Enhancing Emotional Intelligence: Strategies for Personal & Professional Growth
Recently, we had a very interesting conversation with our founder & director, Ulf Muller, who believes that a key part of emotional intelligence is truly engaging with others. Often, we are more focused on ourselves, which prevents many of us from genuinely connecting.
Let’s dive in briefly to explore the intriguing aspects of the chat between Sarah Pitts & Ulf Muller.
Sarah Pitts | myfm
"Interesting. And that leads me to my first question about emotional intelligence.
So, what strategies would you say an individual can leverage to enhance their emotional intelligence in both a personal and professional setting?"
Ulf Muller | myfm
"I'm not an expert on emotional intelligence, but I know there are lots of books being written about it, and many people have talked about emotional intelligence, I guess.
If you challenge me to bring it down to one thing, I think maybe we’re lacking our ability to engage with others. We might be lacking in the ability to engage with others because we are not interested in them. We are more interested in ourselves. Our intent is not to want to understand other people about who they are and what they do, and therefore we are not open to their positioning and their emotions.
When we have our agenda, we might pretend to listen, but we're not open to others' perspectives. True emotional intelligence means having a genuine interest in others.
Maybe that's my take, because I think every time I have an agenda, I don't open up to other people that much. I employ tactics and strategies, and you know I look like I'm listening, but I'm not seriously listening.
And it's not a technique for me, I think. I guess it's just an intent. Maybe it's our Western society where we place more value on how we promote ourselves instead of connecting with other people. I don't know if that's any help, where often self-promotion gets more value than real connection.
I think we must prioritise authentic engagement and appreciating other contributions, and by doing so, we can improve our emotional intelligence and build better relationships in both personal and professional settings”.
Sarah Pitts | myfm
"Interesting. Like a high five all the time, because, you know, there are people in the public eye. I'm not going to say show business, but there are people in the public eye who have made money out of portraying that they have emotional intelligence. But the reality of them is that they're only there to serve themselves and for other people to serve them nine times out of 10 by monetarily giving them money."
Ulf Muller | myfm
"Exactly. If we boil it down to one thing, it's about genuinely being interested in what others have to say and how they feel. It's not just about staying intellectually active but also being emotionally aware.
We need to listen to each other more. By being open and recognising when someone is angry or frustrated with us, we can better understand their feelings. If we take the time to find out why they feel this way, we can further develop our emotional intelligence. And if I can say so, be more emotionally engaged than intelligent."
Sarah Pitts | myfm
"Well, that's interesting. When I first started in recruitment, I used to interview people for joining my team and ask them what makes them think that they're good at this job, and they would say I'm a people person. I'm good at talking to people, and I'll be like, well, I'm not interested then."
Ulf Muller | myfm
"Yeah. Everybody can talk, but are you listening and have you heard what they've said? Maybe it’ll be a good idea to talk about engagement in this case. Maybe it's emotional engagement. Be more emotionally engaged, I guess.
And I also think what I found fascinating is, we can go back to human history. We've got millions of years without words and then we got words, and then we have intelligence, maybe being valued for the last what about 1000 years, you know.
It kind of surely indicates we have more skills than our emotional connections with each other have evolved with. Then we have, from our academic perspective, a thinking-based engagement. I think the trick for me is that it's not valued; it's more valued to talk than to listen."
Bottomline:
In facilities management, the synergy between emotional intelligence and emotional engagement is vital for a productive workplace. While EI enhances the ability to navigate emotions and relationships effectively, emotional engagement ensures commitment and passion for work.
Listening, often overshadowed by talking, is a cornerstone of effective communication and conflict resolution. By prioritizing listening and employing strategic conflict resolution techniques, facilities managers can foster a harmonious and efficient work environment, ultimately leading to better outcomes for both the organization and its clients.
What are your thoughts, readers? We'd love to hear them out.
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