What is Emotional Intelligence?

The concept of emotional intelligence has become a very hot topic of psychological research in recent years, especially in regards to how it affects today’s workforce. Businesses are essentially people, so anything that impacts the effectiveness of people’s minds also impacts the businesses they run or work for. In fact, many experts now believe that a person’s emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) may be more important than their IQ and is certainly a better predictor of success, quality of relationships, and overall happiness.

It’s interesting to note how the concept of emotional intelligence has evolved over the years, from its inception as something called “social intelligence” all the way back in the 1930’s, to “emotional strength” in the mid-20^th century, to its current terminology, “emotional intelligence.”

But whatever we call it, emotional intelligence is, in layman’s terms, our level of ability to:

Recognize and understand our emotions and reactions (self-awareness)

Manage, control, and adapt our emotions, mood, reactions, and responses (self-management)

Harness our emotions to motivate ourselves to take appropriate action, commit, follow-through, and work toward the achievement of our goals (motivation)

Discern the feelings of others, understand their emotions, and utilize that understanding to relate to others more effectively (empathy)

Build relationships, relate to others in social situations, lead, negotiate conflict, and work as part of a team (social skills)

So, why is Emotional Intelligence Important?

Leadership – The ability to understand what motivates others, relate in a positive manner, and to build stronger bonds with others in the workplace inevitably makes those with higher emotional intelligence better leaders. An effective leader can recognize what the needs of his people are, so that those needs can be met in a way that encourages higher performance and workplace. An emotionally savvy and intelligent leader is also able to build stronger teams by strategically utilizing the emotional diversity of their team members to benefit the team as a whole.

Emotional intelligence is still not completely understood, but what we do know is that emotions play a very critical role in the overall quality of our personal and professional lives, more critical even than our actual measure of brain intelligence. While tools and technology can help us to learn and master information, nothing can replace our ability to learn, manage, and master our emotions and the emotions of those around us.

What do you think? Do share your views!!

Ref: Lifehack