How can you improve your team's emotional intelligence?

One important technique I've found throughout my career is: encouraging team feedback so you learn how to listen and give the chance to the team to speak.

EI is one of the most underrated skills to have as a Senior Leader, as well as to develop in a Team. Our brain is wired for social connection and crave relationship. This is also true in a working environment, so to assess one's Team EI is crucial to both success and happiness at work. To do that, first you'd need to provide training on the topic; then you will need to source and use a reputable tool for assessment; finally, a discussion and a goal setting session will initiate the process of self-discovery and improvement.

You might find it challenging to effectively assess your team's emotional intelligence, as it involves subjective qualities that are not always easily quantifiable. To overcome this challenge, employ a combination of surveys, interviews, feedback, and self-assessments. This holistic approach helps provide a more comprehensive understanding of your team's self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

The most common mistake for a team in approaching EI assessment in my observation is finding the leader of the team has not have a full grasp of his/her personal EI maturity level first. Mamy times, this lead to unclear outcome that wasted time resource, and money. EI maturity is a good thing to have, but it is also a human centric skills, and therefore it cannot escape the role of a good leader. It is wise that the leader of the team first know where he is in EI maturity, be open about it with the team, and communicate the why EI is important to the team, what he envisioned an EI mature team can do, then initiate the assessment for the team.

To enhance your team's emotional intelligence, foster open communication and active listening. Encourage empathy by promoting understanding of colleagues' perspectives and emotions. Conduct regular team-building activities that emphasize collaboration and emotional awareness. Provide training on emotional intelligence skills, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Foster a positive and inclusive work environment that values emotions as valid components of team dynamics. Lead by example, demonstrating emotional intelligence in your own interactions. Encourage a culture of feedback and reflection, allowing team members to learn and grow from their emotional experiences.

Leveraging my expertise in this field, I recommend crafting a tailored plan to enhance specific skills requiring refinement. Employ diverse learning modalities, including workshops, coaching, mentoring, role-playing, and online courses, to ensure a holistic development experience. It is imperative to curate learning activities that are not only pertinent but also captivating and interactive, fostering engagement among team members. Providing continuous feedback and support throughout this developmental journey is paramount.

One thing i found helpful is to train with stories. Makes everyone excited and enjoyed. They also feel engaged because everyone finds himself inside a story!

Wie das gelingen kann: – Empathie-Training zu einem festen Bestandteil von Meetings machen – Mit einer Achtsamkeitsübung ins Meeting starten, e.g. einem BodyScan oder einer Minute der Stille – Einen achtsamen Check-in integrieren: Jede*r sagt kurz wie er oder sie sich fühlt oder was sie / ihn gerade besch?ftigt – Aktives Zuh?ren kann als übung ebenfalls im Team praktiziert werden - sowohl vor Ort als auch digital. Brauchst du eine übungsanleitung? Dann schreib mir gerne eine Nachricht.

I emphasize the importance of encouraging team members to actively apply their emotional intelligence skills across diverse scenarios such as meetings, projects, conflicts, and challenges. This multifaceted approach ensures a holistic development of emotional intelligence within the team. Additionally, a crucial aspect of my expertise involves ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the team's emotional intelligence progress, gauging its impact over time, and implementing targeted interventions to further optimize these essential skills in the context of career development.

Having aspects of EI included in performance reviews can be helpful for including a team members manager in their development. It is very common to copy leadership behavior, so managers having good awareness of what these skills look like in practice can have a big impact on EI being practiced.

Enhancing EI in teams is about embracing diversity, not conformity. Here's how to leverage your team's EI: Value Inclusivity: Foster an environment where every team member feels respected and valued. Recognize the unique contributions each person brings. Cultivate Openness: Encourage a culture of curiosity. Create opportunities for team members to share experiences and learn from each other. Embrace Collaboration: Utilize the collective wisdom of your team. Encourage innovative thinking and teamwork to harness the full spectrum of emotional intelligence.

I’ve always believed that our differences make us stronger. If given the choice, I would rather be part of an intellectually diverse team. It’s so inspiring and encouraging to be around coworkers who help us highlight different perspectives of things. Similarly, sharing ideas that we are passionate about creates a sense of accomplishment even if the team decides on a different path in the end.

Emotional intelligence is a crucial skill for successful teamwork, but it's not something that comes naturally to everyone. Though it can be developed over time. Start by modeling emotional intelligence yourself. Show your team how to express emotions healthily, and how to listen actively to others. Provide training and resources for your team to improve their EI, and encourage them to reflect on their EI and growth. Set aside time for regular self-evaluation and provide feedback on areas for improvement.

Recognizing the journey of growing EI in your team is as important as the goal itself. Here’s how to celebrate these milestones: Acknowledge Efforts: Regularly recognize the efforts your team puts into developing their EI. Appreciation goes a long way in reinforcing positive behaviors. Share Success Stories: Highlight and share your team’s EI successes both internally and externally. This not only boosts morale but also showcases your team’s unique strengths. Leverage as a Strength: Position your team's enhanced EI as a distinct competitive edge. It’s a key differentiator that contributes significantly to achieving organizational objectives.

GPT Para celebrar los logros del equipo con inteligencia emocional, reconoce individualmente las contribuciones de cada miembro, destacando cómo su trabajo específico aportó al éxito general. Organiza una reunión o evento donde todos puedan compartir experiencias y aprendizajes del proyecto, promoviendo un ambiente de gratitud y aprecio. Fomenta la reflexión sobre los desafíos superados y cómo estos han fortalecido al equipo. Asegúrate de que la celebración sea inclusiva y refleje los valores del equipo.

For starters, as a leader, lead by example. Practice what you preach! Walk the walk, not just talk the talk! Walk in someone's shoes - empathise! Don't focus on the speck in others' eyes while ignoring the log in our own! Build bridges, not walls! And remember, emotion is contagious ??

If you, as a leader, fail to acknowledge your own emotional intelligence, none of these steps will be effective. Take steps to enhance your own emotional intelligence and be candid with yourself. Leadership doesn't automatically grant superpowers in EI. In my experience, I've observed senior leaders with deficient EI advocating for others to develop it – quite ironic. It's time for us leaders to introspect and prioritize self-awareness before encouraging it in others.

La perspectiva de género también es una herramienta para la promoción de la IE. Algunos ejemplos: -Creando espacios para que los equipos aprendan a identificar emociones y prevenir el machismo o la violencia de género -Promoviendo las masculinidades sanas, donde cada vez más hombres se suman a reconocer, validar y verbalizar emociones dejando atrás estereotipos de género, así como estrategias para el control y canalización sana de las emociones. -Entrenamiento en empoderamiento, promoviendo la concientización de la emociones y habilidades sociales (como la sororidad) para el manejo y atención de las emociones

Recomiendo los siguientes libro para profundizar en el tema: 1) "Inteligencia Emocional 2.0" de Travis Bradberry y Jean Greaves: Proporciona estrategias prácticas para aumentar tu inteligencia emocional, incluyendo habilidades de autoconciencia, autogestión, conciencia social y gestión de relaciones. 2) "Cómo Ganar Amigos e Influir sobre las Personas" de Dale Carnegie: Un clásico en el desarrollo de habilidades sociales y de comunicación efectiva, esencial para la inteligencia emocional. 3) "El Coach de Sillicon Valley" de Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg y Alan Eagle: Ofrece una perspectiva de cómo los líderes en la tecnología utilizan la inteligencia emocional para guiar equipos de alto rendimiento.