With remote working being commonplace now across the country, emotional intelligence is vital in leaders. Working remotely will present more challenges to companies and the workforce in general.
At Global Solution Services, we are keen to help people, and companies, develop their emotional intelligence. If you are looking for guidance in this area, we can help.
What is emotional intelligence?
The mindtools website refers to emotional intelligence as; “Emotional intelligence or EI is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and those of the people around you. People with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they’re feeling, what their emotions mean, and how these emotions can affect other people.”
Daniel Goleman is an American psychologist well known in the field of emotional intelligence, and he states there are five elements to emotional intelligence, which are:
- Self-awareness.
- Self-regulation.
- Motivation.
- Empathy.
- Social skills.
How can you develop self-awareness?
When you are working by yourself, at home, it can be difficult to know if you are doing the right things. When you work alongside colleagues, it is easier to know the ins and outs, or the rights and wrongs, just by following the reaction of other people in your office.
As a leader, self-awareness is crucial, because people look up to you. However, you will also find that improving your standard of self-awareness is crucial for all remote workers.
Ways you can improve your self-awareness include keeping a journal or at least detailing what you do, and if you can, why you do this.
You should also give yourself time to analyse what you do, and think if there is something you would do better. By analysing your activities and whether you could have improved your work, you will take great steps forward in self-improvement.
How can you self-regulate?
If you are looking to improve your self-regulation, the following tips will be crucial.
It is helpful to know your values, and what things you hold important. If you have a “code of ethics” in the workplace, you will find it much easier to make the right decision.
You also want to hold yourself accountable. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you don’t admit to your mistakes, you run the risk of losing the trust and respect of others. Even leaders and supervisors learn on the job, so if you make a mistake, own up to it, and move forward from there.
Try to stay calm under pressure. As a leader, you want to set the best example to others, and staying calm under pressure will help you make better decisions. Also, by remaining calm, you can assist others in challenging times.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of remaining motivated, including the other key areas of emotional intelligence, we can help. At Global Solution Services, we offer a range of remote training courses, aimed at ensuring you move forward during these challenging times. You can find out more about our training support by visiting our site, or by contacting us online.