Emotional intelligence involves a set of skills that defines how effectively you perceive, understand, reason with and manage your own and others' feelings. At work, Emotional Intelligence underpins how well employees get along as emotions are an inherent part of workplace activities at all levels.

Why emotions matter at work

Emotions affect the way people think and make decisions. For example:

• Not hiring a candidate because "Something just didn't feel right"
• Trying a different approach when dealing with a disgruntled customer
• Planning how to help an under-performing team member succeed

Emotions also influence how people behave and interact at work, contributing to:

• tone of voice
• body language
• facial expressions

Organisations benefit from developing workplace Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence makes a difference in the workplace. For example:

• More effective leaders communicate how they feel to inspire amd generate confidence from others
• High performing sales professionals think more about how their customers feel to strengthen their selling relationships
• Cohesive teams are more aware of how emotions help and hinder the team's performance

BARRETT uses an Australian tool called GENOS, developed by Dr Ben Palmer and Professor Con Stough, at Swinburne University of Technology to improve you, your people and your workplace.