The Curious Case for Emotional Intelligence

How often have you heard the term “Emotional Intelligence”?  Probably many times. Some believe it is critical while others consider it a buzzword with no substance.

What do you think?

From marketing to sales to customer service any business is constantly interacting with a person’s emotions and the quality of those interactions determines whether or not money is exchanged.  Marketing and salespeople understand that in order to make an impact on a customer their emotions have to be touched.

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Why else do soda or beer commercials often display beautiful people having a good time?  The attempt is to tie contentment, happiness, and joy to the product.  What is customer service if not a direct handling of a customer’s emotions? Therefore a company’s success is directly affected by emotion and it is as important WITHIN the workplace as it is in marketing or selling outside to others.

Companies are powered by people and people are powered by emotion.

What is EI Anyway?

I define Emotional Intelligence as being the same as emotional discipline.  Martial arts, law, and various branches of science can all be considered a “discipline” because they all require learned skills through practice and a way of being.

One definition of the word “discipline” is rendered to train (yourself) to do something by controlling your behavior:

• I’m trying to discipline myself to eat less.

Or

An activity that is done regularly as a way of training yourself to do something or to improve your behavior

• Keeping a journal is a good discipline for a writer.

To be emotionally intelligent is to have a measure of discipline and control over our thoughts and feelings and therefore cultivate and maintain productive behavior.  This includes how we interact with others and THEIR emotions.

Is there any evidence that a higher level of emotional discipline positively impacts business? Let’s get curious.

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EI in Your Life

Think of your own personal experiences in the workplace. If you failed to control your temper, control impulsive purchases, develop trusting relationships, or even consistently show up on time and keep your promises, all of which are directly tied to EI would you have had any success?

No.

Not to mention being emotionally driven to get out of bed and take initiative. Take a moment and answer this: Name one emotional skill you have leveraged to win.

That is EI in action.

EI in Medicine

One 2015 study states:

“Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the USA, resulting in over 440,000 deaths/year… It is estimated that 80% of medical errors result from miscommunication among health care providers and between providers and patients.

There is preliminary research evidence that communication skills programs can improve safety outcomes, but a systematic theoretical framework for such programs has not been identified. Because of the connection between emotional intelligence (EI) ability and communication effectiveness, EI has been called by some “one of the largest drivers of patient safety.”

The bottom line is that EI can literally save lives by improving communication between doctors, nurses, and patients.

Since EI can save lives and mitigate billions of dollars in losses due to malpractice lawsuits through effective communication then how much more so will it enhance the efficiency, productivity, and profitability of the workplace?

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EI in Sales

To quote from a Rutgers University study on the power of Emotional Intelligence:

“At L’Oreal, sales agents selected on the basis of certain emotional competencies significantly outsold salespeople selected using the company’s old selection procedure. On an annual basis, salespeople selected on the basis of emotional competence sold $91,370 more than other salespeople did, for a net revenue increase of $2,558,360. Salespeople selected on the basis of emotional competence also had 63% less turnover during the first year than those selected in the typical way.”

How Does EI Show Up?

EI shows up in the workplace when…

• Leaders and employees understand their own strengths and limitations and act constructively.
• Everyone assertively expresses themselves with empathy which promotes healthy communication and sets realistic expectations.
• There is real genuine cooperation and unity between teammates and leaders.
• Decisions are made objectively and without bias.
• Stress is handled with optimism and flexibility and doesn’t overwhelm the individual or team.
• Everyone is more content with their life and has a healthy well being.

What do you think?  Would these behaviors contribute to dysfunction or high performance?

What Next?

Based on the above it would benefit both you and your organization to make EI upskilling a priority.

There are many resources available.  There are assessments, books, training, and other programs that you can access. Bake EI practices into your daily routine and little by little you will see the benefits come.

Good health to you!