How To Improve And Master Your Emotional Intelligence: 9+ Key Steps!

If you’re like most small business owners, you wear a lot of hats. You’re the CEO, the marketing director, the customer service representative, and the bookkeeper.

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion. 

Dale carnegie

And to be successful, you need to be able to manage your emotions and understand how others are feeling. That’s where emotional intelligence comes in.

“Emotional intelligence, or EQ, has become recognized for its correlation to success in work and personal life, to motivation and to overall well-being. In business, high-EQ people have become desirable to employers due to the various advantages they enjoy.” says Forbes.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware and understand your own emotions and the emotions of others.

It’s about being able to regulate your emotions, respond effectively to emotions in others, and create positive relationships.

There are a few key things that emotional intelligence can do for you as a small business owner:

• Help you manage stress and stay calm under pressure
• Improve your decision-making skills
• Enhance your communication and negotiation skills
• Boost your team’s morale and performance
• Increase your sales and close more deals

Here are 9 ways to improve your emotional intelligence and become a more effective small business owner.

Pay Attention To Your Body Language

We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” This is especially true when it comes to body language.

The way we carry ourselves sends a message to those around us, whether we realize it or not.

Good body language conveys confidence, while bad body language conveys insecurity. As a small business owner, it’s important to be aware of the message your body language is sending, as it can make a big difference in the way you are perceived by your employees, customers, and partners.

Body Language Basics

There are a few basic things to keep in mind when it comes to body language. First, eye contact is important.

Making eye contact shows that you are engaged in the conversation and interested in what the other person has to say.

Keep your arms uncrossed and avoid clenching your fists or clutching your purse or bag tightly.

This will make you appear open and approachable.

Pay attention to your posture.

Slouching conveys disinterest or boredom while standing up straight conveys confidence.

Finally, smile! A genuine smile conveys warmth and friendliness and makes people want to be around you.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Body Language

Do:

• Make eye contact
• Smile
• Stand up straight
• Keep your arms uncrossed
• Lean in slightly when talking to someone
• Nod occasionally to show that you are listening

Don’t:

• Cross your arms
• Clench your fists
• Fidget
• Slouch
• Stare

Just as important as what we say is how we say it and that applies to body language as well.

As a small business owner, it’s crucial to be aware of the message your body language is sending.

Name Your Emotions

When it comes to our emotions, we must have a handle on them. Naming them can help us do just that. By giving each emotion a specific name, we can more easily identify and understand what we’re feeling.

This can be especially helpful when we’re struggling to make sense of a complex emotion or when we’re trying to communicate how we’re feeling to someone else.

Naming our emotions also helps us to better understand and manage them.

Example: We know that we tend to get angry easily, we can work on developing strategies for managing our anger before it gets out of control.

Or if we know that we tend to get overwhelmed by sadness, we can work on finding ways to support ourselves when we’re feeling down.

Naming our emotions can also help us to better understand ourselves. For example, by analyzing the emotions that are most commonly associated with our names, we can start to get a sense of what things in life might make us happy or unhappy.

We can also use this information to better understand why we respond the way we do to certain situations.

Next time you’re feeling something strong, take a moment to stop and name it.

See how doing so might help you feel a little bit better understood and a little bit more in control.

Get Enough Sleep

The importance of getting enough sleep is widely known, but often not heeded. Sleep deprivation is linked with a wide range of health problems, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Getting adequate sleep is essential for overall health and well-being.

There are a few things you can do to make sure you get enough sleep. First, establish a regular sleep schedule and stick to it as much as possible. This will help your body get into a rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep at night.

Secondly, create a relaxing bedtime routine that will help you wind down before going to sleep. This can include reading, taking a bath, or doing some light stretching.

Finally, make sure your sleeping environment is dark, quiet, and comfortable to help you drift off into a restful sleep.

Practice Self-compassion

Self-compassion is an important aspect of emotional intelligence for small business owners. When we are hard on ourselves, it can be difficult to be creative or productive.

However, when we practice self-compassion, we are more likely to be kind and understanding to ourselves, even when we make mistakes. This allows us to take risks and be creative, without feeling like we are risking our self-esteem.

In addition, self-compassion allows us to be more emotionally present with others, both in our relationships and in our professional interactions.

One way to practice self-compassion is to treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to a friend.

This means being gentle with yourself, forgiving yourself, and speaking to yourself in a supportive way. It also means recognizing your own needs and taking care of yourself, both physically and emotionally.

When you treat yourself with compassion, you will find that it is easier to be compassionate with others.

Self-compassion is a key ingredient in emotional intelligence, and it can be helpful for small business owners to make sure that they are taking care of themselves emotionally as well as physically.

By practicing self-compassion, you will be more likely to be successful in your business endeavors, and you will also find it easier to maintain healthy personal and professional relationships.

Take Time For Yourself Each Day

Small business owners are under constant pressure to keep their businesses running and meeting deadlines. This can be extremely taxing, both mentally and emotionally. To maintain your emotional intelligence, it’s important to take some time for yourself each day.

During this time, you can relax and recharge your batteries so that you’ll be able to handle whatever the day throws at you.

Additionally, taking some time for yourself will help improve your focus and concentration, which will undoubtedly benefit your business in the long run.

Deal With Stress In Healthy Ways

Small business owners often have to juggle a lot of responsibilities and stress can easily become overwhelming.

But there are healthy ways to deal with stress that can help improve your emotional intelligence.

Some techniques include exercise, meditation, and deep breathing exercises.

By taking care of yourself emotionally, you’ll be better equipped to handle the challenges of running a small business.

Connect With Others

Small business owners can use the emotional intelligence of connecting with others to help their businesses. When small business owners connect with customers on an emotional level, they can create a connection that builds trust and loyalty.

This connection can help small businesses to succeed in the long run by building relationships with customers that last.

When small business owners connect with customers on an emotional level, they can create a connection that builds trust and loyalty.

This connection can help small businesses to succeed in the long run by building relationships with customers that last.

Listen Actively

Listening is a skill that is often underrated, but it is one of the most important skills you can have. When you are actively listening, you are not only hearing the words that are being said, but you are also understanding the message that is being sent.

This can be especially helpful for small business owners who need to be able to understand their customers and employees to provide the best service possible.

Active listening can help you to build better relationships with the people around you. It can also help you to better understand your own emotions and the emotions of others.

This can be helpful for small business owners who need to be able to handle difficult situations calmly and effectively.

Active listening takes practice, but it is worth the effort. By taking the time to learn how to listen actively, you can improve your emotional intelligence.

Use Empathy When Communicating With Others.

When it comes to communication, empathy is key. It can help small business owners to better understand their customers and clients, and increase their emotional intelligence.

By being able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, they can respond to situations in a more understanding and effective way.

This can lead to stronger relationships with customers and clients, and ultimately a more successful business.

Final Thoughts

Emotional intelligence is more important than ever, especially with business and the workplace. Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware and understand your own emotions and the emotions of others.

It’s about being able to regulate your emotions, respond effectively to emotions in others, and create positive relationships.

By understanding and managing their own emotions and the emotions of others, small business owners can create a positive workplace culture, deal effectively with difficult customers, and better understand their employees.

If you want to take your small business to the next level, start by working on your emotional intelligence!

Bio: