Emotional Intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient is the ability to identify and mange your emotions and understand the emotions of others. It was popularized by a psychologist named Daniel Goleman, who described Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a person’s ability to manage their feelings so that those feelings are expressed appropriately and effectively.
EI is divided into four components of self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness and relationship-management.
Self-Awareness – Understanding your own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, values and drivers. People with high emotional intelligence are usually self aware, they understand their feelings and are able to control their emotions to avoid any unwarranted situations.
Self-Management – It is about being open with your emotions and practicing self control. These people have the ability to manage their emotions effectively. They think before they act.
Social-Awareness – Empathy is the cornerstone of this component. Understanding how People feel and how they are affected by different things. They are able to put themselves in other’s shoes.
Relationship-Management – It involves influencing and developing others, bonding, managing conflicts and interacting with different people and teams. It is about inspiring people and winning together.
As you grew up you were judged and assessed on the basis of your test scores and academic results which made you believe that your Intelligent Quotient (IQ) is very important. IQ is your ability to read, write and memorize and your EQ helps you deal with logic and feelings. Now you may wonder which of this is more important. Bradberry’s studies states, 90 percent of top performers are high on EQ. It is said that a person with average IQ and high EQ can outperform an individual having high IQ and low EQ. It does not matter how smart you are if you are unable to control your own emotions which impacts your behaviour. Emotional Quotient can help you build strong relationships, manage conflicts and reduce stress. It can help you connect with your feelings, turn intention into action, make informed decisions about important matters in your life. People with high emotional intelligence are unlikely to over-react or express their emotions and thoughts inappropriately. They make the workplace less toxic and more positive.
There is no perfect emotional intelligent index, it is a continuous learning process and with every experience you can improve. However, Daniel Goleman clearly calls out that 80% of success depends on your emotional quotient and the balance 20% is your intelligent quotient, therefore getting fluent in the language of emotions can help you both personally and professionally. According to Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence can be gained at any point in life. Learning EI skills needs a resourceful environment, focus on the areas of development and expert advice on how to do so. One can opt to attend an Emotional Intelligence training to understand the framework of Emotional Intelligence, why it matters and identify their areas of development and what sort of trainings they need to build that particular skill. For example if the area of development is identified as Effective Communication, the individual can connect with a soft skill trainer offering programs on Effective Communication to delve deeper in the subject. In another study, Delphine Nelis, a cognitive psychologist divided her class of 40 students into two groups and provided Emotional Intelligence training to only one group. The finding of her study indicated that the group that received the training on Emotional Intelligence showed a marked improvement in their emotional abilities. This study was a pilot to understand the influence of Emotional Intelligence Training and its impact on behaviour.
Emotional Intelligence helps you build critical life skills, helps you master social skills and manage change easily. EQ is also said to be the strongest predictor of performance – So the question to ask yourself is – are you the driver of your emotions or just a passenger? In these uncertain times, it is the need to invest in your emotional well-being and build your emotional health. Emotional Intelligence training at workplace is gaining immense popularity. Corporates are investing in soft skills training to up the emotional agility of their employees nudging them to think out of the box. To be in the game and cope with change that technology is bringing one has to be emotionally agile.
Leave a Reply