Make no mistake: the most important thing we can do to increase the level of emotional intelligence in our employees is to act as a role model. It is a natural human natural tendency to think that the problem is "out there." " If I could just get them to do what they have to do, this department would work fine."
Collaborators emulate what you, if you are a manager, do. You set the tone, and they imitate your behavior, through the good and the bad.
On the other hand, the fact that the leadership skills of our bosses are deficient is not an excuse for our behavior to reflect a low level of Emotional Intelligence.
Others improve if we improve
Our department or team can be exemplary if we improve our own behavior and work in our own sphere of influence. You can do the right thing, even if your boss doesn't.
When we have organizational problems (low morale, high employee turnover, low productivity, and quality deficiencies… these are red flags), look within. When you accept responsibility for the problem, you have greater control over its solution.
When we improve our own Emotional Intelligence by focusing on the six basic facets that compose it (self-awareness, self-confidence, self-control, empathy, motivation and social competence), others will also be more competent. We cannot positively influence others until "our own house is not in order."
4 steps to develop emotional intelligence
When we have already become a role model, there are other additional steps we can take to develop the Emotional Intelligence of our employees. Let's see some of them.
1. Set expectations
To develop a higher level of competence in others, make sure your goals and expectations are well defined. Always check if your employees have understood you by asking them to explain what they think is expected of them.
Help your employees set challenging, but not overwhelming, expectations. Excessively high, unattainable, or insultingly low goals do not motivate us to do our best. Discuss and negotiate specific goals and be willing to compromise. As employees increase their level of skills, we can modify or expand the field of action of some objectives, individually.
2. Always be available and supportive
Employees work harder when they know they can come to us with their problems or questions. Make sure everyone knows that you are available to them whenever they need you. If we are so busy with other activities that we are never in the office, and we are never available to our employees, we will foster mistrust and undermine loyalty, the polar opposite of leadership! Your career path will unfold spontaneously when you build it on a solid EQ, rather than on the political game.
Being accessible is not difficult, as long as you are aware that it takes a little more time. When a co-worker comes to you for something, put aside what you are doing and listen carefully, or plan a time when the two of you can meet and you can really listen.
Some managers and managers assume that being approachable and "personable" increases dependency on staff. Not so: dependency only increases when collaborators have to turn to you to answer everything or to approve each step.
3. Give power and give responsible autonomy (“Empowerment”) to your collaborators
Indeed, employees will come to you with their problems, especially if we maintain an open door policy. Giving them everything done at work does not help develop their potential so that they can solve those same problems in the future. If we want our collaborators to take on more responsibilities, we have to help them, but that help does not consist in offering them all the answers but, on the contrary, in asking them questions that help them find their own answers. We should sincerely congratulate them when they are able to find the answers, and encourage them to repeat those same steps the next time they face a problem.
Employees will step up and take responsibility when the risk of retaliation is eliminated. If they use good judgment, and act reasonably based on the facts, support them, even if the results are not entirely satisfactory. Employees fear taking risks when they think that if they fail, they will be punished.
Instead of a reprimand, it is more effective to say:
“Andrés, I get the feeling that this has not gone too well. Let's see if we can identify what we did wrong and how we can avoid it next time.
Employees learn from their mistakes when we help them and then there is little chance that they will repeat them.
4. Offer frequent and positive feedback
Offering frequent and positive feedback is one of the most important ways to develop others. Most people receive very little feedback, good or bad, from their bosses, although we know that everyone (bosses included) works harder when encouraged to do so. Social rewards, such as add-ins or thanks, are powerful incentives, oddly enough. Most contributors are not used to receiving praise, so our approval can be especially gratifying.
Reinforced behaviors increase, but we need to know what to reinforce. Stay in direct contact with your collaborators, so you know when they are doing things correctly. If you are not sure what they are doing, ask them to update you on their work.
As a suggestion
A good tip is to make a plan to regularly communicate to employees what they are doing well. Congratulate them in writing, face-to-face, or using electronic means. Acknowledge your work in front of your colleagues at staff meetings. Now this is the first step.
If you are really willing to transform your skills and want to develop a specific action plan to enhance your emotional intelligence and make your collaborators grow at your own pace, we will love to support you with our private coaching programs.
