Emotional intelligence: 10 must-read articles

Working to build your emotional intelligence? Take a bootcamp on EQ by catching up on our most popular emotional intelligence articles of the year 
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Month after month, our stories on emotional intelligence are some of the most read and shared articles on the site. If you are a frequent reader, you know what emotional intelligence is and why it matters to your career. You even know how to spot someone who lacks EQ. But actually putting emotional intelligence into practice takes a lot of dedicated work – and for IT leaders, that work can pay off significantly.

Experts tell us that emotional intelligence a skill that can be improved – and IT leaders in particular stand to see a high return on their investment in EQ learning.

[ How strong is your EQ? See our related article: Emotional intelligence test: 5 self-evaluation tools for leaders. ] 

"Leaders with high EQs find themselves in the best position to facilitate change initiatives and prepare their teams to welcome necessary transformation."

“Leaders with high EQs ignite organizational purpose. They create a genuine identity for the organization by standing behind its integral values,” says Sanjay Malhotra, CTO of Clearbridge Mobile. “Emotionally intelligent leaders build better teams by encouraging collaboration. Leaders with high EQs find themselves in the best position to facilitate change initiatives and prepare their teams to welcome necessary transformation.”

If this describes the leader you want to be, we are here to help. Each of the articles below aims to provide practical, actionable insights on all facets of emotional intelligence for leaders who want to apply what they learn.

What other EQ topics would you like to learn more about? Let us know in the comments so we can cover them in the second half of the year.

8 powerful phrases of emotionally intelligent leaders

Practice emotional intelligence by incorporating these simple, powerful phrases into your leadership vocabulary.

How to drop a work grudge

When work disappointments become work grudges, you get caught in an unproductive – and unhealthy – trap. Here are 5 ways to take control and move on.

Emotional intelligence: How to help teams fight perfectionism

Perfectionism can cripple teams. Emotionally intelligent leaders can use curiosity, persistence, collaboration, and empathy to help people stay agile and keep improving.

How to have an emotionally intelligent disagreement

Leaders tap into their emotional intelligence when tensions run high. The next time you find yourself in a disagreement at work, try one of these six strategies.

3 mindfulness exercises to try when you feel overwhelmed

A leader’s brain will race for many reasons. Try these techniques to focus – and maybe even improve conversations with difficult people.

Emotional intelligence: How to work with people you don’t like

You don’t have to like the people you work with, but you do have to work with them. Here are 9 tips to flip your perspective and improve the relationship.

10 emotional intelligence tips from the masters

Your EQ impacts almost every aspect of your career success. Here are some timeless tips from experts for bringing EI to bear at work.

9 counterintuitive tips for dealing with people

Common wisdom doesn’t always cut it when it comes to dealing with people. Leaders who’ve honed their people skills for years share surprising strategies that work.

Emotional intelligence: 8 ways to improve your one-on-one meetings

Are you showing emotional intelligence in your meetings with direct reports? Practice these behaviors to up your leadership EQ.

Emotional intelligence: 6 tips to apply it in everyday conversation

Are you showing emotional intelligence in work communications? Use these tips – whether you’re giving feedback, seeking buy-in for an idea, or working through a misunderstanding.

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Comments

Your EQ is what determines whether or not you'll be able to retain staff and employees in your business. Not just internally amongst your people but especially from the leader speaking and upholding your company together.

Emotional intelligence is really something that can be cultivated during nurturing. The environment that we grew up in and the surroundings that we are currently living in are the main factors that influence our EQ in my opinion.