Elevate your People and Workplace Culture with Emotional Intelligence

Contributed by Carolyn Thayer-Azoff, M.A. Counseling Psychology

Think about a time when someone reacted to a stressful situation with blame or an emotional outburst, was insensitive to others’ feelings and experiences, or always had to be “right.” Now, think about a time when someone approached a difficult situation with a calm confidence, curiosity, and empathy. How do these different approaches impact teamwork, decision-making, and the overall well-being of those around them?

Emotional Intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ), is a set of skills that help us recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions as well as recognize, understand, and influence the emotions of others.¹ It is more than sociability and likeability. EQ has been shown to impact work satisfaction and performance, including communications, decision-making, conflict management, and the work environment.² As organizations navigate the future of work, finding ways to promote agility and teamwork are as important as ever.  In fact, managers’ emotional intelligence and empathy have been shown to be some of the most critical factors in fostering stronger ways of working in today’s complex, rapidly changing, and hybrid work environments.³  

The good news about this highly impactful set of skills? Unlike Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Intelligence can be learned and improved upon. Not only does EQ influence key factors such as performance, collaboration, and well-being, developing skills like EQ is also what employees want. In fact, 64% of employees say they would be more attracted to and more likely to remain at an organization that creates value for workers as human beings by contributing to their growth and realization of their potential, and fostering a work environment where they feel seen, valued, and respected.⁴ Talk about a win-win!

Developing Emotional Intelligence takes motivation, intention, and practice. Below are a few ways to start today:

1. Gain clarity and specificity about what you’re feeling to better manage your emotional response. 
2. Practice taking a pause between a feeling and an action - give yourself the opportunity to respond vs. react.
3. Uncover your core values and Use them to guide your behaviors, decisions, and actions.
4. Actively try to appreciate different points of view. Ask questions. Engage with curiosity.
5. Use open-ended questions to go beyond hearing spoken words. Seek to understand the meaning and intent behind them.

Wellness Concept’s Emotional Intelligence program is an interactive, expert-led, one-hour session that empowers your team members with information and tangible tools to practice EQ skills in their daily life, at work, and at home. Topics include:

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Motivation
• Social Awareness
• Social Skills
• Self-care

To learn more about how to bring Wellness Concepts’ Emotional Intelligence programming to your workforce, contact us.

Carolyn Thayer-Azoff, M.A. has more than 15 years of experience in the mental health and wellness space. She has held a variety of cross-functional roles including building and implementing workplace mental health and well-being strategies, coaching teams, and implementing evidence-based programs in startups through to enterprise companies. Carolyn has her Master's in Counseling Psychology and is a lifetime learner, including completing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Pathwise Leadership, and Mental Health First Aid training.

(1) Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books 
(2) Harvard Division of Continuing Education, 2019 
(3) Deloitte Insights, 2023 
(4) Deloitte Insights, 2022