Emotional Intelligence
Competency Definition: Understand and manage your own emotions while recognizing the emotions of others and how both impact interactions and relationships.
It's important to build this competency because...
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) can be learned and improved! It’s important to develop EQ to unlock a range of benefits that support personal well-being, career growth, and success for the City, employees, and community members.
- Self-Benefits:
- Improved Self-Awareness: This self-understanding allows for better self-management and decision-making, as you can identify when emotions might be influencing your judgment, especially in high-pressure situations.
- Enhanced Relationships: By developing empathy (understanding and sharing the feelings of others) and social skills, individuals with high EQ build stronger, more meaningful relationships with colleagues, friends, and family.
- Career Advancement: Emotional intelligence is increasingly valued in the workplace, and individuals with high EQ often excel in leadership roles.
- Better Decision-Making: EQ allows you to consider both rational factors and the emotional implications of decisions, leading to more thoughtful and balanced choices, especially in high-pressure situations.
- Organizational Benefits:
- Improved Workplace Culture: Leaders with high emotional intelligence build strong teams based on trust, open communication, inclusion, and collaboration. By balancing inspiration with accountability, they create an engaging workplace culture where people feel valued and motivated to success together.
- Enhanced Workplace Well-Being and Engagement: Emotionally intelligent leaders not only manage their own stress but also help create a supportive environment that reduces tension and prevents conflict. This healthier workplace dynamic fosters a sense of psychological safety, making employees feel valued, understood, and empowered. As a result, engagement and productivity naturally increase because people do their best work when they’re both cared for and connected.
- Greater Adaptability to Change: Emotionally intelligent organizations are better equipped to navigate change and respond to challenges with resilience because leaders with high EQ can adapt to new circumstances, maintain a positive outlook, and contribute to a more flexible workforce.
Resources
Below you'll find resources for building Knowledge, Skills, and Ability (KSAs) for this competency.
- Knowledge - Information acquired through education or experience about a subject. (Think: "what you know").
- Skill - The power to perform a specific task effectively that is demonstrated through actions and developed through practice and/or experience. (Think: "what you can do").
- Ability - The natural or learned capacity for doing something. Note, not everyone is going to have the same level of natural ability to do something. Someone’s natural ability can make it harder or easier to develop skills. (Think, "what you're naturally capable of or have developed over time").