The phrase emotional intelligence, or its casual shorthand EQ (Stands for abbreviation of Emotional Quotient) has become popular in last couple of decades only. Emotional Intelligence is now considered one of the most important ingredients of life success. This skill has been touted by Life couches, leaders, policymakers, and educators as a solution to a wide range of social problems.
Aristotle the legendary Greek philosopher once said, "Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual."
Man cannot live alone. And when we live in society we interact with so many people as family, friends, colleagues, relationships, customers, suppliers, service providers, community members etc. During these social interactions we need to have high emotional intelligence to make a self driven path to success.
What is Emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is a skill to identify, experience, understand, and express human emotions in healthy and productive ways. This soft skill helps individuals learn to use their emotions in a positive, constructive way. Emotional intelligence extremely important and key to both professional and personal success.
Does Emotional Intelligence Matter More Than IQ?
As a HR professional I know how important EQ has become while recruiting people at workplace. Earlier IQ Test were done and given weightage. Now EQ tests have equal weightage. In fact more than IQ. In reality, high IQ is no guarantee of success. How successful we are in life is determined by both EQ (emotional intelligence) and by IQ. Intellect works best when it's accompanied by high emotional intelligence. Employers value EI over IQ. Employees with higher EQ perform better under pressure situations, resolve conflict effectively, show empathy and put more considerations under pressure situations.
"What really matters for success, character, happiness and life long achievements is a definite set of emotional skills - your EQ - not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by conventional IQ tests." ~ Daniel Goleman
Qualities of people with high Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
So now when you have understood the importance of Emotional Intelligence lets see the qualities of people with high emotional intelligence.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness deals with living in the moment and notice the unnoticed. Emotionally intelligent people live in the present moment and it helps them to understand themselves, others and situations. When they give more non-judge-mental attention to present and go in details, it helps them to deal with the adverse situations in cool and calm way.
Self-Awareness
One of the most fundamental qualities of emotionally intelligent people is Self-Awareness. People with high EQ have more self-awareness than others. They recognize and understand well themselves, their behaviors, and their emotions. Such people know about their strengths and weaknesses. They know well how to lean into their strengths and use them to full advantage while keeping their weaknesses from holding them back.
Self-Manage and Self-Regulate
High EQ people have ability to be in control of their emotions, and therefore their responses. They pause, think and then act. They do not react; instead they respond to situations. Their actions follow their thinking. They manage and regulate their emotions better than normal people. Individuals with this attribute are able to control their impulses, which includes maintaining calm and not overreacting to mistakes.
Empathy
One of the traits of a person with High Emotional Intelligence is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and 'feel for' others, understand their emotion, and therefore relate to them more effectively. Instead of judging or labeling others, they work hard to see things through others eyes. When they put themselves in others shoe, they better understand the emotions and feelings going through in another person's mind. This additional information guides their behavior towards others. Thus, this allows them to build deeper, more connected relationships.
Listening
Emotionally intelligent people are also a great listener. They listen acutely to what's going on around them on an emotional level. Listening is most important factor in communication skills. Emotionally intelligent people do not just listen others' words but their emotional content as well.
Since they are good listener, they take the criticism positively and get benefit from it. Nobody enjoys negative feedback. But people with high EQ know that criticism is a chance to learn, even if it's not delivered in the best way. And even when it's unfounded, it gives them a window into how others think about them. This help them to change their behavior with the critics.
Embrace change
Emotionally intelligent people embrace change. They are flexible and constantly adapt the changing environment, people and situations. People with high EQ do not have the fear of unknown which change brings along with it. They know that fear of unknown is paralyzing and a major threat to their happiness, success and mental wellness. They predict for change that is waiting just around the corner, plan accordingly to deal with the changes which is about to occur.
Social skills
Being able to interact well with others is another important aspect of emotional intelligence. People with higher EQ have the ability to manage relationships and build networks. They navigate with social complexities in a better way. The ability read other people boost their social awareness. They neutralize the toxic people and negative thinkers.
Bringing it together to conclude
EQ is important for success and happiness in life. The good news is unlike your IQ, your EQ is highly flexible. You can make changes in it. You can train your brain by constantly adapting above qualities and practicing new emotionally intelligent behaviors as mentioned above. Your brain builds the pathways needed to make those behaviors into habits. In a little while, you will begin responding to your surroundings with emotional intelligence without even having to think about it. And as your brain reinforces the use of new behaviors, the old destructive behaviors will die off.
This is all from my side, over to you now. I hope you enjoyed this post on emotional intelligence. Please share your experiences and views on EQ in the comment section below. I and the other readers will love to learn from your experiences.
If you liked this article on emotional intelligence, please share on your favorite social media portals with your friends and relatives.
