Our Understanding of
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence refers to a multifaceted skill set that involves identifying emotions, regulating and harnessing them effectively, and expressing them in a suitable manner.
Wherever people work together, emotional intelligence—or rather the lack thereof—becomes evident. Whether in meetings, negotiations, or situations requiring persuasion, across all organizational levels, it is clear that it is not only what is discussed but also how things are discussed that matters.
We work with the updated model of emotional intelligence, developed by Daniel Goleman. This model comprises four dimensions: self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness and empathy, and relationship management. These dimensions highlight what can be cultivated through mindfulness—for without mindfulness, emotional intelligence cannot be effectively developed.
The 6 Evidence Based Effects of Emotional Intelligence
A number of scientifically robust studies have identified the following impact factors of emotional intelligence (von Hehn & Rauls, 2023):
Greater negotiation, innovation and problem-solving skills
Increased commitment
2
Protection against emotional overload, increased resilience, and reduced work-related stress
3
Ethical behavior and servant leadership
4
Higher performance in teams through psychological safety
5
Efficiency and higher individual performance
6
Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
The ability to lead emotionally is becoming increasingly relevant. An emotionally intelligent executive can inspire people to strive for higher quality, remain calm even in stressful situations, repeatedly show employees that their work is important and create a conducive climate for new ideas. They are characterized by their presence, can listen well and actively and are approachable when mistakes are made or help is needed.
The elements of emotional intelligence relate to leadership: Leading others first and foremost requires good self-leadership, which can be trained by practicing mindfulness on a regular basis. This again shows that mindfulness is the basis for an emotionally intelligent leadership style. With the help of mindfulness techniques, you can develop the ability to make clearer decisions and delegate yourself.
“With self-organization, people think: I organize myself. But it's about teams organizing themselves in order to perform. It's about solidarity and the maturity to take responsibility, not about individual culture or self-optimization.
Having personal responsibility in the team and achieving something with the team means that you subordinate yourself and your own needs to the team. This gives you more flexibility than if you only followed one rule. Overall, we need to focus more on the team concept, which has been lost in the self-organization debate. Emotional intelligence is important for this.”
Frauke von Polier, CPO at Viessmann Climate Solutions SE“You have to create an environment in which employees feel safe. And appreciation is one of the most important things for a team to function well. It's easy for people not to feel seen here. In interdisciplinary teams, however, people speak different languages. You have to understand them and translate them for everyone as a leaders. This requires emotional intelligence, because you have to put yourself in the shoes of others. This is the only way to form a diverse team into a high-performance team and achieve a joint result. Innovations need diverse perspectives and for someone to ask critical questions. These are the people who had no place in the old world.”
Max Lederer, CIO Jung von Matt AG