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Seven ways a manager may improve their own emotional intelligence

27.10.2023 Print

Emotional intelligence is the ability to read, react to, and work with other people's emotions, as well as the ability to recognise and work with one's own. As managing people is 70% communication and 20% psychology, it is no surprise that high emotional intelligence is absolutely crucial for successful managers. Here are seven ways you as a manager can increase your emotional intelligence.

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These tips were published by the Harvard Business Review.

Be more aware of your own emotions

Try to focus more on how you feel. Be aware of what mood you are currently in, why you feel that way, and how your emotions affect what you do and how you do it.

Find out what activities put you in a positive mood

Be aware of what activities put you in a bad or good mood. Then spend more time on those activities that have a positive effect on you and learn better proactive management of your emotions.

Try to sense the situation and the perception of others.

From time to time, try to get out of your own head and perceive the situations around you through the eyes and emotional experiences of other people, including your subordinates.

Learn to handle stressful situations

By becoming more aware of your own emotions, you should be able to handle them better too. And this will help you, among other things, cope better with stress. Try to find ways you can handle stress better, be it at work or in your personal life.

In a conversation, be more aware of the emotional state of the people around you 

Next time you talk to someone, actively try to perceive how they are feeling and experiencing based on the signals they are emitting towards to you. You will find this will help you to have a better effect on them and also understand why they behave the way they do.

Let people around you talk more and observe their feelings

The best way to gain insight into the emotions of the people around you is to allow them to speak without interruption. Ask open-ended questions and let them talk, which will make it easier for you to find out what they are experiencing internally.

Talk more about your feelings and set an example to subordinates.

Last but not least, in order to increase emotional intelligence, talk openly about your feelings and discuss them with others. If something has upset you, disappointed you or cheered you up, talk about it. You will thus set an example to your subordinates, who will then be more open to talking about their own emotions.

 

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Article source Harvard Business Review - flagship magazine of Harvard Business School
Read more articles from Harvard Business Review
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Work efficiency, psychology and health