What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence is a kind of cognitive aptitude that helps people interact more effectively. Dr Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and behavioural science writer coined the phrase "emotional intelligence" in his book, Emotional Intelligence, published in 1995. Dr Goleman defined emotional intelligence as a person’s ability to identify, regulate, express, and evaluate their emotions effectively. It also involves the ability to recognise, understand and influence the emotions of others. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is the single most important predictor of long-term success.

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?

 

Individuals with high emotional intelligence are more likely to get recruited, promoted, and earn higher wages. Emotional intelligence exhibited in the workplace may result in the development of interpersonal connections, reduction of team tension, defusing of conflict, and the improvement of work satisfaction. Ultimately, the ability to boost team productivity and employee retention results from having a high level of Emotional Intelligence. At a personal level, emotional intelligence helps an individual have difficult but important conversations, regulate emotions, and improve relationships.

Attributes of Emotional Intelligence

 

Emotional intelligence is a must for everyone who aspires to get ahead in life. The pillars of emotional intelligence and how they are advantageous in the workplace include:

 

1. Self-awareness

 

Individuals with high levels of self-awareness can not only recognise and understand their own emotions but other people’s too. If you're feeling anxious, angry, uninspired, or deflated in your job, you must take the time to check in with yourself and figure out why you're feeling this way.

When you're able to identify these feelings and its source, you'll be in a much better position to take appropriate action to resolve the problem.

 

2. Self-management

 

Self-management is the ability to exert control over your emotions rather than allowing them to overwhelm you. This might help create space and take a step back before responding to a stressful situation.

By deciding to sleep on that furious email or phone conversation, you will be able to respond deliberately and with clarity rather than reacting impulsively. Destructive emotions and impulsive behaviour will not only have a detrimental impact on the people around you, but it may also harm your well-being.

 

3. Motivation

 

Emotional intelligence is at the core of what inspires us to remain motivated and problem solve difficult situations instead of giving up. When we encounter setbacks and hurdles, our emotional intelligence motivates us to reflect on the problem before taking the next line of action and remain consistent. Those that lack motivation are more risk-averse (as opposed to problem-solvers), apprehensive, and willing to give up quickly when things become challenging.

In the work setting, a lack of motivation may also cause you to voice your unfavourable views about a project's objectives and responsibilities without much reflection, which may have a detrimental influence on the team's overall mood. The opposite is true for those motivated by ‘success’; they are more likely to put out work they are proud of, solicit feedback, check their progress, encourage themselves, consistently improve their skills and knowledge. It’s simple to understand why employees who are highly motivated are a valuable addition to any organisation.

 

4. Empathy

 

Empathy is the capacity to empathise with others emotionally and consider their emotions, problems, and points of view when deciding. It is a valuable skill to achieve a successful career or relationship because it improves your communication with others.

Furthermore, empathy is a critical component of accepting and respecting other points of view to solve issues and devise creative solutions moving ahead. The ability to recognise and respond appropriately to the emotional needs of those you work with contributes to a positive workplace culture or any relationship.

 

5. Managing interpersonal relationships

 

Managing interpersonal relationships boils down to having interpersonal skills that includes the capacity to develop genuine trust, rapport, and respect among co-workers. Trust building exercises within teams are so important because no matter how intelligent and skilled employees are, it takes a while to develop strong bonds. It is impossible to develop a resilient bond within teams simply by telling them to develop trust, it takes work and intentionality. As such an emotionally intelligent manager would take out time to create activities within teams that builds trust. Outstanding relationship management abilities enable managers to inspire, mentor and develop their team members.