Read a stack of resumes and you’ll probably see lots of references to decision-making skills, leadership experience, and technical training. But increasingly, companies are prioritizing emotional intelligence (sometimes called EQ or EI) above many other traits. A new Harvard study finds that more C-suite job descriptions than ever before include keywords focused on social skills.

That’s a good thing, says Liz Colizza, a licensed professional counselor and the director of research and programs at Talkspace, an online and mobile-therapy company. “Emotional intelligence makes for more clear communication and ensures that everyone’s voices are heard and problems are solved more easily,” Colizza said. Further, “emotionally intelligent people are more able to keep cool under pressure to resolve conflicts and make better decisions.”

Research supports the idea that emotional intelligence is an asset at work: In one study, researchers administered an emotional-intelligence inventory test to 186 executives and found that those with higher EQs were more likely to helm companies that earned high profits. Another study found that employees with higher EQs tended to perform better at work and even experienced less burnout.

So what is EQ, and why does it make such a difference at work? And–more importantly–what can be done to increase EQ within a company? Read on to learn more.

Tapping Into Curiosity

First things first: Emotional intelligence is not mind-reading. “You’ll never know exactly what someone’s really thinking and feeling,” Colizza said. Instead, it’s about perceiving, evaluating, and (when it comes to your own experience) controlling emotions.

Though EQ has been described in countless ways, many experts break it down into five key components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. And the throughline, Colizza says, is curiosity. If we can approach both others’ point of view and our own experience with curiosity rather than judgment and hesitation, we can tap more deeply into what’s really going on, help others (and ourselves) feel valued and understood, harness strengths, and weather the storms of conflict and change more easily.

Because of past experiences, cultural expectations, and even trauma, many of us have been taught to ignore or suppress our own feelings and keep others’ emotions at arm’s length, Colizza says. But what if we approached feelings in a more open-minded way? Think of it this way: You notice a colleague is looking a little down. What if, instead of, “Yikes,” your first thought is, “I wonder what they’re going through?” That’s an opening to a kinder, more supportive interaction—and it works when you’re going through something yourself, too, Colizza says: Instead of trying to ignore or shut down your own feelings of stress or burnout, what happens if you approach those feelings with open-mindedness and compassion? “Curiosity has to be at the foundation of self-awareness and empathy,” she said. “A lot of people want to be more empathetic and support other people, but we really can’t do that unless we’re empathizing and having compassion for ourselves and our own experience.”

High-EQ Leadership

Though the emotional intelligence of individual employees will always vary, an organization can grow its EQ overall by instilling emotionally intelligent leadership practices, Colizza says. A few ideas managers can consider:

•Observe and wonder: High-EQ leaders pay attention to those around them. If someone doesn’t show up to a meeting they normally attend, or if their tone of voice or other behaviors seem different than usual, they check in (with, you guessed it, curiosity), Colizza says. It’s not an attack (“Why weren’t you at that meeting?!”), it’s a human-to-human conversation (“I noticed you didn’t make it to the meeting today and was curious to know if everything was OK. Is there anything you need?”)

•Let people in: While boundaries are important, and no one needs their boss to dump all their feelings out on the conference table, leaders who let people know how they’re feeling show that it’s OK not to be a robot at work. Think, “I’m feeling nervous about the presentation next week. How are you all feeling?” Or even, “My toddler had a nightmare last night and I’m pretty tired. Anyone want to do a coffee run?”

•Give others an opening: One way to get people talking is to ask an open-ended question at the start of each 1:1 meeting with direct reports, Colizza says. Questions like, “What are you excited about right now in your position?,” feel supportive and intentional.

•Give yourself grace: Managers who welcome feedback and show they want to improve set an important tone. “When you can recognize that you’re not perfect, and you don’t have it all together, you’re so much more freed to accept people giving you feedback and not feel threatened by it,” Colizza said. “You’re less likely to overreact.” That’s a valuable skill for anyone in an organization.

Emotionally Intelligent Policies

At an even higher level, companies can infuse emotional intelligence into the way they do business–instituting policies, benefits, and procedures that facilitate the whole team feeling seen and valued. Some Colizza recommends:

•Review the review process: Performance reviews that are approached with emotional intelligence (on the part of both the manager and the employee) tend to be more helpful and lead to feedback actually being implemented in productive ways. Ensure your company’s reviews are done at regular (but not overwhelmingly frequent) times, and train managers on how to give effective feedback. Offer employees an overview of what to expect, too (perhaps highlighting that everyone gets notes on how to improve), so they’re prepared to receive feedback in an open-minded way instead of taking it as an attack.

•Consider mental health-friendly policies and benefits: Show employees the company is there to support them as a whole person by offering mental health benefits and personal days–and remind people that it’s important to take their vacation days.

•Acknowledge life outside the workplace: During the holidays, back-to-school, or any other time of year when some employees may be under additional stress, HR or leadership can consider reaching out to all employees to let them know HR or their manager is there to help if they need extra support, Colizza suggests. And when difficult, upsetting things are happening in the news, “a lot of good comes from managers even just naming that,” Colizza said. “Something like, ‘We just want to recognize that this is happening in the world, and it may be weighing heavily on people. Please know that I’m here if you need support,’” she suggests. It’s also a time to remind them of mental health and other benefits they can take advantage of.

Essentially, Colizza said, “emotional intelligence at its best is our ability to use our emotional experience to move toward being a more integrated person–and to connect to others in successful ways.”

Anna Maltby is an editor, content strategist, and exercise specialist. She has served as executive editor of Elemental, the health and well-being publication on Medium, as well as deputy editor of Real Simple and Refinery29.