Despite the research data showing that emotional intelligence is partially based on your genetic makeup it has also shown that practice can be significantly enhanced. You can work on improving your soft skills on your own, with a coach, or in a combination of two.

Self Development

The first helpful step in the process of improving your emotional intelligence is identifying the main challenges of your current job. This will help you decide where to focus your energy.

Second, focus on just a few skills. To be successful, you don’t have to master every single one at the same time. The best results may be observed if you pick those that are most relevant to your current situation and those that would you with your aspirations for the future. For example, if your current challenge is leading a group of people who are senior to you in expertise or statue, you could try to concentrate on improving your Coaching competency. Your timeline for individual traits improvement is 12-24 months.

At the same time, try not to overlook the areas where you are already doing well. For instance, working on a cross-departmental initiative may tell you that Teamwork & Collaboration are very important to your current and future success.  

Hiring a Coach

While conventional training approach is an alternative, it is less likely to be as effective as hiring a coach. The training needs to be personalized to be effective, tailored specifically to your needs, consisting of insightful and actionable feed and someone by your side who will help you stay motivated. The changes often seem slow and the results too subtle at first. It is more difficult to learn empathy as a natural response to people than it is to learn Excel or being proficient at reading financial statements.