Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is one of the most important qualities for both personal and professional growth. It is the ability to understand and manage one’s emotions including those around them. Emotional Intelligence is comprised of self-awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and motivation.
In Daniel Goleman’s book Working with Emotional Intelligence, he claims that EQ accounts for 67% of the skills required to be a successful leader. Those individuals with high EQ make the workplace a positive one from teamwork to productivity. It may even be more valuable than IQ!
If you’re wondering whether you or your colleagues are emotionally intelligent, the following questions will help answer that for you.
- Are you in tune with your emotions and feelings, understanding why you feel a particular way?
- Are you familiar with your strengths and weaknesses?
- Can you tell when your actions or words have affected others?
- Can you manage stress well?
- Do you adapt well to change?
- Can you control your emotions well?
- Are you a non judgemental listener?
- Can you focus on priorities and set a plan to follow through?
- Can you read people well and understand their feelings?
- Are you open to admitting when you are wrong?
The more questions you said yes to, the higher your emotional intelligence. While emotional intelligence was found to be partially genetic based on a study conducted by the University of Cambridge, there are ways for you to improve your EQ and of those in your team. Here are some ways to do just that…
- Take a digital detox. Before you do anything, cut out the technology so you can focus on you and other human beings. Face to face interaction allows room for more emotions to flow – they are easier to read than through an email.
- Reduce stress. This is a no brainer – stress kills. Try meditating and just giving yourself space to breathe and think.
- Analyse your strengths and weaknesses. You need to understand yourself better so don’t be afraid to ask colleagues for feedback. Just remember not to take criticism to heart.
- Take notes. Write down your feelings daily or weekly along with what happened and keep them in a safe place. The more notes you have on your everyday emotions, the more you will be able to grasp who you really are.