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Emotional Intelligence In the Workplace
Emotional intelligence refers to recognizing and working productively with your own emotions and the emotions of others. If you have good emotional intelligence, it means you are aware of your own feelings, can regulate them appropriately, can motivate yourself, show empathy to others, build rapport, and gain the trust of others.[1]
Portfolio Activity #33 – Emotional Intelligence
Being able to motivate yourself is a key part of Emotional Intelligence. If we rely on outside force to motivate us (“extrinsic motivation”), we are at the whims of factors we cannot control. This is why developing “intrinsic motivation” can be helpful.
Watch the video below about intrinsic motivation and then answer the questions that follow:
A word about Empathy
According to Brené Brown, when someone shares something difficult or painful, connecting with their feelings is most likely to make things better for them. Take a moment to watch the video below about empathy.
Having a difficult conversation with the boss
Some workplace conversations, while uncomfortable, are needed to reach solutions. Here are the steps you can take to have a difficult but successful conversation with your manager:
- Request a private, face-to-face meeting: “I’d like to talk about my project report. When is a good time for us to meet?”
- Take a positive mindset: think of the meeting as an opportunity for a constructive conversation.
- Collect your thoughts: what key points do you want to make? What responses or questions do you anticipate?
- Bring solutions: be prepared with suggestions. This shows you’ve given the matter careful consideration and want to be constructive.
- Keep a calm demeanour and a neutral tone.
- Express appreciation for the meeting, then address the reason for it right away. For example: “Thank you for making this time to talk. I’ve been struggling with my work-life balance and I wanted to talk about the idea of working from home more often.”
They may have a different perspective. Be open to what they say and ask for clarification if needed. If you don’t like their response, you can offer further explanation of your perspective – just don’t get defensive.
- Get to a resolution – even if it’s not the one you wanted. If your viewpoints differ, try to negotiate a resolution you can agree on. If that’s not possible, focus on a way forward – what you CAN do. E.g., Say you wanted to negotiate a salary increase, but you are told it’s not possible at present. You could ask if there are any specific items you could work on that would lead them to reconsider, and, if so, a specific date on which to discuss the idea again.
Your goal is to create openness, transparency, and acknowledgement of each other’s goals in the workplace.
Portfolio Activity #34 – Having a Difficult Convo. with a Manager
Watch the video below about having a difficult conversation with your manager. After, you’ll be asked to reflect on 2 prompts.
Be sure to check this