Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as emotional quotient (EQ), has emerged as one of the most sought-after professional competencies in recent times. While acquiring job-specific core skills is mandatory, EQ is now widely regarded as a key contributor to a person’s career growth. A professional with a high level of EQ is valued more than ever before.
EQ refers to the ability to comprehend and control our own emotions and those of others. This ability is of paramount importance not only in our professional life, but also in other aspects of life where collective efforts are necessary. Its value has increased enormously over time with organizations focusing more on its function as an integral whole.
Emotionally intelligent persons have a clear understanding of others’ feelings and reactions in different circumstances. It helps them assess and predict emotional responses of people around them, and therefore, they are adept at influencing and directing them effectively in critical situations. For this reason, professionals with high emotional intelligence are considered fit for leadership roles.
Some research findings elucidate how it is valued by top employers across the world. According to research conducted with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies by Stanford Research Institute International and the Carnegie Mellon Foundation, 75% of long-term jobs are dependent on people skills, and 25% on technical knowledge. Another research conducted by Human Capital Institute (HCI) and Multi-Health Systems (MHS) found that the organizations which valued and used EQ were 3.2 times more effective at developing leadership.
Professionals can gradually develop their EQ if they follow some basic principles and prepare themselves accordingly. Daniel Goleman, a renowned American psychologist, pointed out five key components of EI -- self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation, and social skills. The EQ level of a person rises effectively with growing control on these components.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness plays a highly crucial role in building our EQ by enabling us to understand our inner feelings and their impacts on others when expressed. People often cannot behave expectedly or express themselves clearly as they remain unaware of the underlying factors that shape their personalities. It is important to identify the ways we are driven by our impulses, directed by our thoughts, and affected by various circumstances.
Once we have a good understanding of these factors, it is easier to adapt and respond to different situations in our professional life. “Know thyself” is an age-old proverb, but its relevance has not diminished even now.
Self-regulation
This is the ability to regulate emotions according to the demands of one’s surroundings. If emotions are not checked and regulated appropriately in some cases, they may have dire impacts on others. In professional life, outbursts of emotions can seriously affect collaboration among employees by triggering conflicts among them.
However, having the capacity to self-regulate does not mean suppress or ignore emotions altogether. It means restraining them cautiously and expressing the feelings to others in a well-articulated manner. A self-regulated person is naturally good at resolving disputes and managing others during critical times.
Empathy
Empathy is another key component of EQ as understanding others' feelings and giving proper responses may not be enough at times. People going through tough times often require more attention and care from others. Empathy enables us to imagine ourselves in their positions and interact with them positively. An empathetic person has the ability to build personal relationships with others, understand their pain-points, figure out solutions and boost their morale. In professional life, it is considered to be a highly valued man-management skill.
Motivation
Motivation is an equally important EQ trait. When we feel self-motivated, we do not need external motivating factors such as appreciation, recognition, reputation, and financial benefits to keep pushing ourselves towards our targets. There are times when we may not get motivation from others, but need to keep going nonetheless to succeed in the end. Therefore, it is necessary to have an inner urge to move forward regardless of the situations we are surrounded by.
It is needless to elaborate on why social skills are important at today's workplaces. The better we get at building our social network, the higher will be our chances of achieving professional success. Building a social network inside one’s organization is as important as developing rapport with like-minded outsiders.
While some persons naturally possess a higher degree of EQ, anyone can grow it significantly by learning its key aspects and practicing them consistently. Nowadays, many EQ learning resources are also available on the web.
We are living in an era when the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is forcing us to rethink the role of cognitive intelligence. This is perhaps the most appropriate time to value EQ and realize that it is not a skill of secondary importance any more. It even has the potentiality to get the upper hand as a professional competency if AI truly reaches the efficiency level of human cognitive skills in the future.
Ratul Pal is a Communications Professional and can be reached at [email protected].
