A World Economic Forum report predicts emotional quotient (EQ) will be one of the top 10 skills to look out for while hiring employees by 2020. Research shows convincingly that EQ is more important than intelligence quotient (IQ) in almost every role and many times more in leadership roles. This insight gets further accentuated as we move from the control philosophy of the Industrial Era to the empowering philosophy of the Knowledge Era.

Emotional intelligence is a set of competencies that demonstrates the ability one has to recognize his/her behavior, moods and impulses, and manage them best according to the situation. Emotional intelligence includes traits like emotional self-awareness, empathy and includes the accurate recognition of the moods of others, while having the ability to manage your own moods.

In fact, a leader’s EQ can significantly impact the workplace culture as it underlies his/her people & relationship skills within the organisation. High-EQ leaders can effectively communicate and work with customers, partners, co-workers and foster an environment of productivity. The ability to recognize and understand your own emotions and the emotions of others while managing both to enable a ‘continuous climate for action’ is the true value of emotional intelligence.

Such leaders foster a climate of collaboration rather than competitiveness, build through synergies and opportunities rather than allowing their arrogance and insecurities to create walls and silos, they create cultures of empowerment where every employee has the opportunity to succeed.

Particularly in the current turbulent unpredictable business times, both high-EQ teams and leadership are in great demand and can easily become a source of competitive advantage and the secret recipe for success. Employees with high emotional intelligence are balanced, curious, gracious, self-aware, and empathetic. They are better able to work in teams, adjust to change, and are more flexible.

High-EQ employees are beneficial to their organisations because:

• They build great relationships with their co-workers and clients
• Are graceful and collected in high-stress situations
• Can provide considered responses to the actions of others, demonstrating maturity and evoking trust
• Those with a high EQ typically have a happier outlook to life and have a more positive attitude than those with lower EQ. They are also better at identifying and empathizing with the point of view of others — a necessary trait for avoiding conflict at work.

Here are some questions hiring managers can ask themselves while evaluating a candidate’s EQ:

• When the applicant talks about failure, does the comment suggest that he/she has the awareness to take some responsibility for their failures?
• When it comes to handling criticism, is the person able to acknowledge any shortcomings and keep things in perspective rather than becoming defensive and making excuses?
• What about teamwork? Can the candidate describe how they have confronted simmering issues and helped solve them with a team, or are the answers slanted more individually? Similarly, do they credit team members for the success they describe?
• Do candidates seem genuinely interested in the job and the people they will be working with, or do you sense indifference?

Over 80% of top management promotions takes into account EQ dimensions rather than only technical/functional competencies, which are mostly a given at that stage of seniority. To enhance EQ, mindfulness is as important and several companies are doing great work in the EQ and mindfulness space — encouraging leaders to learn to deliberately use the space between stimulus and response, by recognizing feelings and emotions and keeping them under control, especially when faced with highly stressful situations.

This is being done through meditation and other techniques to calm the mind and allow a mature balance of people and energy causing equanimity. The good news is that the EQ muscle can be built at any age and improved by as much as 40%. Taking steps to improve EQ brings immediate benefits to health, relationships, our work accomplishment, and the quality of life.

Here is how you can begin building the EQ muscle:

• Communicate effectively and clearly through written, oral, non-verbal communication. Articulate well, be a good listener and be conscious about how you use your body language when you speak
• Build relationships as interpersonal skills are important in the organisation. Seek friendships, win peers, supervisors, clients, and business partners, and show that you genuinely want to care
• Manage conflict, address issues and individuals involved in a non-judgmental but assertive manner. Ask questions, work together to find solutions
• Manage stress — the ability to stay in control in difficult situations leads to being valued both inside and outside the business world. Practice meditation to find deliberate spaces to call the mind to respond rather than react.

A high-EQ team seems to have the natural ability to bring in collaboration as it builds a solid foundation for positive branding for the team, the company, individuals, and the cultures. Employees with high EQ can help build positive workplaces of empowered contributors.