For engineers in South Africa’s mining and manufacturing sector to remain competitive and achieve growth, they need to recognise the role that emotional intelligence plays in business growth and career development.

This is the view of leading management systems and assessment tool provider, Thomas International.

According to the company an engineer’s management style can be ineffective if it has an ‘all head and no heart’ approach is more common in the engineering industry than one might think because many engineers, while having a high IQ, lack emotional intelligence (EQ).

EQ the foundation for critical traits

Fiona Millar, New Business Development Manager at Thomas International, says the solution to this challenge begins with assessing individual EQ.  This is because EQ is the foundation for critical traits and competencies vital to productivity and individual performance.

A lack of EQ can affect decision making, empathy, team work, presentation skills, communication, accountability, and trust. “This is where our solutions will make a difference,” says Millar. “Many people don’t realise that that while you are unlikely to change the personality traits associated with EQ, you can most definitely develop and modify the observable behaviours displayed by these individuals.”

Self-awareness at the heart of EQ

Behavioural competencies that typically require the most development among engineers include self-awareness, conflict management, influencing skills and inspirational leadership according to Millar.

“Self-awareness lies at the heart of emotional intelligence. Without it, an individual’s chance of demonstrating strength in other areas is low. With it, he or she is likely to shine,” she explains.

“There are numerous benefits to investing time and effort into understanding EQ. These include highly improved communication, workplace engagement, team effectiveness and conflict resolution,” says Millar.