Embracing Emotional Intelligence and Neurodiversity - the positive impacts on the workplace

Most people are familiar with the concept of the Intelligence Quotient, more commonly known as IQ, a score that is provided as a result of completing a variety of standardised tests of intelligence. But many professionals in the field of neurodiversity aren’t generally huge fans of IQ on its own, as it doesn’t capture the significant strengths and challenges that an individual with a neurodiverse condition would demonstrate on an ‘intelligence’ test. 

A related concept, that many people are unfamiliar with, is Emotional Quotient (EQ) or frequently called Emotional Intelligence. EQ is an ability to understand and regulate your emotions, as well as an ability to understand other people and how to work cooperatively with them. EQ researchers have identified five key categories of emotional intelligence:

·       Self-Awareness: The ability to recognise your own emotions

·       Self-Regulation: The ability to manage your emotions and adapt to new situations

·       Motivation: The ability to motivate yourself to achieve short- and long-term goals

·       Empathy: The ability to recognise the feelings of others

·       Social Skills: The ability to communicate and collaborate with other people

EQ skills are not easy to master. Aristotle probably said it best in his Nicomachean Ethics:

“Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power, that is not easy.”

EQ skills can be much more challenging for neurodiverse individuals, especially if they have difficulties with social interaction or imagination like in Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC), or if they experience difficulties with motivation as can sometimes be seen in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

However, like is the case with most skills, we can work to improve our EQ abilities, and there is mounting evidence to suggest that good EQ skills can lead to improvements in both personal and professional endeavours. For example, high EQ promotes productivity, a positive workplace culture and allows for effective communication and decision making. Daniel Goleman, who is a prominent psychologist in this area, further explains that diversity can actually fuel EQ in the workplace. This means that the more diverse a team is, the higher the team EQ levels are. Therefore it is important for us to be aware of and make use of the diversity and neurodiversity in our organisations to support our teams to have high EQ levels. Now, we already know that at least 15% of the population are neurodiverse, but how many people does that equate to on your team, or in your department, or in your office building? With the right support, we know that these individuals can thrive at work and can therefore be a valuable asset to team EQ levels.

So how can we develop our EQ skills in everyday life?

·       Practising mindfulness, particularly sensory-based mindfulness, can be beneficial to help develop our self-awareness.

·       Conducting self-reflections can also build our self-awareness of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

·       We can also consider developing in our active listening skills to support us to empathise and communicate with others.

·       Another way to develop EQ is to practise gratitude. We know that gratitude can lead us to feel happier and more satisfied with our lives, and this subjective wellbeing is often linked to high EQ.

Our team at Lexxic can also support neurodiverse individuals and their organisations to develop their EQ skills. This can take the form of Screening or Diagnostic Assessments for individuals to help them gain an understanding and self-awareness of their condition, and we can also provide virtual awareness sessions to groups and teams to provide overviews of conditions and how they can be supported in the workplace.

Lexxic can also offer specialist coaching to support individuals or groups to develop their active listening skills or mindfulness techniques. Lastly, we can partner with your organisation to be Neurodiversity Smart via a strategic change program to help shape a working environment and culture where neurodiverse individuals flourish.

Mellissa Warrender, Assistant Psychologist, Lexxic

To find out more about how Lexxic can support yourself, your team and/or your organisation, please contact us:

Email: enquiry@lexxic.com
Tel: +44 (0) 845 643 2754