Companies greatly value the abilities and skills employees add to the workplace; However, it is essential that we focus on our humanity as well. It is natural for people to want to connect and interact with other members of their teams, and successful companies have found that employees must not only use their cognitive intelligence, but their emotional intelligence as well.

Emotional intelligence is the fundamental behavioral skill that cover everything from the way we listen, communicate and resolve conflicts to how our teams work together and maintain motivation and enthusiasm.

The term emotional intelligence emerged in the 1990s, and it still gets a lot of attention today. It is known that using emotional intelligence effectively can help alleviate sensitive situations, strike a compromise when a personality conflict arises, enable us to deal with toxic employees, and communicate skillfully.

Because unemployment rates are fixed and the competition for talent is increasing, organizations want more than job candidates’ traditional skills to ensure that they are the right people for the organisation. Therefore, companies are looking for managers and leaders with high levels of empathy and emotional control. That is, people who are experienced in building trust, motivated, and have the ability to earn employee loyalty.

Why is emotional intelligence so important?

Personality and emotions are deeply rooted in each of us. You cannot control the way you feel about different things and situations. However, emotionally intelligent people can choose their reactions and learn to read and affect other people’s emotions and reactions.

This is important because helping employees develop this skill pays off in the workplace where relationships and interactions play an important role.

Remember a time when emotions affected your work. For example, you may have received an email that offended you, and maybe you wasted time worrying or retaliated rather than getting clarification.

Think, too, of a temperamental colleague who withheld information about a project, and you opted to dispense with that information in order not to cause trouble. Over time, these kinds of interactions lead to tension and disengagement between the two of you.

The problem doesn't lie in emotions. Powerful emotions, even anger and, frustration, can move us forward if they are properly directed, but the real problem lies in our inability to manage emotions and react to them when felt by others.

There are some questions you can ask when hiring new team members. These questions focus on how potential employees react to different situations in order to measure their emotional intelligence:

• When was the last time you failed at something?
• When was the last time you received negative feedback? How did you feel?
• Have you ever got frustrated at work? If so, how did you handle it?

Pay attention to answers that include employees' ability to identify emotions, such as, "I was angry at first, but after I thought it over, I realized I had a chance to move forward. I don't think my boss enjoyed giving me negative feedback, but maybe he was right that I could do it better.”

Also, don't forget to look for signs that this person is responsible, considerate, does not cause trouble for their teammates, and shows that they can process emotions and move forward objectively.

How can managers help build emotional intelligence for teams?

• Ensure that leaders adopt appropriate behaviors: When leaders display emotional intelligence, you will see it in the team as well.

Are you self-aware of your emotions and can control them? Identify this skill by paying attention to the physical changes that accompany your emotions, such as severe stomach aches or rapid heartbeats when you are angry.

• Help employees learn to separate emotions from personality: A great exercise a leader can try is to pin a big list on the wall, and then ask team members to mark the emoji that expresses how they feel. Encouraging employees to say “I feel frustrated” instead of “I am frustrated” helps build emotional awareness.
• Ensure that employees feel appreciated: When employees feel appreciated, they communicate better with others. So, talk to them to find out how they feel about a change or a specific project, and give them a chance to talk and feel heard, so that they would tell you about their feelings of anger, frustration or anxiety. Show them that you appreciate them and their efforts, by offering your gratitude.
• Provide routine, fact-based feedback: Sharing feedback - negative and positive - helps everyone become a better employee. Asking questions, such as, “how are you doing?” and “what do you think?” is a great way to start.

If you have to provide negative feedback, don't make it personal. Be open to hearing your team's feedback. For example, ask, “If you were me, what would you change?” Be sure to restrict your reactions to what you hear, and if you don't like it, think why, then take time and think before you respond.

• Make confidence training available to all employees: Anger, resentment, and frustration are often the product of inhibited emotions, making it difficult for many people to speak appropriately. Therefore, teach employees how and when to deal with difficult people and situations, as this helps prevent emotional outbursts.
• Reinforce stress management: Be aware of increased workloads, deadlines, and pressures your employees may face, and support them whenever possible by providing strategies and training to reduce stress and emotional outbursts.

Emotions can be a valuable tool, even at work. By learning to read and affect other people’s emotions and reactions, emotional intelligence can have a huge positive impact on your work.