Emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient or EQ, is an ability to notice and manage your emotions to positively impact those around you. As your sales team adjusts to new ways of working amid the pandemic, EQ skills are crucial in helping your team thrive.

Roberta Moore, founder of EQ-i Coach, notes that leaders will likely face many hurdles as they introduce hybrid work plans. Some sales reps may be enthusiastic about returning to the office while others have come to enjoy the flexibility of working from home. By tapping into their EQ skills, leaders can give their teams the support they need.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share Moore’s thoughts on the EQ skills to nurture to help teams adjust to hybrid work environments.

Empathy. According to Moore, this EQ skill helps leaders create more collaboration, problem-solving and trust among their team members. That’s because empathy helps individuals understand, respect and appreciate the feelings and experiences of their colleagues. Whether your sales reps are continuing to work from home, back in the office full time or beginning a mix of the two, empathy goes a long way at helping them feel comfortable in a shifting work environment.

Flexibility. When you help your sales reps develop this EQ skill, you equip them to deal with various workplace stresses. Flexibility on an individual level can also contribute to the team’s flexibility, Moore points out. A flexible team can quickly and collaboratively adapt to meet new goals or adjust their strategies as priorities change.

Assertiveness. Communication looks different when your team is collaborating on a video call instead of an in-person meeting. For many professionals, trying to communicate virtually has led to a more passive approach. That’s why assertiveness is an EQ skill that can help teams overcome the challenges of communicating virtually and in-person. Moore says that building and practicing assertiveness, which is the ability to clearly and confidently articulate feelings, beliefs and thoughts, is key to keeping conversations productive when people are working from different locations.

Social responsibility. According to Moore, a shared sense of responsibility is at the heart of any productive team. Each of your sales reps should be as committed to the entire team’s success as they are to their own. Moore says that when leaders help their teams develop the important EQ skill of social responsibility, they can help every team member stay invested and focused. When employees have high levels of social responsibility, they cooperate more productively, contribute more actively and offer feedback more constructively.

If your sales team is shifting from remote work to hybrid schedules or fully back in the office, remember to tap into the EQ skills above. By focusing on empathy, flexibility, assertiveness and social responsibility, you can create healthy team dynamics and help your sales reps succeed in any environment.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Roberta Moore is the founder of EQ-i Coach and author of Emotion at Work: Unleashing the Secret Power of Emotional Intelligence.