Emotional Intelligence is Critical in Today’s World — Build Yours with Trailhead

Trailhead is partnering with Arizona State University to empower anyone to build their Emotional Intelligence, a vital skill for remote collaboration and hybrid workforces.

T o keep things fresh, we’ve updated this, one of our most popular posts. See the latest version here.

Last year, everything rapidly changed. Overnight, kitchens became our classrooms. Zoom meetings became our hangout spots. Phones became our storefronts. We had to find new ways to live, connect, and work.

With remote collaboration and hybrid workforces being the new normal, soft skills including emotional intelligence, empathetic communication, and relationship building are more important than ever.

Strong Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is essential to succeed in today’s work-from-anywhere world. In fact, social and emotional abilities were found to be four times more important than IQ in determining professional success.

Employees need to use emotion-based skills to navigate an increasingly dynamic social work environment.

An exciting new partnership

That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that Trailhead is partnering with Arizona State University (ASU) to launch two new badges that empower anyone to skill up their EQ.

Ranked the most innovative university in the nation for the sixth year in a row by U.S. News & World Report, ASU is dedicated to academic excellence. Now, we’ve transformed ASU’s expert course curriculum on EQ into bite-sized content that you can access anytime, anywhere on Trailhead.

ASU’s dedication to accessibility aligns with our mission of breaking down barriers to learning by making in-demand skills and education available to anyone. We’re excited to join forces and bring you this highly valuable soft skills content.

Get started with Emotional Intelligence

Researchers have relied on IQ tests to measure a person’s reasoning, but these tests alone don’t account for the full range of your thinking abilities.

As individuals, we are also emotional, creative, and artistic, so the definition of intelligence has expanded in the last 20 years to include a wider set of skills. EQ refers to one’s ability to recognize, manage, and regulate emotion.

As workplace dynamics become more complex, the demand for emotionally intelligent employees has never been higher.

With the new Develop Emotional Intelligence trail, anyone can strengthen relationships at work using EQ strategies from ASU, with modules on:

• Emotional Intelligence: Discover how to use self-awareness and self-management to strengthen relationships and be more productive.
• Relationship Building: Learn how to respond to your teammates with empathy and foster an environment of trust.

No matter their starting point, anyone can hone these skills and consciously develop their EQ. Together with relationship building, EQ is especially important if you are, or aspire to be, a leader in your organization and need to develop skills in building trust, inspiring others, and working well with teammates.

To work well with others and develop relationships, it’s important to practice self-awareness, self-management, and empathy. The more we practice, the better we get at developing trust, inspiring others, and solving problems together.

Grow your Emotional Intelligence

With a brand new level of interactivity, this trail enables you to truly grow your EQ skills. The modules provide you with space and opportunity to pause, think about your situation, and apply the EQ practices you learn in each module to real-life business scenarios.

As you reflect on how you can apply EQ, complete the click-and-drag activities and fill-in-the-blank prompts throughout the content. While optional, the activity gives you a starting point to see how you engage with EQ in the workplace.

Stay productive, take action

Skilling up in EQ not only helps you stay productive and take smarter action but also gives you more control over your career and helps you make more of an impact at your company.

This trail was developed in collaboration with ASU to introduce you to the elements of EQ. If you want to learn more, explore ASU’s online course.

EQ skills build off of one another, and developing them puts you in a great place to work successfully with your team, whether in the office or virtually. Take the Develop Emotional Intelligence trail today!