The importance of emotional intelligence

Imagine being part of a sales team. Since day one, it has been made clear to you that you need to achieve your targets, however, you feel like you do not get the right support to help you get there. You know you have the potential to grow in this job that you know you are already good at, but feel like you need guidance from someone more experienced. After discussing your concerns with your manager, he makes it clear to you that he cannot help you and that everyone needs to achieve success on their own. A few months further down the road, the manager tells you that you have not been performing well enough with the unfortunate consequence of having to let you go.

Do you think this situation could have been dealt with in a better way? The answer is yes.

This is a perfect example in which applying emotional intelligence (EQ) could have changed the outcome for the better. If the manager would have been more considerate and empathic, he would have tried to find a solution and help him develop his professional skills through his own experience or by creating a work environment in which colleagues are expected to work as a team and help each other reach their full potential.

IQ vs EQ

While EQ has become increasingly more important in both our personal and professional lives, most people will be more familiar with the term IQ as it has always been an important factor to consider when it comes to success. IQ is used to describe someone’s intellectual abilities and potential. EQ on the other hand, measures someone’s interpersonal and communication skills. Nowadays, EQ has become just as important, if not even more important in today’s very interconnected society.

“Emotional intelligence, more than any other factor, more than I.Q. or expertise, accounts for 85% to 90% of success at work… I.Q. is a threshold competence. You need it, but it doesn’t make you a star. Emotional intelligence can.” Warren G. Bennis

The 4 emotional intelligence categories and their benefits

Digging a bit deeper into emotional intelligence, you will discover there are four different categories. Possessing these 4 capabilities can lead to a tremendous shift in your life and get closer to your goals.

1. Self-awareness

It is so important to be conscious of everything you do and feel. Whether it is your personality, actions, reasoning, thoughts, values, strengths, weaknesses, or emotions. Try to analyze everything you do, say or feel. Only once you have this certain level of self-awareness, will you be able to understand yourself better, trust your intuition more and eventually turn this intuition into action. You can then use your strengths to your advantage, while at the same time actively making an effort to accept criticism and improve aspects of yourself that you would like to work on. This is all very closely related to having a problem-solving mindset. Only if you are aware of certain problems or weaknesses, can you start finding ways to solve them or work on them.

2. Self-management

Knowing how to manage your emotions and impulses when needed can be an extremely powerful skill to have. No matter which situation you are in, you always need to ask yourself through which actions you will obtain your goal or the best outcome. Staying positive is key to doing this. It is essential to not let anything get to you when things do not go as planned. It is important to highlight that managing your emotions does not mean suppressing them. It means recognizing and understanding them before letting them out. Self-management can give you a new level of control helping you towards success.

3. Social Awareness

Being socially aware means being aware of what is going on around you and how different environments can impact people. It gives you the ability to know how to react to specific social situations and how to interact appropriately and effectively to connect with others. Having this level of awareness gives you the ability to see things from someone else’s perspective. It gives you the ability to truly empathize with others, react to your best ability and help them if needed.

4. Relationship Management

The last of the four emotional intelligence categories is the ability to connect with others, create positive relationships and maintain them. Having this skill is essential to work together to achieve your goals, and resolve any conflicts that come along the way. Especially in a work environment it can be a huge game-changer if you possess this ability as a manager. If well applied, it could improve teamwork, motivation and job satisfaction while simultaneously reducing team stress and creating a better work environment.

How we respond to ourselves and others around us impacts our home, work environments, and ultimately the entire course of our lives. While emotional intelligence is not something that can be learned, it is something that can be improved and further developed over time. You just need to consciously work on it on a daily basis. If you are interested in other topics regarding self-development make sure to read our blog 12 habits to adopt to become successful.