18 Nov Emotional Intelligence
IQ or EQ, that is the question!
To make your dreams come true and obtain success, you must have a high EQ. This means that to reach happiness, and nurture healthy relationships, you need to have emotional intelligence a.k.a. EQ. This is the ability to recognize, use, comprehend, and manage with full awareness your own emotions, as well as those of others. Critical at work when it comes to interpersonal communication, it represents a must-have skill to seek in your future employees. Studies have shown that your IQ contributes to the 20% of your success in life, the remaining 80% derives from your emotional intelligence!
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize, understand, and manage emotions. A person with a high EQ is able to recognize his own emotional state and the one of the people around. In addition, with a high EQ one can better relate to others, have healthier relationships, obtain more results at work, make better decisions, manage stress, communicate with others, and live a fulfilling life.
At Work
Why is it important to hire people who have emotional intelligence?
In the last few decades, researchers studying emotion psychology have focused on how our cognitive processes and emotions interact, and how they end up influencing our thinking process. Take into consideration the way certain emotions such as anger, fear, happiness, influence our behaviors and subsequently our decision-making process.
Emotional intelligence is important at work because it can lead to better business decisions; an emotionally intelligent employee is more likely to keep his calm in stressful circumstances; employees with a high EQ are better at resolving conflicts; leaders with a high EQ tend to have a much greater empathy; emotionally intelligent people tend to listen more, ponder, and collaborate with constructive criticism.
Researches have shown also that employees with higher EQ tend to perform better when it comes to interpersonal activities, leadership, and stress management.
Emotional intelligence is a quality that is important at every level of a person’s career. Whether you are at your very first job just out of school, or if you are a CEO of a company; if you seek success at work to make your career strong or escalate to the top, emotional intelligence is essential to your success.
Let’s be clear on how this all works. The abilities that rule your emotional intelligence work in synergy with your cognitive skills. If your task at work is very complex, the amount of emotional intelligence you will have to use will be critical.
Every company has its own philosophy, its values, and its own way to handle processes. However, all the key competences at work are habits we learn over time. If you do not master a particular skill or competence, you can work at it to improve. These improvements though, cannot happen without being aware of how these habits are working against you. This is the reason why Daniel Goleman, author of “Emotional Intelligence”, defines Awareness as the very first competence of Emotional Intelligence. [If you would like to learn more about Awareness, be sure to follow my next article!]
Goleman suggested that while traditional intelligence is a quality connected to leadership success, it is not enough by itself. Being successful at work does not mean you are simply a smart individual – it also indicates that you have a substantial dose of emotional intelligence.
Are you emotionally intelligent?
A person with emotional intelligence knows how to read between the lines, recognizes and interprets correctly the signs of nonverbal communication, and understands the emotional state of others. This is a person able to value others, a leader in a team, and a mediator when conflicts arise.
Who is emotionally intelligent carries a wave of natural confidence, is able to bring out the best in those around, and makes you feel good and comfortable. When in complicated and stressful situations, a person with a high EQ will tend to stay focused on the resolutions. In general, a person with a good emotional intelligence sees things with a positive light, and believes that everything will work out.
Can I improve my EQ?
Yes you can! If you are truly serious about working on yourself and improving your emotional intelligence, at work as well as at home, start with these 5 tips:
- Become more self-aware – Think about how you feel at any given moment of your day. Be more in touch with your emotions, and accept the fact that they change rapidly. Understand deeply where you are and why.
- Self-regulate – You need to be able to manage what you are feeling. If you have good self-regulation, you will adapt to changing situations in a more efficient way. Think before you act, learn how to say no, and shift your thoughts to prevent the emotions from taking over you.
- Practice active listening – When you meet someone, show attention, ask questions, and provide genuine feedback. Whether you are in a management role or you are simply a team member, active listening will show that you are aligned and passionate about work projects and goals.
- Pay attention to nonverbal communication – Observe with care the signals that people send through their body language because they can say a great deal about what they really think.
- Work on your empathy – Empathy is essential to raising your emotional intelligence. It is more than just recognizing how others are feeling, it is a way to gain other people’s respect. Work on your empathy to comprehend the state of mind of those around you.
Where do you think you stand? Do you possess these five abilities? Or do you need to work on some of them?
Conclusion
Successful people are those who have good emotional intelligence. If you have a high EQ you will know how to manage anxiety, handle difficult situations, relate to others, and stand up again after a bad fall. The ability to recognize and manage your own emotions, at work and in your personal life, is by far the most crucial and important ability to acquire.
If you are looking to hire a great candidate for your company, make sure you ask the right questions during the interview process. You could start from these 3 for example:
“What inspires you, and why?”
“What are your top 4 values when it comes to everyday business?”,
and
“In your previous job, were you able to build long-lasting friendship relations with co-workers?”.
EQ, that is the answer.
