Part 2: The Importance of Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

We’ve touched on emotional intelligence in a previous blog, so you should have a pretty good idea of what it means to have EI and how to foster it. But why does it matter? Why is it so essential to cultivate emotional intelligence, especially in the workplace? The more you understand the importance, the more motivated you’ll be to boost your emotional intelligence and grow your soft skills.

So, why is it so important, and how can it make a difference in your life? 

You’ll Build Better Relationships

Because EI helps you understand the emotions of others, you’ll be able to use that skill to improve your professional relationships. How great would it be to know what others were thinking when you’re trying to do business with them? If you’re a salesperson, life would be much easier if you could read the thoughts of your consumer. 

While that’s not possible, EI can put you more in tune with what that person is feeling. When you’re able to identify and understand the emotions of others, you won’t just worry about making a sale or bringing in a new client. Rather, your focus can shift to forming relationships. Those relationships in the business world often lead to customer loyalty and brands that have worked together for years.

You’ll Reduce Stress

Another perk of understanding the emotions of others is being able to recognize when people are stressed. Nowadays, workplace stress is at an all-time high. If you’re in a leadership position, being able to recognize that stress, before it gets out of hand can make a big difference in the mental well-being and overall success of your team. You’ll even be more in tune with your own stress levels. Recognizing when you’re feeling overly stressed or on the verge of burnout will allow you to take a step back and focus on self-care.

It Can Diffuse Conflict

Ideally, when you’re able to recognize excess stress, you’ll also be able to take steps to combat it before things get worse. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, stress can get the best of you or others, creating conflicts within your work environment. Thankfully, the benefits of emotional intelligence don’t stop there. 

People will always have different opinions. Not everyone will agree on the same course of action or strategy to get things done. That can cause tension in the workplace and can lead to disagreements and a lack of productivity. When you have emotional intelligence, it’s easier for you to read people and tense situations. You can play an active role in de-escalating those situations and making things calm again. Not only does that make a big difference in your work environment, but you can use it in just about any of your relationships—including with family members or friends. 

The Lasting Benefits of Emotional Intelligence

There are countless reasons why it’s important to cultivate emotional intelligence. We’ve covered a lot of work-related issues here, but EI can be used in many ways throughout your everyday life. Cultivating emotional intelligence is a lifetime process. Just because you’ve learned certain “techniques” or you’ve put your cultivation skills into practice doesn’t mean you’ll ever have too much EI. The more you cultivate, the more benefits you’ll see. 

If you’re still on the fence over what emotional intelligence really is, why it’s beneficial, or how you can cultivate more of it in your life, don’t hesitate to reach out. Even if you’re already trying to cultivate EI on your own, it’s okay to need a little help along the way. Let’s work on fostering those skills together.