Success Advice

Social Intelligence: Great Relationships Ensure Your Workplace Success

Published

4 years ago

Oct 24, 2019

Image Credit: Unsplash

I always believe that happy and fearless employees produce greater results and it reflects in their productivity scale, efficiency levels and the entire disposition. A buoyant office atmosphere implies that your employees are beaming with confidence, humility, knowledge, poise, enthusiasm, and congeniality. They love to talk, help others, crack a silly joke, party hard, and work harder!

However, every office has some employees who avoid interacting with others. They have their own reasons behind this aloofness and indifference – some call it their love for privacy, for some it is introversion, some give an excuse of being busy, and then there are those who find it difficult to break the walls that they build around themselves. Although space is important for all of us to grow without suffocating, it’s pretty lonely at the top if you don’t have your comrades with you.

As a matter of fact, organizations are expected to cultivate a more intelligent and emotionally connected workplace where we learn to hit a balance between personal space and professional bonding. This is where Social Intelligence comes into play. Organizations that embrace Social Intelligence as a pivotal part of their corporate culture have the capability to sort out multiple employee issues, effortlessly!

What exactly is Social Intelligence?

It was the American psychologist named Edward Thorndike who first brought the concept of Social Intelligence to the forefront in the year 1920. As per his definition, it is “The ability to understand and manage men and women and boys and girls, to act wisely in human relations.”

In simple layman terms, it is our ability to act, speak and listen to others with intelligence and tact and without any preconceived notions or judgements. It is not taught in schools or colleges; it is collected wisdom that one learns over a period of time through life experiences.

Socially intelligent individuals are sensitive towards others’ feelings, they are open to ideas apart from their own, they are unbiased, they talk and act sensibly without jumping to conclusions, and they are avid listeners. These people seem to be calm and self-assured even in the midst of chaos and pressures and will act totally in control in a larger crowd.

Now, imagine how your office can turn into the best place under the sun if most of your co-workers would possess this skill and acumen! It will not only breed healthy relationships but can ease out most of the work-related frustrations and stress, which otherwise can lead to employee depression, inefficiencies, and a higher attrition rate!

“The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and influence their actions.” – John Hancock

Social Intelligence is not just a theory

It is a way of life – especially at our workplace where we spend most of the day. After all, who would want to come across as a serious-looking snob who hardly looks at anyone except the laptop! It is easy to be unapproachable, but it is fun to be approachable by all.

Your social intelligence is your ability to gel well with people around you and your aptitude to build strong and cognitive relationships with them. According to management consultant and author Albrecht “a lack of social intelligence can doom even the best and brightest in the workforce”.

The significance is immense

Basically, social intelligence at the workplace is more than just getting along with people. It defines how good you are at developing relationships with people that can build confidence in them. It creates an overall atmosphere where everyone works harder and performs better with enhanced commitment and productivity. This also leads to an office with less conflicts.

Social intelligence makes us emotionally responsible and well-connected people who are fully capable of motivating, encouraging, and inspiring fellow colleagues not only to work harder and perform better, but also to cultivate an ambiance of trust, love, and wisdom in the workplace.

Having the skill to deal with people from various backgrounds and beliefs with compassion is an art everyone should embrace, as it is one of the most essential ingredients of professional success and personal happiness.

“What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” – Confucius

The keyword lies in ‘Empathy’

Now, the question is…how to become more socially intelligent towards our fellow employee and express genuine empathy towards them? These 10 simple steps can help you in the long run.

Avoid being biased and prejudiced: Get rid of your personal biases, prejudices and thought process and be more welcoming to others’ ideas, insights and open. Look at things from people’s views.
Don’t judge colleagues based on your beliefs and preferences: You might have acquired beliefs and inclinations based on your own experiences and likings but don’t force others to accept them.
Apply Design Thinking in your day-to-day life: Analyse a given problem and take the following tactical steps:

- Empathize
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test to solve it

Start looking at things from others’ viewpoints: It’s important to sometimes keep differences away and look at situations from others’ viewpoint. This offers multiple solutions to a given issue.
Do take criticisms constructively: Keep your negative emotions like ego, jealousy, insecurities, greed, and anger at bay when you enter the workplace. Most of your disputes are born out of them.
Stick to your commitment once it’s made: Be a person of your word and don’t give excuses that you were busy, so you overlooked your previously made promises. It breaks trust and reliance!
Feel free to communicate openly: Ensure to share your opinions openly and find time to listen to your co-workers challenges, fears and worries. It always helps to heal a heavy heart by being all ears!
Always carry your smile wherever you go: Remember, people won’t know about your personal struggles and hence they wouldn’t deserve your harsh words. Smile and the world will smile at you!
Come out of your comfort zone: Being an introvert and retreating in your shell doesn’t always help. Try to mingle with others, break the ice and let go of past disagreements. It’s good to forget and forgive!
Inspire, encourage and motivate people: It’s beautiful to inspire people to do something unique and follow their heart, encourage them to go the extra mile, motivate them to get the best done and appreciate them generously for even the slightest achievement.

Together, we can make our workplace an interesting and fun place where we all would look forward to coming every morning!

How do you build relationships with people at work? Has it helped you gain a promotion or anything else? Share your thoughts with us below!

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Sonali Datta

Sonali Datta brings over 10 years of practical experience in analyzing, exploring and writing for IT, enterprise software, IT security, startup tips, business strategy, technological innovations, enterprise mobility, digital technologies, and business sustainability. With an extensive background of working with global IT and software companies, she maintains a customer-centric, value-driven and problem-solving approach in her write-ups and she is currently working for Scalefusion. Head over to their Facebook page to check them out!

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All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

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How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

Published

3 weeks ago

Nov 16, 2023

Jamelle Sanders

Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness.

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be.

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time.

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.