Interested in increasing your earnings? Consider Emotional Intelligence.

Are you aware that Boosting your emotional intelligence (EQ) can significantly increase your earnings and improve workplace relationships? By practicing self-awareness, empathy, and thoughtful responses, you can lead more effectively and foster a harmonious work environment. In this episode we discuss five things you can actively do to improve your EQ. #LeadershipDevelopment #Coaching #Training #WorkingGenius

• Transcript

  If I came to you and said I could help you earn significantly more than you are earning now by improving one thing, would you be interested? People with high emotional intelligence, or EQ, earn up to $29,000 more per year than those with lower EQ! That’s worth considering, right?

  I want to share a personal example: Some time ago, one of my team wrote a 7 page letter to the board where I was working with a whole bunch of things I was doing wrong and effectively asked them to fire me. You can imagine, it didn’t make me feel great. I asked the chair of the board if they would be a mediator for the conflict resolution meeting. He was a wise man and knew that mediation was a good step.

  I didn’t feel great about all the accusations. It would have been very easy to have walked into that meeting and said to the team member, ‘you have no idea what you are talking about, you’re out of line.’

  I didn’t. I gathered my nerves, I asked the team member to go through the issues. And despite the bubbling anger, and frustration, I aimed to calmly listen and respond only when absolutely necessary. Once the team member had said all she needed to say, I gave a recap and then asked if she would appreciate responses to these things. She did. I responded to every one of the accusations, sharing as much about my decision making processes as I could without sharing sensitive information. I named some of the emotions she was experiencing and apologised for causing her angst and thanked her for being willing to discuss these issues with me. By the end of the meeting which was over 2 and a half hours, that team member gave me a hug and thanked me.

  If I had reacted to my emotions or the emotions of my team member, that meeting would have ended very differently.

  By being actively aware of your emotions and others; by fostering an environment of empathy and respect, you can inspire your team to work more harmoniously, to enjoy work more, to have positive work relationships and where a person has a positive environment they will be more productive, loyal and will strive towards greater output. 

  Here are some clear steps you can take to increase your emotional intelligence:

  1. Develop Self-Awareness: Reflect on your emotions and behaviours. Understand what triggers your reactions and how your emotions affect others. If you haven’t heard them already, the last ten episodes of my podcast are all a part of a self-awareness series. There are some great tips here. 

  2. Learn to Pause Before Responding: Take a moment to reflect before reacting, especially in stressful situations. This can prevent impulsive reactions and help you respond more thoughtfully. This is certainly one I need to work on!

  3. Listen to Understand: Focus on truly hearing what others are saying, rather than planning your response. This builds trust and respect.

  4. Practice Empathy: Make an effort to see things from others' perspectives. Welcome diverse viewpoints and strive to understand them.

  5. Seek Feedback: Ask for constructive feedback from your team and peers to understand how your behaviour impacts others and where you can improve.

  Until next week, keep leading with self-awareness and purpose, and watch as your EQ—and your success—soars.