Super Power Aug 25 | Bristol Organization

By: Suzanne Smith, Social Impact Architects

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

- MAYA ANGELOU

What is the strongest predictor of success in the workplace in the 21st century? It’s not IQ or technical skills – it’s emotional intelligence (also known as emotional quotient or EQ). According to Talent Smart, 58% of performance across all job types is attributable to emotional intelligence. Even more compelling: among high performers in companies, 9 out of 10 score high in this skill. Recent studies show that EQ often predicts job success better than IQ or technical skills alone, especially in leadership, team-based and service-oriented roles.

With AI on the rise, emotional intelligence has never been more important. In this post, we demystify the concept of emotional intelligence and give you quick, actionable ways to bolster EQ within your organization. In August, we’ll take a deeper dive into each area of EQ based on the latest research, so stay tuned!

Why Emotional Intelligence Matters

When I teach about emotional intelligence, I always share one of my favorite quotes from Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Considering this allows leaders to see how feelings shape the workplace. Many of us were fortunate to be taught EQ skills as kids. My sisters and I learned manners like not to throw tantrums or interrupt. While these rules may seem inconvenient to a child, they are the basic building blocks for something incredibly valuable – emotional intelligence. For this reason, many educators today are focused on teaching social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and regulate emotions and optimize interactions with others; it consists of four capabilities – self awareness, self regulation, social awareness and social influence. In 2024, we launched our Leadership Academy to help middle managers and leadership teams develop these skills. Based on our experience, when people hear emotional intelligence, they often think only of self awareness. But it goes so much deeper than that. Employees can be the smartest in their field or the most renowned, but if they lack EQ skills, they can wreak havoc on teams, burn bridges with stakeholders, stall progress and more.

Additionally, EQ is often confused with personality – especially the assumption that extroverts are naturally more emotionally intelligent. We have found that this is not the case – EQ is not about how outgoing you are. It is about how you manage your emotions and respond to others with empathy and intention.

Even in the social sector – where we pride ourselves on being mindful of others’ feelings – we’ve all witnessed major EQ breakdowns. This can look like a team member who pushes their agenda without reading the room – leading to missed opportunities for motivating their colleagues around a shared agenda. It also includes what we call “niceness syndrome,” when someone avoids difficult conversations resulting in passive-aggressive behavior. The goal of the social sector is to pursue excellence and progress on behalf of those we serve. Being too nice or having too much ego gets in the way of our work together. If we can build EQ as a competency in the field, our organizations and communities will move farther and faster, together.

Incorporating Emotional Intelligence into the Nonprofit Workplace

The good news is that EQ is like a muscle – it can be learned, practiced and improved at any age. Here are just a few ideas for using EQ in the social sector today:

Hire and promote employees with EQ in mind

Companies like Zappos and Google have been utilizing behavior-based interviewing, and even assessments, to screen candidates for EQ. Given the cost of employee attrition, the social sector can save money and build capacity by selecting the best candidates for the job, including those who demonstrate strong EQ.

Help employees develop EQ with training, one-on-one coaching and mentoring

No single employee will possess every skill you need. When new employees start or are promoted, compare your needs against their competencies and provide coaching on areas of growth. Don’t assume they know where their habits or personality traits may hold them back from connecting with others, especially ones that are specific to your values and culture. Address them directly and get them assistance so they can become the top-notch employees your organization needs. And keep this in mind: one-off workshops alone are limited in their efficacy; instead, pair a workshop with experiential learning and coaching for lasting results.

Build a culture rooted in EQ

The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence seeks to boost students’ EQ with the goal of creating supportive school cultures that are positive and free from bullying. Similar techniques can be implemented in the workplace to develop an environment where employees feel safe to share their ideas. Working with staff – and even clients – on bolstering EQ skills can transform the culture of an organization and make it a place where individuals can reach their full potential, both intellectually and personally. To help form your own unique culture, start by developing and staying true to your values. If your organization doesn’t have core values, check out our blog post that walks you through an easy way to develop them yourself.

Cultivate resilient organizations through EQ

Organizations that can readily bounce back from failures have teams with strong emotional intelligence. Knowing where your team needs to build EQ capabilities is paramount. We encourage organizations to not only look at individual EQ skills, but also collective EQ skills, especially in areas such as team-building and change management.

At its core, emotional intelligence helps us navigate stress, defuse conflict and deepen our credibility. Emotional intelligence is critically important, not just at work, but in life as well. And when it’s embedded in your organization, it contributes to your reputation as a “great place to work.”

We’d love to hear from you. How has emotional intelligence played a role in your organization’s success – or setbacks? Share your EQ wins and lessons learned with us.