A colleague is having a rough day and looks upset and is being argumentative. How you deal with it says a lot about your emotional intelligence. Are you pretending that it’s not happening or do you tell them to cut it out?

Perhaps you have a workplace where people are comfortable and confident being honest with each other, they express emotions and share their views. Or perhaps in your workplace it’s the opposite and people bottle up their emotions and opinions and it seems like everyone is about to snap.

“Being aware of, and responding to, other people’s emotional states shows an understanding that all humans experience strong emotions and says that a person’s feelings matter.”- Ush Dhanak, EQ Coach & Trainer

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is a hot topic these days and with mental health being discussed in the mainstream, it’s no surprise that we’re talking about EQ in the workplace and stressing the importance of leaders upper their game. Being both self and socially aware are aspects of emotional intelligence and being able to regulate your reaction to a variety of situations, especially during stress, shows strength. Entrepreneur.com explains a situation you will inevitably encounter as a manager and leader: “you’ll have to implement changes in your company at some point, and you can anticipate that a number of your employees will react negatively to those changes. Consequently, you can also make plans to ensure that their concerns are addressed, which helps prevent most of the conflicts that arise when implementing changes.”

When the leader of the team has a high EQ, the entire group benefits. Working towards the same goal, recognizing and being socially aware of each other, and setting cultural expectations that it’s okay to check in with each other and give feedback will go a long way. This is the action that’s key: assess how much your EQ shifts by asking for feedback from your peers.