How can you use EI to support team members experiencing personal crises?

EI hits close to home. It’s a topic that should be taught more in school; especially in business classes. In my opinion, this skill is the difference between good & great leaders. I was fortunate to get EI trained early in my career & I am beyond thankful. Recognizing the signs is challenging, especially in this day & age with the lack of true interaction, but it’s not impossible. To do so, you have to be assessing at all times & be PRESENT. I was once told that EI is not just putting yourself in someone else’s shoes; it’s actually walking in them. You have to connect on an emotional level to see the signs. * Slow down * Treat them like family * Ask different questions - off work * Be patient- stay there * Look them in the eye

Self-regulation: As a leader or team member, it's important to manage your own emotions effectively when supporting colleagues during personal crises. Practice self-regulation by remaining calm, composed, and empathetic, even in challenging situations. This sets a positive example and creates a supportive environment for those in need. Social skills: Strong social skills are essential for navigating sensitive situations and providing effective support to team members. Use your interpersonal skills to communicate compassionately, offer assistance, and facilitate open dialogue. Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and mutual respect within the team, allowing individuals to feel comfortable seeking help when needed.

In my experience the most important thing in the workplace is how people are connected to each other. The communications decide how your organisation works. EI is the most influential key by which you can promote or destroy your company. Generally speaking EI help you control people in the best way you have in mind. People experience different crisis and if you do not read and control their feelings and emotions so the real trust would disappears after a while in your organisation.

La inteligencia emocional (IE) puede ser una herramienta poderosa para apoyar a los miembros del equipo que atraviesan crisis personales. Aquí hay algunas formas de utilizar la IE para brindar ese apoyo: Gestión emocional: Ayuda al miembro del equipo a gestionar sus propias emociones al brindarles un espacio para expresarse y ofrecerles herramientas para manejar el estrés y la ansiedad, como técnicas de respiración o mindfulness. Resolución de problemas: Colabora con el miembro del equipo para encontrar soluciones prácticas a los desafíos que enfrentan debido a la crisis personal. Esto puede implicar ajustes en los plazos de trabajo o la distribución de tareas para aliviar la presión.

If you don't know the person, you won't recognize the signs. Understanding your team members on a deeper level is crucial for identifying when someone is facing a personal crisis. Without knowing what's normal for each individual—how they act when they're at their best—you might overlook critical signs of distress. By fostering a connection with fellow team members, you establish a baseline for their typical demeanor, making it easier to spot when something's amiss. How do you get to know team members better? Be mindful and be an active listener, initiate one-on-one meetings to get to know each other as people, share lunch or coffee breaks, intentionally curate team-building activities, and offer help and support.

Listening is a superpower truly. On many occasions it is the acknowledgement itself (the output of hearing and understanding) that supports your team member. We often feel that as leader we have to act and to solve but we are vatsky underestimating the power of listening and awknowlegement as part of their journey...

Listen without comment, without judgment and without trying to solve the problem. People want to feel heard and understood and by using language that validates their feelings, you will create an unbreakable trust.

Escuchar a los demás, sobre todo en los momentos que más necesitan ser escuchadas las personas es lo mejor que podemos hacer por los demás. Por ello un buen consejo es no interrumpir a la persona y dejar que se exprese de lo contrario puede parecer que no nos interesa lo que nos está comentando. No juzgar porque las personas tenemos miedo a ser juzgados, por eso hay que ser honestos,por supuesto no intentar solucionar los problemas de los demás a menos que nos lo pidan. Practicar la empatía me ha ayudado a mejorar la comunicación con mis compañero/as. Las personas necesitamos ser escuchadas para aliviar nuestras emociones por eso desde Recursos Humanos debemos realizar acciones encaminadas a ofrecer nuestra escucha activa.

Es muy importante que la persona que está inmersa en una crisis reciba apoyo y la ayuda adecuada de un profesional para poder recuperar su bienestar físico y emocional. Es cierto, que al no poseer los conocimientos de un profesional sanitario es fundamental al menos brindar empatía y nuestro apoyo incondicional. La escucha y ponernos en su lugar hará de "compañía" para desde el respeto ayudar a que acepte que está atravesando por momentos turbulentos y necesita acudir a los servicios sanitarios.

What I do to support my team is to firstly actively allow them to pour out their minds by actively listening WITHOUT interruption. After that I then offer some advice that they can make use of depending on what they have let out to me. I try also to put myself in their shoes such that my emotional empathy comes active. Sometimes I ask such staffs to take some minutes off the task they are doing to help them heal well as a good mental health is required to give positive results in tasks handled at a time.

While you might have the best intentions in the world, this is still a professional working relationship. Offer your support in a way that shows you are open to talking with them or supporting them in whatever way is best. From there use their cues and words to see if they might want more support. Don't ever ask for details; let them know you want to help and help them without getting into personal details. If they trust you and want to share, then they will. You do not have to force that out of them.

La idea de escucharlos no es saber acerca del problema, sino dejar que se abra y exteriorice aquello que le hace sentir mal o triste. El objetivo no es saber su problema, el objetivo es saber cómo nuestro colaborador está afrontando ese problema. Déjalo que te cuente lo que está dispuesto a contar, no presionarlo, pero por sobre todo dejar que tenga un espacio seguro contigo.

It's important to be flexible with employees as their needs change. Humans experience different events throughout their lifetime. We have all had personal crises that we needed our employer to be flexible and empathetic to. As leaders, we need to recognize our employees are people and not machines. They have feelings and needs too. If you take care of employee mental health and flexibility, you will have a strong workforce.

My key question here is "What can I take off your plate?", recognizing that, in a moment of crisis, the employee may not be thinking clearly enough to give a good answer. So the follow up is "Think about it, and let me know. I will think about it too. You know my door is open, and I am always here for you. Let's chat again at the end of the day." Sometimes a crisis will leave someone feeling like they have lost control. By positioning your request as a choice, you are giving them back some control and also making them feel like they are still contributing. This may go a long way to bring calm and strength back to your employee at this critical time.

Cuando acompañamos a una persona en sus momentos de crisis podemos sugerir dentro de nuestra "humildad" algunos recursos que sean interesantes para que pueda adentrarse con la finalidad de que pueda despertar en su interior una motivación para "investigar", como leer un libro, webinar, podcast, practicar un deporte, etc. Recomendar siempre, acudir a un profesional sanitario. Lo que importa es "sembrar opciones " con la intención de que pueda germinar una motivación que sirva de revulsivo para poder revertir la situación turbulenta.

Todos tenemos problemas y si bien el trabajo no es un lugar para ello, tener un líder que te acepta como ser humano con problemas es un gran apoyo. Aquí lo que recomiendo es permitir que el compañero deje un poco sus actividades sin descuidarlas, por ejemplo las puede delegar, dividir entre algunos de sus compañeros, negociar y comunicar si es necesario cambiar alguna fecha de entrega tanto interna como externa, eso permitirá darle espacio a que nuestro compañero trabaje sus temas y vuelva recargado.

Encouraging self-care within the team involves promoting breaks, mindfulness, and maintaining work-life boundaries. Offer resources and workshops on stress management, mental health awareness, and work-life balance to empower team members. Emphasising activities outside of work that bring joy and rejuvenation fosters creativity and resilience. Leading by example to demonstrate healthy boundaries and self-care practices while creating a supportive environment where well-being is valued.

one thing I have found helpful is to provide constructive feedback, pause and observe how it is received to either course correct or reassess for next steps or further interventions.

Somos seres humanos, no máquinas. Es claro que no todos manejamos las crisis de la misma manera, y no todos hemos aprendido a hacerlo al mismo tiempo. Entonces lo que toca es hacerle saber que cualquier problema se puede manejar sin excepción. En algunos casos de puede resolver, en otras se puede aprender a sobrellevarlas. Pero que por sobre todas las cosas todo va a estar a bien y que estamos para apoyarlos para superar cualquier impase con la finalidad de seguir adelante con nuestras metas profesionales.

En ocasiones las personas a lo largo de nuestra vida atravesamos momentos turbulentos desde el punto de vista personal. Estas crisis que nos tocan vivir nos dejan mentalmente bloqueados, en mi experiencia la motivación e ilusión desciende de forma considerable sin poder superar los objetivos que nos marcamos. Así pues podemos llevar a cabo algunos consejos que me han servido para superar estos momentos difíciles. Por ejemplo: - Reconocer que estamos ante un momento de crisis y de cambio. - Reflexionar desde nuestro interior. - Realizar deporte, pasear por la naturaleza, cocinar de forma saludable. - No castigarnos, respetarnos. - No compararnos con nadie. - Buscar nuevas ilusiones. - Regala tiempo desde el corazón.

When having conversations with a team member who is navigating a crisis, be thoughtful and ask them what they need. Everyone needs something different, some need flexibility, some need to be able to talk it out, some need people to know, some need privacy. This simple question, "What can I do to support you through this," is so powerful. It allows the person to feel safe and understand they have a safe space when things get difficult.

Showing empathy to the people in your team or organization who are in a vulnerable situation in their personal life is The Key to building trust, psychological safety and also loyalty - to you as a leader and to the organization. People forget what you said, but they never forget how you made them feel. So be just another human being.

Considero que para que un miembro del equipo, tenga la disposición de conversar con su líder sobre la crisis personal que atraviesa, el líder debe haber hecho un trabajo previo consigo mismo, de modo tal que, irradie empatía, credibilidad, coherencia y madurez en sus decisiones. Estas características personales harán que, naturalmente los miembros del equipo, se acerquen (solos) en búsqueda de ayuda y/o consejo. Asimismo, el trabajo personal que tiene que haber realizado previamente el líder consigo mismo, lo ayudará a estar atento a las señales, a tener una escucha activa y guiar la conversación con un propósito, que dependerá de lo que necesite cada miembro del Equipo (escucha, ánimo, alternativas de solución al problema, etc).

Busque Ajuda Especializada: Reconheça seus próprios limites como líder, e se necessário, encaminhe os colaboradores a profissionais especializados. A empatia é fundamental para criar um ambiente de apoio e compreensão.