How can you help your team develop emotional intelligence?

Reflecting with your staff member about an observed interaction can often be intimidating. While there is a fine line between critical observation, and helpful suggestion, it is important as a leader to acknowledge that every person is at a different stage in the journey. Understanding the level of emotional intelligence as an initial step can help to create a targeted approach around teaching the basics, while building the confidence of your staff. My recommendation is to place focus on the positive behaviours, and work on breaking down skills until they get the basics right.

Initiate the development of emotional intelligence by assessing your team's current level. My experience suggests that surveys, self-assessments, and feedback sessions can reveal areas of strength and improvement, providing a foundation for targeted interventions

To help your team develop emotional intelligence, foster an open and supportive communication culture, provide empathy training, encourage active listening, offer constructive feedback, promote self-awareness exercises, organize team-building activities, and lead by example by demonstrating emotionally intelligent behavior. Encourage continuous learning and emphasize the importance of understanding and managing emotions for effective collaboration and team dynamics.

Incorporate dedicated EI training programs and coaching sessions. Drawing from my involvement, interactive workshops and personalized coaching sessions have proven effective in enhancing team members' self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills, key components of emotional intelligence

There's no real substitute for clear goals and positive progress towards achieving them. People tend to get very self-centered when the team is failing. However, when the team is enjoying success, people tend to be considerably more empathetic and supportive of one another. As a leader, you have to show them the destination and communicate their progress regularly. Give them a sense of purpose and success.

Creating a workplace culture that values emotional intelligence is pivotal. My experience highlights the importance of leaders modeling emotionally intelligent behavior and fostering an environment where open communication and empathy are celebrated, contributing to the overall development of EI within the team

Promote continuous improvement by encouraging team members to reflect on their emotional responses and take purposeful actions to enhance their EI. Through my experience, regular self-reflection and actionable goal-setting contribute significantly to the development of emotional intelligence

Regularly review the progress of your team's emotional intelligence development initiatives. My experience underscores the need for periodic assessments, feedback loops, and adjustments to strategies based on evolving team dynamics and individual needs.

Consider integrating EI into performance evaluations. Acknowledge and reward instances where team members demonstrate high emotional intelligence, reinforcing its value within the team. Additionally, fostering a culture of psychological safety cultivates an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing and managing their emotions, further nurturing emotional intelligence

First control ours emotions. Then listen carefully what opponent is saying. Then analyze his mood and movement. Then approach him in a positive way. English writer Maxbeerbohm says good emotions as well as bad emotions are infectious. While i was working as a lecturer i have handled many cases. One uncontrolled lecturer beats the student. His father a landlord came to our office along with few followers. My principal asked me to handle the issue. They are in high rage emotions. First i offered to sit they rejected. Then i also stand because if i sit on my chair their ego may hurts. After i listening their words with .. yes sir, absolutely sir..you are right sir..when they come to normal levels i explain and conclude. In this way i succeed

In my humble experience, I firmly believe that the best way to develop emotional intelligence (EI) is by practicing it and leading by example – this is how I learned it. While you can read about EI in books, attend training sessions, and listen to keynote speakers, nothing is as impactful as working with someone who truly masters EI in their interactions with everyone. As a leader, if you aim to cultivate EI within your team, start by examining your own practice. Ensure you're putting it into action effectively and consider having a role model whose example you can follow and strive to replicate.

Building emotional intelligence is quite the task. Most individuals are set in their ways but ofcourse, new tricks can be always be taught. Scenario creations can be used to simulate and create emotional intelligence amongst a team. Once team members can rationalise, they will most probably inculcate them into everyday work execution. Designing and creating frameworks and processes that inspire emotional intelligence is another great way. I recall taking an international airport security team through profiling and action/reaction coaching which is just another posture for emotional intelligence. The scaling of proficiencies for alertness to body language or emotional signals of team members or customers could prove useful.