Emotional intelligence — the basis for a successful career
Do you know what less obvious quality can significantly influence the development of your career? High level of emotional intelligence. This is not just a trendy concept, but a key to effective teamwork. What does this term mean?
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to effectively manage one’s emotions while recognizing, understanding and influencing the emotions of others.
Although the term itself was coined in 1964, it became widespread in 1995 after the publication of the book of the same name by American psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman. During his own research, he made an amazing discovery: a high level of emotional intelligence may be more important for successful work than professional skills and IQ. Experts in the Carnegie Institute of Technology came to the same conclusion: “85% of our financial success is associated with emotional intelligence, leadership and communication skills. Only 15% depend on technical knowledge.”
It is believed that a leader with this quality is able to create a positive attitude in the team, as well as attract and retain talented employees. Such leader knows how to effectively solve emerging problems and ensure the achievement of set goals.
How to determine the level of emotional intelligence?
It can be said that emotional intelligence is made up of the four S: self-awareness, self-control, social awareness and social skills. Let’s take a closer look at them:
- Self-awareness. This is a fundamental part of emotional intelligence. It involves being aware of your own emotions, strengths and weaknesses, and understanding how emotions influence behavior and decision making.
- Self-control. The ability to manage emotions. Namely: the ability to control your strong emotions, remain calm in stressful situations, avoid impulsive and rash actions;
- Social awareness. It is about empathy. This is the ability to understand and empathize with the emotions, experiences and point of view of others.
- Social skills. The ability to influence others, manage conflicts effectively, work as part of a team, and inspire others.
These criteria are used to determine the emotional intelligence quotient. Some people are naturally better at recognizing emotions and are more stress-resistant and adaptive. However, this quality, like any other, can be developed by anyone. This can be done as follows:
- Practice awareness. Make analyzing your emotions a habit. Try to recognize and name the emotions you are experiencing. What physical sensations do they cause? Why are you experiencing them at all? Would you like to react differently in this situation? Write down your observations.
2. Learn to empathize. Practice active listening. When talking, try to fully focus on what the other person is saying and show interest in his/her feelings and experiences. Avoid judgment and bias.
3. Ask for feedback. Ask your colleagues, friends or family members to rate your level of emotional intelligence. Find out how, in their opinion, you react to difficult situations, cope with conflicts, and how empathetic you are. It is very important to hear an honest opinion, even if it is not very flattering.
In the business world today, success is determined not only by professional skills. Other qualities are also needed, including well-developed emotional intelligence. It is this skill that will help create healthy relationships in the team, based on respect and understanding. Start improving your emotional intelligence right now. And watch your career develop rapidly.
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