Emotional intelligence is a relatively new, but started to become mainstream with Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.

Emotional intelligence is simply put the ability to control your emotions and others in the present moment.  It sounds simple but has a number of key factors.  According to Daniel Goleman,

• Self-awareness.
• Self-regulation.
• Motivation.
• Empathy.
• Social skills.

The business case for emotional intelligence

According to Google’s famous Project Aristotle initiative, a high-performing team needs three things: 1) a strong awareness of the importance of social connections or “social sensitivity,” 2) an environment where each person speaks equally, and 3) psychological safety where everyone feels safe to show and employ themselves without fear of negative consequences. To harness these three elements of a successful team, it takes an emotionally intelligent leader.

People feel cared for when these three items are present in a team or organization. People that feel cared for are more loyal, engaged, and productive.

In fact, employees who feel cared for by their organization are…

• 10 times more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work.
• 9 times more likely to stay at their company for three or more years.
• 7 times more likely to feel included at work.
• 4 times less likely to suffer from stress and burnout.
• 2 times as likely to be engaged at work.

1. Deep human needs

The three core human needs of work (and life) are to survive, belong and become. Much like Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs, once humans fulfill the need of food, water and shelter they will then seek to be accepted for who they are, and then finally to learn and grow to become their best selves.

The workplace is filling parts of our deep human needs.

2. Technology will enhance humanity

The Industrial Revolution required strong workers. The Information Age required knowledgeable workers. The future age of work will require emotionally intelligent workers.

As the world fills with more sophisticated technology such as artificial intelligence and 5G, human skills like compassion and empathy will define the competitive edge of workers and entire organizations.

In addition, as the world becomes more high-tech, there will be a desire and opportunity for more high-touch. As technology advances, it will take on a lot of the work that humans aren’t good at, don’t like, or too dangerous. This will leave us with more time and capacity to show up emotionally for each other.

3. Work and life blending

Not only are emotions finding their way into work, but workers want it more. A pervasive myth exists that emotions don’t belong at work.  As the boundaries blur we want to be able to bring our whole selves into the workplace and this is inevitably messy.

4. Evolving employer-employee relationship

In the past, the employer-employee relationship was very transactional. But in today’s always-on work culture, the boundaries of the employee-employer relationship are expanding.

As employees seek more from their employers, moving from employing to empowering will serve employers well.

5. Generation Z demands it

Companies are struggling to adapt to the evolving emotional needs of their workforce. This is especially true among the emerging generations as 18-to-25-year-olds have the highest prevalence of serious mental illness compared to other age groups, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Additionally, Gen Z is the loneliest generation in the workplace with 73 percent reporting sometimes or always feeling alone.

It’s not surprising then that more than any other generation, Gen Z wants their managers to be empathetic, according to The Center for Generational Kinetics’ 2020 study, Solving the Remote Work Challenge Across Generations.