Soft skills, or human skills, define how we engage with others and include leadership, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving, to name a few.
Many other cognitive and socio-emotional skills come into play, and these skills often provide the foundation for high emotional intelligence (EQ).
EQ is defined as someone’s ability to recognise, understand, and manage their own emotions while also recognising, understanding, and influencing the emotions of others.
“Emotional-social intelligence is a cross-section of interrelated emotional and social competencies, skills, and facilitators that determine how effectively we understand and express ourselves, understand others and relate with them, and cope with daily demands.”
I see many organisations that are good at optimising technical and practical skills but leave out a focus on Emotional Intelligence (EQ). EQ is a key “soft skill” that needs to be deepened and developed and is the new psychology of leadership.
Technical know-how is no longer enough!
Pre-pandemic, 87% of employees lacked cognitive, interpersonal, and leadership soft skills required for the future. The post-pandemic workplace and the new world of hybrid work and AI require us to accelerate our EQ and soft skills as we engage both digitally and face-to-face.
Late last year, I was coaching an executive client; let’s call him Adam.
Adam was struggling with the disconnection between individuals in his team. His nine direct reports were working from home three days a week, which seemed to work well until it wasn’t.
He noticed that many of his team members were not interacting with each other. When he brought the team together, all conversations and input were topical. Everyone seemed demotivated and a bit flat.
He told me that the right systems were in place, they had good procedures to follow, regular meetings were locked in, and everyone had clear KPIs and accountability. However, I noticed that Adam’s insights were solely focused on technical elements and not so much on people skills, connections, and relationships.
Adam is technically brilliant at what he does but often lacks awareness of what makes others tick and how to access that for good. This results in him failing to manage and address what’s happening with those around him. We worked through some key aspects of EQ, including how he could engage 1:1 with each person, understand where they are at and why, and then look at ways to manage this as a team.
Like anyone leading in the workplace, we need to review and renew our ways of working on an ongoing basis. Adam agreed that he needed to understand others' motivations and strengths and build rapport by learning more about them as people.
He also felt he could bring in more empathy, optimism, and relationship-building.
EQ comprises many competencies that we all need to deepen and develop ongoing.
For over 18 years, RG Dynamics has educated thousands of leaders and teams in EQ and has now brought in the world-class RocheMartin EQ tool, which we use in our 1:1 coaching programs and EQ workshops.
The below includes an overview of the 10 competencies of the tool:
- Inner Focus: Self-knowing, Self-control, Self-confidence, and Self-reliance
- Outer Focus: Adaptability, Optimism, Self-actualisation
- Other Focus: Empathy, Relationship skills, and Straightforwardness
When I see emotionally fit organisations, I witness them nurturing strong, inspiring leaders and building connected rock-solid teams. They understand their and others' strengths and weaknesses and leverage this to impact group dynamics. Highly emotionally fit teams help every team member reach their full potential, empower others to recognise their strengths and become more self-aware, and instill a passion for learning that drives continual improvement.
When organisations are emotionally fit, it is easier to define and embed company beliefs. A vibrant company culture will nurture strong employee relationships, increase staff retention rates, and attract and retain top talent.
Emotional Intelligence is the thread that needs to be woven through the tapestry of every organisation.
Key Benefits of EQ:
Leadership Development
Research consistently shows that leaders with high EQ build stronger relationships, understand colleagues’ motivations, and handle difficult conversations with positive outcomes.
Cultural Transformation
Leaders shape culture, but many organisations face the challenge of embedding values into actionable behaviours that define their company’s way of doing business.
Diversity & Inclusion
For a team to function well, psychological safety is essential. Creating an environment where individuals feel valued and committed to understanding each other fosters collaboration and trust.
Wellness & Wellbeing
Well-being is now crucial in leadership. Emotional intelligence supports emotional regulation and helps build a workplace culture that prioritises employee care and protection.
Recruitment & Selection
Studies show that selecting candidates based on EQ rather than just technical skills leads to superior performance and stronger team dynamics.
Empowering Sales Teams
In today’s market, the emotional experience of a customer is more important than the product or price. High EQ in sales teams fosters authentic connections and long-term client relationships.
EQ plays a large role in the new world of AI.
As artificial intelligence continues to shape industries, the need for emotional intelligence has never been more critical.
While AI can process vast amounts of data and automate tasks, it cannot replicate the nuances of human interaction.
Emotional intelligence equips leaders and teams to navigate the complexities of a hybrid workplace and interact effectively with AI systems. Understanding and managing emotions in digital environments, particularly when remote communication replaces face-to-face interactions, is essential.
Leaders must be able to foster connections, read emotional cues through digital platforms, and offer empathy in ways that machines cannot. EQ becomes the key differentiator in humanising interactions, making it an invaluable asset in the world of AI.
Creating an emotionally fit organisation is non-negotiable. We need to deepen human connection with hybrid work in play, markets changing, new products and services, AI, and so much more.
How are you developing Emotional Intelligence in your leaders, teams, and overall business culture?
Lead to be limitless
