I have been reading about emotional intelligence; however, I’m still not quite sure what it’s all about and how it benefits us at work. Could you please further explain it to me, shedding light on how I can make the best use out of it at the workplace? Thank you.
Thank you for this great question. It is true that the topic of Emotional Intelligence (EI) also known as EQ is being discussed more and more. The below will help you better understand EQ and how to benefit from it in your career:
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is your ability to identify, assess, and manage your personal emotions and those of others.
- Self-confident - Know how to manage difficult situations - Good communicators - Respected among groups of friends/family/colleagues - Highly influential - Helpful - Know how to cope with pressure - Strong negotiators - Highly motivated - Positive especially in difficult times - Self-controlled - Collaborative and cooperative - Solution oriented - Problem solvers - Understanding
Life is all about relationships, whether on a personal or professional level. This prevails even more at work where one spends most of their time and is bound to interact with colleagues, management and clients. For you to maintain great relationships and high levels of productivity at work, you can take some steps to further develop your EQ:
- Assess yourself and set apart your strengths from your weaknesses to determine the areas you need to improve yourself in.
- Always think before you speak and weigh the impact of your actions.
- Do not be judgmental. Wait until you have gathered enough information and facts before you react.
- Be a great listener and avoid interrupting others to make a point.
- Be accountable for what you do, admit when you are wrong and give others the credit they deserve.
- Monitor your common reactions and emotions and analyze them to better understand and control them.
- Maintain a positive, professional and respectful attitude at all times.
- Avoid conflicts and act/talk with a lot of “diplomacy” in stressful situations with a solution-oriented mindset.
- Always agree to disagree and opt for finding a common ground. - Always seek to turn the negatives into positives.
