It’s one thing to be a career professional with the right skills and management strategies, whether for your own tasks or for the management of other employees, but it’s quite another to have and use an Emotional Intelligence (EQ) mindset.

While schools and universities can certainly help us develop practical, real-world skills, developing a robust EQ is a constant journey that, like developing any other skill, requires training your EQ muscles. The difference, however, is that the way in which we develop our EQ is dynamic and not as straightforward as with traditional workplace skills.

How can you train your EQ to be a true leader in your organisation and/or industry?

Own, Partner, and Delegate 

Take a moment every week, perhaps on a Monday morning, to organise all of the tasks for the week ahead. Next, sort the tasks into three categories: own, partner, and delegate.

• Own: which tasks and responsibilities will you undertake by yourself?
• Partner: which tasks/projects need to be completed with a partner? This partner could be a team worker, or another stakeholder in your organisation, for example.
• Delegate: which jobs do you simply lack the time/energy/skill to complete and must delegate to a co-worker or perhaps an outside consultant?

This simple strategy works towards developing your EQ skills of self-management and self-awareness of you and those around you, such as team members.

The Importance of a Positive Mindset

Positive thinking is directly correlated to lower stress levels, so how can you direct your energies towards a positive mindset if perhaps you falter at times? Developing EQ is amongst the best ways to foster a positive mindset, and subsequently many of the relationships you build as you develop your EQ will contribute to self-empowerment and more positive thinking.

You could think of it as a compounding effect, like a financial investment, except instead of watching your money gradually go up, your relationships strengthen your positivity, which in turn strengthens your relationships in a symbiotic manner. 

Casual Mentoring

Developing your EQ doesn’t always come from direct, work-related tasks. In fact, many of the ‘soft skills’ and casual time spent, such as perhaps a lunch break with a colleague, can be extremely productive towards steady EQ growth.

One of the best ways of achieving this is to spend time with a team member that has something you can learn from, whether that be superb knowledge of particular clients’ needs, their approach to business relationships, or even little tips and tricks that you may never previously have thought of.

Mentorship doesn’t need to be a formal undertaking. So long as you are comfortable and your colleague doesn’t feel pressured or coerced in any way, a mutual mentorship can feel like a friendship but give you so much more. Humility will be key here, since a toughened know-it-all-attitude will only work against you and stem your growth. Keep an open mind and you’ll be on your way to absorbing more knowledge, wisdom, and building better relationships in business in the future.

Inspiretribe

The key to a successful career goes beyond having the right skills and strategies. There are plenty of managers, but few leaders that inspire. Take on a role of leadership, develop your EQ, and enact meaningful change and progress with courses and consultations with us here at Inspiretribe.