Your Essential Guide to Emotional Intelligence
When a man is prey to his emotions, he is not his own master.” – Baruch Spinoza, Philosopher
Emotional intelligence (or EQ) is an essential ingredient for both personal and professional fulfilment and success. Defined as “the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others”, emotional intelligence is generally said to be made up of three key skills:
- Emotional awareness, i.e. the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others
- The ability to apply your emotions when performing various tasks
- Emotional regulation, i.e. the ability to manage your own feelings or soothe others
Emotional intelligence is important for many reasons. Firstly, it is a core element of both mental and physical wellbeing. What’s more, it helps us to build strong and positive relationships with others. It also plays a critical role in skills that are valuable in the workplace, such as conflict resolution and leadership.
“The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and influence their actions.” – John Hancock
So, why is building emotional intelligence necessary for career success? The ability to understand and communicate your feelings to others is crucial for any fruitful collaboration, what’s more it can help you remain calm in stressful situations and create a general atmosphere of openness and positivity. Additionally, the capacity to recognise the feelings, needs and responses of others can be enormously helpful in managing others, gaining respect and staying on top of stressful situations.
If you would like to learn more about the importance of emotional intelligence, we recommend that you check out our infographic below. This comprehensive guide takes you through the various definitions of EQ and outlines why it is so important for success. It also offers tips on how to hire emotionally intelligent staff and features a brief quiz so you can gauge your own EQ level.
