The Significance of Emotional Intelligence In Today’s World

According to Wikipedia, Emotional Intelligence describes the ability, capacity or skill to manage the emotions of oneself, of others and of groups. In 1985, Wayne Leon Payne initially coined the term “Emotional Intelligence” in his doctoral thesis, A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence. But it was not until the publication of Daniel Goleman’s bestseller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ that the term became widely popularized. Ever since, there has been widespread interest in Emotional Intelligence (EI), and Emotional Quotient, as it is also known, has taken precedence over Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in management circles around the world.

‘People who are optimistic see a failure as due to something that can be changed so that they can succeed next time around, while pessimists take the blame for the failure, ascribing it to some characteristic they are helpless to change.’ - Daniel Goleman

In his book on EI, Daniel Goleman explains how understanding Emotional Intelligence is increasingly relevant to organizational development and developing people. It is very important in HR activities like job profiling, recruitment, development, to name a few. (For a brief introduction to EI, watch a video of Daniel Goleman’s talk at Google: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hoo_dIOP8k)

Through his years of research as a psychologist and a science journalist, Goleman developed a framework to explain emotional intelligence in terms of five elements viz. fire, water, earth, wood and metal. He described each of them in terms of:

• Self-regulation
• Self-awareness
• Motivation
• Empathy and
• Social skills

Each of these elements has distinctive characteristics, as outlined below:

1. Self-regulation: Also understood as self restraint, it includes controlling and retaining one’s emotions. Hence emotions like temper and stress are controlled by being more action-oriented and positive minded. This helps in retaining composure and the ability to think clearly under any form of pressure.



2. Self-awareness: This aspect includes introspection and examining how one’s emotions affect performance in various areas of life. It helps in the formation of values of a high decree which is used to guide decision making. It is also about self-assessment – individuals high on self awareness will be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, and be self confident about their own goals, capabilities and values.



3. Motivation: Individuals who are high on EQ are always motivated and enjoy stimulation and challenge. The go towards achieving what they set out for, stick to commitments and are guided by personal preferences while choosing goals. They are initiators and optimistic about life and its challenges.



4. Empathy: Empathy is the ability to see other people's points of view. Individuals high on EQ are honest with themselves and others.



5. Social skills: Influencing skills such as persuasion, good inter-personal communication and the ability to inspire and lead others are what make individuals ranking high on EQ stand apart from the rest. They have the capacity to initiate and manage change. More importantly, they have the ability to deal with the emotions of others. This helps in managing group dynamics and inter-organizational communication.

Goleman claims that people who demonstrate these characteristics are more likely to be successful in senior management. To prove his point, he has cited research from various sources which suggests that senior managers with a higher emotional intelligence rating perform better than those with a lower EQ.

All the above points indicate that Emotional Intelligence can definitely make a difference in the manner in which success is experienced. This includes all areas of professional as well as personal life. Emotional Intelligence skills can be consistently worked upon through self awareness brought about by Emotional Intelligence Training.

Source:
http://www.eiconsortium.org
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Daniel+Goleman+:+Emotional+Intelligence-a085608627
http://www.danielgoleman.info

This article was authored by Pramila Mathew, M.Ed, MBA, an executive coach who helps individuals, groups, teams and organizations find the right solutions in the workplace. MMM Training Solutions conducts soft skills training and executive coaching anywhere in the world. We guarantee the effectiveness of our training.

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