How can Engineering Design leaders increase their emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and those of others. It can help you communicate effectively, collaborate smoothly, and cope with stress and challenges. As an engineering design leader, you need EI to inspire your team, foster innovation, and deliver quality solutions. But how can you increase your EI and apply it to your work? Here are some tips to help you.

1 Assess yourself

The first step to improve your EI is to assess your current level of emotional awareness and regulation. You can use self-assessment tools, such as online quizzes, surveys, or journals, to identify your strengths and weaknesses. You can also ask for feedback from your peers, mentors, or coaches, to get an external perspective. Be honest and open-minded, and use the results to set realistic and specific goals for improvement.

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Olcay Hodanci

Culture & Talent Professional | Consultant | Facilitator
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Working with a mentor or a coach is quite a useful, practical and fast way to asses your EI. You need different perspectives, so that you can be aware of your blind spots.

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2 Learn from others

The second step to enhance your EI is to learn from others who demonstrate high levels of emotional competence. You can observe how they handle different situations, such as conflicts, changes, or failures, and how they interact with different people, such as clients, stakeholders, or colleagues. You can also seek their advice, insights, or mentorship, and apply their best practices to your own work. Be curious and respectful, and use the opportunities to expand your network and knowledge.

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3 Practice mindfulness

The third step to boost your EI is to practice mindfulness, which is the ability to focus on the present moment and be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations. You can use mindfulness techniques, such as meditation, breathing exercises, or yoga, to calm your mind and body, and reduce stress and anxiety. You can also use mindfulness to improve your attention, concentration, and memory, and to enhance your creativity and problem-solving skills. Be consistent and flexible, and use the benefits to optimize your performance and well-being.

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Olcay Hodanci

Culture & Talent Professional | Consultant | Facilitator
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Mindfulness practices are essential for people to be aware of their feelings, emotions, reactive states in certain situations. People are emotional beings. So we are quite driven by our emotional state at work as well. We need to be aware of our emotional reactions and when they need regulation. This is also important to handle difficult situations by being able to stay indifferent or emotionally neutral instead of reactive behaviors.

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4 Express yourself

The fourth step to strengthen your EI is to express yourself clearly and confidently. You can use verbal and non-verbal communication skills, such as active listening, body language, or tone of voice, to convey your ideas, opinions, and emotions. You can also use feedback skills, such as giving praise, criticism, or suggestions, to support your team, improve your work, and build trust and rapport. Be assertive and empathetic, and use the outcomes to achieve your goals and satisfy your needs.

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5 Adapt to change

The fifth step to develop your EI is to adapt to change, which is inevitable and constant in engineering design. You can use change management skills, such as planning, implementing, and evaluating, to cope with uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity. You can also use resilience skills, such as optimism, perseverance, or learning from mistakes, to overcome obstacles, challenges, and setbacks. Be proactive and flexible, and use the experiences to grow and thrive.

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6 Celebrate success

The sixth and final step to increase your EI is to celebrate success, which is the result of your hard work and dedication. You can use recognition skills, such as acknowledging, rewarding, or thanking, to appreciate your own and others' achievements, efforts, and contributions. You can also use celebration skills, such as sharing, reflecting, or enjoying, to boost your morale, motivation, and satisfaction. Be grateful and proud, and use the moments to reinforce your strengths and values.

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Olcay Hodanci

Culture & Talent Professional | Consultant | Facilitator
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Celebration of success is something that we underestimate quite a lot. However, this is essential to increase motivation, adaptation and contribution by all parties involve. Celebrating success is a great way to connect with co-workers and create an energetic bound to go for even more success stories together. Success celebration does not make talented people lazy or arrogant as we sometimes believe. Celebrating success sometimes is even more effective than catchy benefits packages to keep people loyal to their jobs with a full heart and eagerness.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Dr. Haysam Chafi

Technical Director at EMEBCI | PhD in Structures & Materials | INSEAD MAP | Leadership | Problem Solving | Critical Thinking | Chess | Piano & Keyboard
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I boosted my emotional intelligence by really listening to my team and understanding their views. I focused on clear communication, welcomed feedback, and practiced mindfulness to stay calm and present. Learning about emotional intelligence through workshops and reading helped too. It's all about connecting with the team on a deeper level and being aware of how emotions affect our work and relationships. This approach not only improved my leadership but also our team's collaboration and creativity.

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How can Engineering Design leaders increase their emotional intelligence?

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1 Assess yourself

2 Learn from others

3 Practice mindfulness

4 Express yourself

5 Adapt to change

6 Celebrate success

7 Here’s what else to consider

Engineering Design

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How can Engineering Design leaders increase their emotional intelligence?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess yourself

2 Learn from others

3 Practice mindfulness

4 Express yourself

5 Adapt to change

6 Celebrate success

7 Here’s what else to consider

Engineering Design

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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