How much emotional intelligence do you bring to the workplace?

eq

Unlike IQ, Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, isn’t something that can be summed up with a single number. It is harder to define because it’s much less tangible. We all know someone who oozes self-confidence, but lacks empathy in his or her dealings with others. Or someone incredibly driven and self-motivated, who crumbles under pressure. Since the landmark book on Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman in 1995, thinking has moved away from EQ being a singular workplace skill, like negotiation or networking, to describing a thread of key behaviours that run through every aspect of your workplace behaviour – generally considered to be self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill. Take our quiz to find out how high your emotional intelligence is – and the areas on which you might need to work.

In conversation, I will often:

a) Keep to the topic in hand, and wait to see if the person volunteers any information outside that.

b) Always put my points across first and clearly let people know who I am and what I want.

c) Ask people about themselves. I am genuinely interested in finding out about people and what makes them tick.

 

I am known for:

a) Being reliable, accommodating and friendly.

b) Being determined, demanding and slightly unpredictable.

c) Being approachable, collaborative and a good judge of character.

 

In a difficult interaction with a colleague, I will usually:

a) Back down quickly, even if I have a valid point to make. I go out of my way to avoid confrontation.

b) End up being quite forceful about my position and things can get rather heated if I feel threatened or undermined in any way.

c) Listen to their side of things, and sense check how I am feeling and why. I will then put my side across clearly and attempt to work with them to come to a solution that is good for us both.

 

Change is…

a) Terrifying. I try to avoid it at all costs and dread it happening around me.

b) Sometimes necessary, but if it doesn’t suit me I will fight to keep the status quo.

c) Something inevitable to embrace. I also try to anticipate any changes that might be coming up in my organisation or job scope and prepare for them before they happen.

 

Under pressure, I will usually…

a) Get incredibly anxious and find myself taking my stress with me when I leave work.

b)  Be the only one holding things together; I am often short with my team members because I feel they are not pulling their weight.

c) Stay calm and positive. Thinking clearly and staying focused on the task in hand always leads to better decision making.

 

When I consider my skill set…

a) I am not really sure where my strengths lie, but I am very aware of what I am not good at.

b) I know what I am good at and I stick to things that involve areas in which I am totally comfortable.

c) I know both my strengths and weaknesses well. However, I am always open to working on things that don’t come naturally to me.

 

A colleague seems upset about something. Do you:

a) Think it’s because of something you’ve done?

b) Ignore it? No one should bring their emotions to work.

c) Ask them if there is something bothering them and if you can help in any way, but be sensitive and leave to them as to whether they want to discuss it?

 

At work I am:

  1. Careful to present myself professionally, but I always feel slightly like I am playing a role.
  2. Willing to do anything it takes to get ahead. I don’t actually think too much about what other people think about me.
  3. The same person I am outside of work, largely – I always operate according to my values and I feel aligned with who I am and what is important to me.

 

Answers

Mostly A

You have some EQ, but you still need to work on raising the level of emotional intelligence you bring to the workplace, both in the way you approach yourself and your colleagues. Look at the places that are still a blind spot for you – the everywoman workbook Developing Your Emotional Intelligence has plenty of useful exercises to determine how much and what types of emotional intelligence you are or aren’t currently using, and ways in which you can develop these vital life skills further. Whether you work on improving your rapport with others, your response to stress or your emotional awareness of yourself, you will be adding value to and improving your resilience, working relationships and career progress in the process.

 

Mostly B

No one could mistake you for anything other than ambitious, but in your drive to control your career and those around you, your EQ skills have been pushed to the bottom of the list. Emotional and social intelligence are key differences between a highly effective leader and an average one, helping to increase performance, innovation and teamwork and building motivation and trust. Being able to read situations, showing interest in people and being open to other points of view, as well as working to rein in knee-jerk negative emotional reactions such as impatience, frustration and defensiveness, will all pay career dividends. The everywoman workbook Developing Your Emotional Intelligence outlines why EQ is so important, plus offers exercises and tips on how to develop more of it in your work life.

 

Mostly C

You bring a high level of emotional intelligence to work, both in the way that you interact with yourself and others. You are in control of your emotions, understand them and are able to express them in healthy ways – which allows you to set appropriate boundaries and be confident and resilient in all circumstances. As a leader or a team member, you also allow your colleagues to flourish, creating strong relationships through empathy and genuine interest in others as well. You foster a collaborative approach to achieving results, listen to other viewpoints and give due credit – as well as having the flexibility to adapt and change where necessary. Keep working on your EQ levels with the everywoman workbook Developing Your Emotional Intelligence, which is full of useful exercises and tips to take you further.

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