Define Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and use your emotions in positive ways as a means of relieving stress, communicating effectively, empathizing with others, and overcoming challenges. It can also help you to connect with your feelings and make informed decisions that matter most. Propounded by writer Daniel Goleman in 1964, it became massively popular in 1995 after the release of his book Emotional Intelligence. Since then, it has found its usage in leadership development, recruitment, driving social media behavior, marketing and even wars.
Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?
There is no question that emotional intelligence (EI) is an essential quality for success in any field. It’s the ability to be aware and understand your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. This awareness allows you to manage relationships effectively and respond appropriately to various situations.
Here are five things every businessperson should know about emotional intelligence:
1. Emotional intelligence can help you better manage stress and overcome obstacles.
2. People with high emotional intelligence are more likely to be successful in their careers because they are better able to communicate and negotiate.
3. You can improve your emotional intelligence by learning how to regulate your emotions, practicing mindfulness, and practicing empathy.
4. Having strong emotional intelligence can also help you develop healthy coping mechanisms in difficult situations.
5. Finally, emotional intelligence can help you stay motivated in your career despite setbacks or changes.
what are the 4 types of emotional intelligence?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of what emotional intelligence actually is. But according to experts, there are a few key components to emotional intelligence:
1) Self-Awareness – being aware of your own emotions, thoughts, and feelings;
2) Self-Regulation – being able to control your emotions in response to situations;
3) Empathy – being able to understand and sympathize with others’ emotions; and
4) Social Skills – being competent at interacting with other people. Taken together, these skills can help you work effectively in both personal and professional settings.
Many believe, that Motivation is the fifth dimension of Emotional Intelligence.
Here’s a look at each of the four components of emotional intelligence and how they can benefit you:
Self-awareness: Self-awareness gives you a leg up in managing your own emotions. If you know what’s going on inside your head, you’re more likely to be able to recognize when something’s triggering an emotional response and work to deal with it head-on instead of letting it build until it explodes. This can help you stay calm under pressure and make better decisions based on information that’s fully accurate.
Self-regulation: Just like your body needs the energy to function optimally, so too does your brain. Before you can make good decisions and handle stressful situations, your brain needs to be able to work optimally under pressure. The more consciously you regulate distress, the better you can use this information to direct your emotions in a positive productive way.
Empathy: For leaders, empathy is important to maintain a successful group of people. Leaders with empathy are able to put themselves in someone else’s position. They help develop the team on their team, challenge those who are acting unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen to those that need it. These ideas of empathy have gained particular relevance in a post-pandemic world where COVID-19 had devastating impacts on our lives and the way we see the workforce.
Social intelligence: Successful people are generally well-liked by others, and that positivity trickles down onto them as an encouraging force for success and happiness. Being in healthy relationships also inspires a person to give back to those around them instead of remaining isolated for the sake of being alone. If you’re exposed to an environment of support and encouragement from trusted people throughout your life, you’ll have a greater chance of reaching career goals and managing daily challenges with happiness instead of frustration or sense
Benefits of Emotional Intelligence
In today’s world, it is more important than ever to have emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence can be described as the ability to be aware and understand your own emotions, and the emotions of others. Here are some of the many benefits of emotional intelligence:
1. You are better able to handle stress. When you have a strong sense of self-awareness and control over your emotions, you are less likely to let stress get the best of you. This can help you cope better with challenging situations or stressful events.
2. You are more likely to be successful in relationships. Having strong emotional intelligence skills means that you can better understand and communicate with others. This can make relationships more fulfilling and productive.
3. You are better able to empathize with others. When you understand and empathize with the emotions of other people, they tend to feel more comfortable in your presence. This can lead to improved social interactions and relationships overall.
4. You are less likely to suffer from depression or anxiety disorders. A well-developed emotional intelligence can help combat mood disorders like depression and anxiety by enhancing positive self-esteem and self-awareness.
5. You are better able to achieve your desired goals in life. Because you are better able to understand others and adaptable in the social realm, you tend to achieve better results when raised correctly in life. You are not likely a fool for taking advice or listening to someone who does not know your goals, believes differently from you, or disagrees with you.
6. You have more influence in your chosen profession as well as on networking relationships overall. Because you are more positive about working collaboratively with other people, those around you often instill the same attitude into themselves as well.
7. Your self-assertion and social assertiveness can be heightened resulting in improved self-esteem and confidence upon seeing that approach is taken meaningfully regardless of the manner of struggle (positive interaction vs aggression) earning greatly increased certainty
Impacts of Higher Levels of Emotional Intelligence
According to Forbes, organizations with high levels of emotional intelligence (EI) outperform those with low levels by up to 20%. Here’s why:
1. They are better at predicting and responding to customer needs.
2. They have a greater ability to Innovate.
3. They’re more productive overall and their teams are easier to manage.
4. They have stronger relationships with their customers and employees.
5. They’re less likely to experience workplace conflict
can emotional intelligence be taught/ Learned?
Many believe emotional intelligence cannot be taught or learned. As an individual, you are born with those qualities. Your upbringing, demographics, geography, and social factors play a very important role. Some believe that these ideas need to be inculcated from childhood. Hence Emotional Intelligence is gradually becoming a part of school curriculums. However, many academicians believe that these skills can be very well taught to corporates.
Evolution and history of Emotional Intelligence
Although the term “emotional intelligence” is relatively new, it has gained immensely more interest since 1990.
Edward Thorndike was an early psychologist to first formally identify social intelligence, which is the ability to understand and interact with other people. David Wechsler proposed that different dimensions of intelligence, such as social intelligence and intellectual ability, can help determine success.
The 1950s was a way of thinking in the humanistic psychology school. Abraham Maslow focused on different ways people could build emotional strength over the years.
Emotional intelligence is more than just a single, general ability. Howard Gardner introduced the notion of multiple intelligences in the mid-1970s, introducing the idea that there are many types of intelligence, such as interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence.
The term “emotional intelligence” was used for the first time in a doctoral dissertation by Wayne Payne in 1985. The term was popularized in 1987 when an article published in Mensa Magazine, Keith Beasley, used the term “emotional quotient”.
Goleman finally published the idea of how Emotional Intelligence transforms leadership
EQ vs IQ : A Pertinent Debate?
Most people think of emotional intelligence (EQ) as a differentiator than IQ. But is EQ really that different? And why is it so important?
The first thing to understand is that EQ and IQ are not binary conditions – people do not have just one or the other. Rather, EQ is about how well someone regulates their emotions, thought processes and behaviors. Both IQ and EQ are important for success in life.
IQ is often seen as the key metric for success in school and in the workplace. But there are many areas of life where being emotionally intelligent can be just as key. For example, people who are emotionally intelligent tend to be better at communication, problem-solving, and salesmanship. They also tend to have healthier relationships, lower stress levels, and more productive careers.
So why is emotional intelligence so important? There are a few reasons. First, people who are emotionally intelligent tend to be happier and healthier overall. In fact, research shows that having higher emotional intelligence can even improve one’s IQ score! That’s because EQ allows people to better regulate their thoughts and emotions – which in turn leads to smarter decisions and better overall performance.
Why are Managers Choosing EQ over IQ?
The importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace has been increasingly recognized in recent years. Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to be aware of and manage one’s own emotions, and the emotions of others. It is considered to be one of the most important skills for success in today’s workplace.
There are a number of reasons why managers may choose to focus on emotional intelligence over IQ when recruiting new employees. First, IQ can be static—it doesn’t change very much over time. On the other hand, emotional intelligence can grow and develop over time, which makes it a more valuable skill to have. Second, IQ tests assess cognitive abilities only. However, emotional intelligence includes factors such as empathy and self-awareness, which are important in recognizing and managing problems. Finally, studies have shown that people who are emotionally intelligent are ultimately more successful than those who only have high IQs.
Tips to Enhance Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is your ability to understand and react to the emotions of both yourself and others. It affects the way you think, feel and behave. You should become more aware of your emotional states in order to better manage them so you can be a better person who communicates effectively and builds strong relationships with others.
Use these tips as a jumping-off point to unpack the fundamentals of emotional intelligence.
Tip 1: Practice-“Feeling”: It is hard to notice your emotions when you live a busy lifestyle. Set a timer during the day and take a few deep breaths when it goes off. Pay attention to where your emotions are manifesting in your body, what they feel like, and where they are located. With time, it will become second nature.
Tip 2: Observe: You can observe your behavior to know how you are reacting to your emotions. Managing our emotions becomes easier with time, once we become more conscious of how we react to them.
Tip 3: Spend time for yourselves: Spend time in this hyper-connected world reading the other side of the story and being challenged with new thoughts. Spend time meditating or reading books or developing a serious hobby
Tip 4: Using Positive Affirmations: Positive emotions from celebrations and reflections on life are essential for succeeding. The ability to feel happiness helps you to have better relationships in your life and become more resilient.
Tip 5: Reflect on Negative Emotions:
Reflecting on negative emotions is just as important as reflecting on positive ones. Putting more thought into understanding why you feel the way you do, is key to being a well-round person and is able to tackle any issues better.
There are various situations that can cause you stress. To regulate your emotions, remember to breathe. Take a break in order to calm yourself before making any decisions.
Tip 6: Building a Self Awareness Regime: Self-awareness is the ability to recognize your own thoughts and actions. The more self-aware you are, the better you can understand yourself, others, and your environment to be better able to react to your choices and actions.
If you’re struggling with body image (and who isn’t), it’s time to take a break to think about your flaws
Remember not to argue with them, even if they’re wrong. Input from those who know you about your strengths and weaknesses eases the process of self-evaluation.
Tip 7: Write a diary: Writing an accurate diary is a great way to get a good assessment of your habits. Journals are fantastic for documenting details that are important and trending in your life.
Tip 8: Find your key Driver to Motivation: When you start a project, make sure it knows your core motivator and use it to push yourself through the project. With people failing because they lose their motivators, make sure you understand what motivates you.
Tip 9: Find Ways to Relax your Body: Sometimes we can become emotionally distraught if we don’t take the time to be mindful of our feelings. Give yourself a break and find ways to create some space for yourself, such as through meditation, yoga, or reading – a little escapism is good for the soul. When you next experience a strong emotion in response to something, take a moment to pause before reacting.
Tip 10: Eat Well: Try your best to eat healthily. This can have a big effect on how you feel!
Samrat is a Delhi-based MBA from the Indian Institute of Management. He is a Strategy, AI, and Marketing Enthusiast and passionately writes about core and emerging topics in Management studies. Reach out to his LinkedIn for a discussion or follow his Quora Page