The management of emotions has a critical impact when it comes to success and happiness in life. An important component that influences an individual’s ability to interact in healthy ways with others and process their feelings is known as “emotional intelligence” or EQ, for short. Perhaps you’ve heard of this concept, but aren’t really sure what it means or the ways in which it can affect your overall well-being. Read on to discover what emotional intelligence is and why it matters. This knowledge can help you to better navigate various aspects of interpersonal relationships and work dynamics.
About Emotional Intelligence
Simply put, emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions. An additional aspect of this skill is to be able to identify and influence emotions in others. It was first developed in 1990 and has been expanded upon by researchers in the field of psychology over the decades. EQ is often seen in discussions surrounding leadership, but its tenets apply to nearly every part of our day-to-day lives.
With regard to the workplace, emotional intelligence is quite important, especially when you consider that hiring managers often take it into consideration when reviewing an applicant for employment. It certainly plays a crucial role in upper management and administrative positions. In fact, a person’s EQ is believed by many to be even more important than their IQ, and it’s been shown to be a significant predictor of high performance.
Components of Emotional Intelligence
The reason emotional intelligence is so highly valued by experts and employers is that it impacts such areas as conflict resolution, problem-solving, and empathetic understanding. These are all key qualities of effective leaders. The larger concept of emotional intelligence can be broken down into four distinct competencies.
They are:
- Self-awareness
- Self-management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship management
Self-awareness involves knowing yourself thoroughly. When you’re self-aware, you understand your strengths and your limits, particularly in the realm of your emotions. The extent to which you can honestly assess your characteristics and behaviors has a significant influence on your interactions with others. Self-management goes a step further and measures how well you handle your emotions, especially when you’re under pressure. Someone who has a firm grasp on self-management is able to respond thoughtfully to problems, rather than simply react impulsively.
Awareness must go beyond one’s self and extend to interactions with others as well when it comes to emotional intelligence. A person with social awareness can assess a situation, interpret dynamics at play, and act in a proactive manner. This relies heavily on having empathy for others and being able to consider their point of view.
Finally, there’s relationship management. This part emphasizes your interactions with others, including such things as communication, cooperation, influence, and conflict resolution. Someone who is skilled at relationship management is understanding, diplomatic, and tactful.
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
High EQ is such an important characteristic that employers often ask their staff to obtain an emotional intelligence certification in order to teach its components to others within the organization. Competency in the areas of emotional intelligence can lead to overall improved success. That’s because an emotionally intelligent person can cope with stress in healthy ways, engage others positively, and perform well under pressure.
Your EQ can improve your work performance greatly and demonstrate to higher-ups that you are a team player and leadership material. They know they can depend on you to keep a cool head when things get heated and to solve problems on the fly. You’ll be able to demonstrate that you can work well with others and inspire them to do their best. Someone with high emotional intelligence is able to navigate a complex workplace with ease. They can control their emotions and express their feelings in appropriate ways. A strong EQ can even contribute to better mental and physical health. If your stress levels are low, you are less likely to develop depression, and this can also keep certain medical conditions at bay.
Final Thoughts
Clearly, the benefits of emotional intelligence are vast. Taking steps to improve your EQ can improve your life and even help you to make a difference in the lives of others. Digging deeper into this concept is definitely worth the investment.
