> Knowledge hub > Can emotional intelligence be learned?The importance of emotional intelligence in a professional context is now undisputed. As a catalyst for teamwork and leadership success, it has a significant impact on the performance of companies. But although its relevance is well known, the question remains: is emotional intelligence a skill that can be learned? This article sheds light on the nature of emotional intelligence and offers insights into how it can be specifically fostered to improve professional relationships and decision-making.
Emotional intelligence refers to a person’s ability to recognize and understand the emotions of both themselves and others and to respond to them appropriately. The psychologist Daniel Goleman coined the concept of emotional intelligence and divided it into five main components:
“Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to guide your behavior and relationships.”
Travis Bradberry
Emotional intelligence is the invisible web that weaves the quality of our relationships and is a critical success factor in the world of work. It is the salt in the soup of human interaction that ensures harmonious coexistence, promotes empathy and understanding and enriches communication. At work, it is the lubricating oil that facilitates cooperation and continuous change.
A study by TalentSmartEQ, for example, has shown that emotional intelligence (EI) is a key performance indicator and contributes 58% to professional success and that 90% of the best performing employees have high EI scores.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, emotional intelligence is one of the top ten skills needed to be successful in the future working environment:
The good news is: YES, emotional intelligence can be learned and developed. There are various ways to strengthen your own emotional intelligence or to take targeted steps as an organization to promote it among employees and managers:
Self-awareness: The first step in developing emotional intelligence is to become more self-aware. This means being able to recognize and understand your own emotions and how they influence your own behaviour. It can help, for example, to actively think about your own emotions and identify patterns in your behavior.
To develop empathy, it is important to actively listen to others and try to see things from their perspective. Empathy can be practiced by putting yourself in another person’s perspective and imagining how they might feel. This allows you to develop a deeper understanding of others and build stronger relationships.
Emotional regulation can be learned through stress and anxiety management techniques such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing or exercise. You can also practise delaying your reaction to a situation or email until you have had enough time to process your emotions and react in a more rational way.
Social skills are developed by consciously practicing active listening, assertiveness and conflict resolution. For example, it is helpful to build relationships with people from different cultures in order to develop a broader perspective and show more empathy for others.
Developing emotional intelligence is a lifelong process that requires continuous learning and growth. Books, articles, podcasts, etc. on this topic, as well as workshops and training courses, are a good source of support and offer valuable tips for developing your own emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence has become increasingly important in the professional context in recent years and contributes significantly to professional success. Above all, emotionally intelligent managers are crucial to leading their teams well and effectively. Emotional intelligence can be strengthened by consciously dealing with one’s own emotions and those of others and through targeted training.
