey is an accredited thought leader in wellbeing. She works with companies and individuals. For more information, visit: www.spiritualearth.com or contact: info@spiritualearth.com 0871 335230 ‘Let’s grow together’.