What Is Emotional Intelligence & Why Does It Matter In Veterinary Medicine?

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a hip and trendy concept, but is it all it’s cracked up to be? Should busy veterinary professionals take the time to understand and implement it into their practice strategies?

The concept of emotional intelligence has been around since the early 1900s; however, it was not actually defined until 1990 by Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.”¹ Then, in 1996, Daniel Goleman brought the concept to the mainstream with his book Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ.²

In the last 15 to 20 years, research has supported the assertion that EQ is more important than IQ as a predictor of success in the workplace.³ The veterinary profession should therefore take note, because EQ is not a fad—it is a robust concept that can help practices move into the knowledge era by tapping into the skills necessary to successfully navigate the changing world. Developing an emotionally intelligent veterinary team can improve not only team engagement but also financial health. 

Research shows that emotional intelligence, which can be broken down into four basic skills, or quadrants, can be learned by first understanding and then practicing each skill.<sup4 sup> 

Related Article: Emotional Intelligence

1. Self-Awareness: The ability to accurately perceive, and remain aware of, one’s own emotions

This quadrant is the cornerstone to emotional intelligence but is often overlooked because individuals may find it difficult to align themselves with reality. However, to lead others well, we must have an authentic understanding of ourselves. Becoming self-aware requires honest self-appraisal; the key is to listen to others who will give honest feedback and to look in the mirror first, before suggesting ways others should improve. We can ultimately change only ourselves. 

Activities that encourage self-awareness include: 

• Journaling (ie, keeping a written record of personal thoughts, experiences, and emotions)

• Journaling with question-and-answer assignments. For example, list 3 situations when you felt happiest.  What made you happy? What makes you fearful?  When do you feel angry or frustrated? What kinds of situations and/or people are your triggers? Why do you do the things you do?

• Feedback

• Personality assessments (eg, MBTI, DiSC)

• Working with a professional coach.

Related Article: Considering the Case for Emotional Intelligence

2. Self-Management: The ability to be aware of one’s own emotions, stay flexible, and positively direct behavior

As we better understand ourselves, we can manage our emotions and behaviors instead of just reacting. Whether we are angry, fearful, sad, or happy, learning to override any automatic reaction is an essential self-management skill. Simple actions such as counting to 10 and paying attention to breathing may help. To encourage self-management:

• Think about a situation when you automatically reacted negatively. What triggered that response? Could it have been avoided? What were the ramifications? How can future negative responses be avoided?

3. Social Awareness: The ability to accurately interpret and understand others’ emotions   

Improving your social awareness often involves improving your communication skills. In her article Four Core Communication Skills of Highly Effective Practitioners, researcher Jane Shaw outlines the critical communication skills necessary for a practitioner to be not only more effective, but also more socially aware.⁵ Learning to interpret nonverbal cues, ask open-ended questions, and use reflective/active listening, and knowing how and when to use empathic statements increases social awareness.

4. Relationship Management: The ability to use awareness of one’s own and others’ emotions to manage interactions successfully

Veterinary medicine is all about relationships—with team members, clients, patients, and vendors—and learning the skills in the emotional intelligence quadrants will help improve relationship management. Author Darren Dahl lists 11 skills that may improve a veterinarian’s ability to manage relationships in his or her practice in How to Build Better Business Relationships⁶:

1. Encourage honest feedback2. Listen more than talk3. Have a routine4. Be honest5. Take notes6. Give more than receive7. Be proactive8. Be real9. Turn blunders into opportunities10. Make it personal11. Meet face-to-face.

Many difficult situations in practice have little to do with the actual practice of veterinary medicine―they result from team members’ miscommunication, assumptions, and lack of self-control. As the authors of Guidelines for Best Practice state, increasing your practice emotional intelligence is a sure-fire first step toward creating a successful practice where the entire team is engaged and the bottom line is thriving.⁷