Working Under Pressure: Emotional Intelligence in the Work Place

Introductions  

It is not because they lack intelligence or specific skills. Far from it. What they lack is a critical level of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and the ability to acknowledge and manage their own emotions.  Yet talking about feelings at work is a taboo subject and sends many running back to their offices, quickly closing their doors behind them. By learning how to develop and use your emotional intelligence more effectively however, you will not only learn how to better manage pressure at work, but to improve all your personal and professional relationships. 

What Is EI? 

One of the first psychologists to describe ‘non-academic’ intelligence was Edward Lee Thorndike (1), and it was almost 100 years ago in 1920 that the term ‘social intelligence’ was identified. Fast forward to 1990, when two researchers, Peter Salovey of Yale University and John D. Mayer of the University of New Hampshire (2), developed the idea of ‘emotional intelligence’, and who defined it as "the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions" (1990). It was up to the now famous Daniel Goleman (3) however, to provide a model of EI that could be applied in practical terms, and whose book with the simple title ‘Emotional Intelligence’ (1995), has sold over five million copies worldwide. 

Why Is EI Important? 

It is probably no coincidence that EI became a buzz word at a time when the world was still wildly in love with new technology in the form of the internet and mobile telephones.  Within the space of five years we went from having face to face conversations with each other on a daily basis, to being able to communicate with colleagues on the other side of the world without having to leave our desks. Regrettably the instances of burnout, depression and worse have also increased (4) and because of what the experts in neuroscience have taught us about how the brain creates new neural pathways when learning new things (5) we also know that the less we use a part of our brain (for example our ability to learn a language), the more likely it is that we simply forget how to do it – or we tell ourselves that we are no longer able. So it is with EI.  The more we focus on tapping with our fingers to get the letters in the correct order to make up words on our laptops and mobile ‘phones (strengthening our mechanical intelligence), the more we lose our ability to express how we feel, even if it is just to acknowledge that we’re upset or excited. 

Making the changes 

Daniel Goleman’s EI model defines five elements and it is these elements around which I have built the following approach to reducing pressure in the work place. Self-Awareness: Your initial awareness of stress happens in your body before you are aware of it as a thought.  The next time you feel the pressure start to rise, take note of where it is happening in your body.  Do you clench your fists or grind your teeth?  Do you feel a tightness in your chest or throat, or does your stomach start churning?  Recognising the physical manifestation of your stress before using logic to blame a person or situation will help you in the next step of EI. 

Still not convinced? 

Several major players in the corporate world take the issue of emotional intelligence very seriously.  In September 2015, Ernst & Young in the UK announced that it was going to be scrapping the compulsory requirement for a university degree for its employees. Cap Gemini, providing professional services on a global scale, added considerable weight to the significance of Ernst & Young’s decision by announcing that it would be hiring future consultants straight out of school (no college degree required!). Why?  Because what is the use of having an accountant with an amazing understanding of tax laws if they are unable to communicate agreeably with their colleagues or clients?  What would the point be of putting an employee who was great at sales in an office where no-one spoke to each other?  EI is about using our emotions for our well-being. It’s about managing ourselves and managing how we behave in our relationships with others.  In an ideal world, EI is about communicating in such a way as to work and live in harmony. 

EI And You 

Developing your emotional intelligence takes time.  You have probably been behaving, reacting and responding to people and situations in a certain way for many years, and as with any new learning, your logical brain will need to get used to doing things differently. 

In Summary 

The subject of EI is vast and its relevance will continue to grow as the impact of globalisation and technological developments changes the way that we communicate with each other. In particular, working with people from a multitude of cultures requires great self-awareness and multi-national businesses are already making the necessary changes to support their staff because they know that academic excellence does not equal a great leader, manager or team. EI isn’t fluffy; EI is critical to your future success. 

© Gwyneth Letherbarrow, 2018 
Reviewed 2022