There’s little controversy over the value of emotional intelligence (EI). Yet most efforts still focus on arguing its importance without much, if any, organizational scaffolding in place to support its pursuit.

This article gets right to what you can do, right now. These are everyday opportunities anyone can take to support and develop EI for individual and organizational growth.

But first… a refresher

Emotional intelligence entered management vernacular in 1990 with an article by psychologists John Mayer and Peter Salovey, then catapulted to buzzword status with Daniel Goleman’s book in 1995.

We’re still talking about it because it’s challenging to measure and achieve, and more important than ever.

EQ (emotional quotient) is equally (perhaps more) important than IQ (intelligence quotient) when it comes to performance and leadership. Technical aptitude is the basic job requirement; understanding and managing emotions in oneself and others is the key to next-level accomplishment. The World Economic Forum predicts EI will be a top ten job skill by 2020.

“Those that want to stay relevant in their professions will need to focus on skills and capabilities that artificial intelligence has trouble replicating — understanding, motivating, and interacting with human beings.” – Barry Libert, CEO, OpenMatters

Bonusly previously explained the key advantages for EQ: self-awareness, self-regulation, internal motivation, empathy, and social skills. It makes for a more present, engaged, collaborative, and innovative workforce. If you’re still not convinced emotions are important in the workplace, there’s also an article for that.

And now… better strategies

Whether an intern or CEO, everyone in their everyday work can improve their emotional intelligence to better manage, influence, and relate to others. And they play important roles in developing EI in others beyond the standard training session.

We identified some emotional intelligence training opportunities you’re likely to find hiding in your everyday life at work. Although many of these strategies could be uesful for any job function, we organized them into categories to make it quick and easy to find the strategies you’re looking for: