How to Improve Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: A Guide for Leaders and Managers

Emotional intelligence is one of the most decisive business skills in the job/leadership market. No hard skills can replace emotional intelligence to embrace teams and each member within.

The good news is that emotional intelligence isn't an innate trait. In many companies, developing emotional competence is included in training and 360-degree feedback. Here's how leaders and managers promote emotional intelligence in the workplace with evidence-based techniques.

5 Components of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is awareness of emotions. Awareness and knowledge about emotions: how to feel them, how to avoid intellectualization, how emotions differ within people, etc., translate into practice skills of self-regulation and communication. 

In the workplace, emotional intelligence directly impacts on how people communicate, make decisions, handle stress, and collaborate within teams. Multiple A-list workplaces advise candidates in the hiring process to take the quiz to assess their potential instead of "intellectual stiffness." EQ in the workplace consists of 5 defining components:

1.Self-awareness.

It's the ability to notice your emotions in real time and understand how they affect your behavior and decisions. Self-awareness also means more profound knowledge about oneself, like values, preferences, and priorities that affect long-term decisions, including business ones.

 2.Self-regulation.

Built on the previous component, self-regulation involves managing emotional reactions rather than being controlled by them. This doesn't mean suppressing emotions, but communicating them with others healthily and not punishing oneself for certain feelings. This comes in extremely useful under pressure or conflict.

 3.Motivation.

Motivation is another level of EQ. Intrinsic motivation is built on knowing your values and regulating skills. Because when one knows what they want and knows how to do it, they'll be a motivated individual.

 4.Empathy.

Empathy is an evolutionary benefit and traces that humans have evolved enough to care about other humans, as it supports survival. Nowadays, empathy is even deeper: it's the ability to understand and consider others' emotions and perspectives.

 5.Social skills.

A result of all previous EQ components is social skills. They are testimony of all previous components checked out and often are integral to work and industry-related themes. Think communication, conflict resolution, influence, relationship-building, negotiations: these and even more are a result of a person with emotional competence in the workplace.

How to Improve the 5 Components of Emotional Intelligence

Self-Awareness

Improving self-awareness means generally doing something to learn about yourself. In personal affairs, it can be exploring your family tree, journaling, practicing gratitude, meditating, and so on. While regular practice of previous activities can and will have a positive effect on leadership and team dynamics, here are three strategies for boosting self-awareness:

• Honest reflection.

We as people are wired to constantly justify ourselves, especially those whose upbringing influenced them so. However, it's essential to accept your drawbacks or weaknesses while recognizing wins to become self-aware.

Give yourself and your team members honest feedback: Could you put in more effort? It's not a bad thing to admit you could do better. Don't forget to include gratitude and positive aspects in the feedback, too.

• Be objective.

A part of improving emotional intelligence in the workplace is constantly looking for a balance. Try to put yourself in the shoes of others; challenge your ideas and look into alternatives. Don't confuse objectiveness with doubts; there should always be a balance.

• Turn off autopilot.

It's easy to get lost in to-do lists, meetings, and constant media consumption. In order to reexplore yourself, it's essential to be in your own head for a little.

Start learning something small about yourself: turn your spatial awareness on during boring days. How does your coffee taste? Do you like it sweeter or neat?

Self-Regulation

Improving self-regulation as a part of emotional intelligence almost always starts with action (reaction to action, to be precise). Here's what you can do to self-regulate better:

• Cognitive reframing.

It's a technique that's part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that's aimed at changing thought patterns. It looks like instead of interpreting situations as personal attacks or failures, practice neutral or constructive interpretations. For example, feedback becomes data, not a verdict on your worth.

It can take a while, and the result may seem very slow. That's why do something very simple or trackable like CBT-based exercises or mental health apps, where you can journal, track moods, or write CBT cards.

• Be realistic about your capabilities.

Set realistic boundaries around workload, availability, and expectations. Leading a healthy lifestyle and having a predictable workload is a sign of self-regulated energy and stress that creates emotional balance, hence, improves emotional intelligence.

• Dive into psychoeducation.

Everybody who wants to change the daily patterns of their teams should read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey and "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life" by Mark Manson.

These two business classics teach how to set goals and prioritize, using that self-awareness of the previous component.

Motivation

Emotionally intelligent employees are usually less motivated by external rewards and more driven by internal motivation. Not to say that compensations and benefits are not decisive. They absolutely are, but the pure desire to do something that appeals to workers makes them more resilient and engaged, even in hard times.

Motivation is a logical result of the previous two EQ components, but can it be fueled even more? Yes, through these strategies:

• Have and stick to the plan.

Of course, the majority of people are unmotivated at work. They just go with the flow. In order to enjoy a 9-5, a sense of accomplishment should be present.

Set a plan for yourself: getting promoted in a year, switching positions, changing jobs, starting a business, launching a project, or something small. And do something small every day. It will keep you resistant to self-sabotaging thoughts and keep you more engaged.

• Although plain as a nose on a face, rest is a need, not a privilege. Fancy vacations are not a must. Recognize emotional fear of failure, impostor syndrome, and burnout before they take a toll on your discipline.

Additionally, read "Start With Why" by Simon Sinek. This book perfectly described why "Why?" > "What?" and teaches you motivation as if it were a tutorial, through a breakdown of simple steps.

Empathy

Collaboration, leadership, conflict resolution aren't possible without empathy. And unlike the myths, empathy doesn’t mean agreeing with everyone or absorbing their emotions. It means accurately perceiving what others might be feeling and responding thoughtfully.

To develop empathy, practice active listening. This means focusing fully on the speaker, not planning your response while they talk. Notice tone, body language, gestures. Try to nod along and throw occasional "I see" here and there to support a colleague.

Empathy also requires emotional boundaries. Being empathetic doesn’t mean over-accommodating or neglecting your own needs. Empathetic ≠ pushover.

Social Skills

Social skills are where emotional intelligence becomes visible in everyday workplace interactions. Here are three tips on how to become a more emotionally intelligent leader through social skills. You can also use them in teams to boost their social competencies as well.

• Seek discomfort.

Many business occasions and social interactions can feel awkward and pointless, but it's essential to attend them. Yes, they're great for networking, but they do more. There are human interactions and exposure to emotional triggers that eventually make people more confident.

(P.S. Although many people dislike company-related events, especially in informal settings, questionnaires show that very few regret visiting them.

• Get better at small talk.

Successful icebreakers for leaders and any worker can get them far along the career ladder. But it's not the only reason to get better at it. Small talk encompasses things like empathy, communication, observation, and it gives a significant boost to your emotional intelligence in the workplace.

In order to get better at small talk, ask open-ended questions and listen to the details. Use the details to mention them later in conversations. Give some information in return: a similar story, a solution for one's problems, compassion, etc.

• Regularly seek and give feedback.

If you're a leader or manager and can contribute to feedback questionnaires, use this opportunity. Ask colleagues and subordinates not only about your competence but also about how they feel around you. Make questionnaires anonymous and let HR process them so they just let you know dry facts.

It's also incredibly useful to give out feedback, especially if you're asked. The feedback should be objective but include both strengths and weaknesses. Good feedback from the manager will also include tips on how to fill in gaps or a development plan.

Benefits of Emotional Intelligence for Teams

• Emotional intelligence in the workplace can be as impactful as accounting for 58% of job performance.

• Low EQ of certain team members can undermine the culture and values of the whole company, which lowers the motivation and productivity of employees.

• 90% of top performers, the most effective and motivated people, have highly developed emotional competencies.

• Employees with similar hard skills but better EQ performed 127% better than their peers who lacked emotional intelligence.

• Higher EQ is associated with higher salaries: approximately $29,000 per year more.

• Teams that have emotionally developed leaders are more satisfied with their workplaces; hence, the turnover of people in the company is more stable.

(The facts and statistics provided by TalentSmart).

Ultimately, emotional intelligence strengthens trust, engagement, and long-term performance. In modern workplaces where collaboration and adaptability are essential, EQ is not a “soft skill.” It's included in most training for the huge contributions it can make.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about EQ in the Workplace

What Does It Mean to Lack Emotional Intelligence?

Low emotional intelligence typically involves weak self-awareness and self-management. An employee with underdeveloped EQ can treat suggestions as personal attacks, blame others or circumstances instead of owning mistakes, avoid difficult conversations, and lack empathy with their colleagues.

What Are Some Good EQ Exercises?

Some EQ exercises that would be useful for people in different industries and positions are:

• Emotion journaling (or mood tracking). Writing down today's feelings, describing how they felt, etc.

• Personal trigger map. Finding 3-5 triggers at work that start negative emotions (postponing meetings, urgent fixes, etc.) and mapping potential reactions and more healthy actions.

• Perspective roleplay. If alone, write a note with potential thoughts of a chosen person. If in groups, role-play situations and find a healthy solution together.

How to Test Emotional Intelligence?

The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) is the most trusted for solo evaluations. However, they can be a little too academic and overwhelming. Online quizzes, like the one from Breeze Wellbeing, offer a straightforward and more empathetic testing with personalized insights you can apply in professional settings.

Is EQ More Important than IQ?

IQ may help with technical problem-solving, but EQ often determines how effectively those skills are used. In the workplace, emotional intelligence is usually a stronger predictor of success than a collection of knowledge on a certain topic.