Long gone are the days when Emotional Intelligence was seen as flowery add-on to corporate training seminars or as something that would be nice, but not necessary, for a firm’s success. These assumptions about EI in the workplace are rapidly being put to rest as more and more organizations – from Fortune 500 companies to government agencies, solo entrepreneurs to non-profit organizations – realize the importance of having self or staff that has been trained in emotional intelligence strategies, and who know how to navigate coworkers’, colleagues’ and clients’ emotional trigger points. By doing so, better outcomes are achieved, and the organization as a whole, whether large or small, becomes more successful.
Data continues to support the importance of EI in the workplace. Indeed, the whole idea of EI being vital began as common sense, then became theory, then became a theory backed by data, then became a tangible business process and is now back to being considered common sense and essential for organizations of all sizes. Having people know how to act and react in professional situations has become a highly-prized asset. Being trained in EI skills improves both work output as well as the overall workplace dynamic.
Here’s the bottom line: according to many studies, EI is the single largest factor in one’s success, whether you are the employer or employee, or simply a solo-entrepreneur. And the good news is that EI is a skill set that can be improved.