WHAT IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND IS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?

　　Emotional Intelligence, or EI, is the new buzz word that rolls from the tongues of many business people, educators and even students nowadays. Is it really important or is it just another useless fad?

　　For many years the only thing that mattered, was a person’s intelligence as measured by the IQ test. This means different things to different people, but in general intelligence refers to quickness of mental comprehension (or mental agility).

　　Popular interest in emotional intelligence began with a 1995 self-help book called Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ, written by psychologist Daniel Goleman. He suggested that IQ is not the only road to success, and that emotional skills are more important in many areas of life.

　　The book sold like hot cakes, and the concept took off. Suddenly emotional intelligence was everywhere: on the Oprah Winfrey show, on the cover of TIME Magazine, voted the most useful new word by the American Dialect Society, and enthusiastically used by business and HR professionals for selection, training and evaluation. It is even part of the Business A-Level syllabus!

　　The concept of emotional intelligence can be summarised as “the capacity to harmonise thought and emotion”, by which we mean an individual’s ability to understand and control their own emotions, as well as recognise and manage those of others. This requires a person to be self-aware, perceptive and able to regulate emotional responses in various social situations.

　　Why is emotional intelligence important then? We each have a model of the world based upon our own beliefs, values, attitudes, behaviours and experiences. Since no two people can have exactly the same worldview, effective social interaction becomes dependent upon a person’s self-awareness and readiness to acknowledge other people’s perspectives.

　　Relationships can be very emotionally charged even beyond the realms of friends and family. Taking steps to understand your own emotional competence – and the impact it could have on others – is a powerful way to develop better interpersonal and people management skills.

　　Aristotle once said: “Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way – that is not easy.

　　Developing your emotional intelligence will take time. Most of all it requires a serious examination of your emotional behaviour, how you interact with others and recognizing areas you need to improve in.

　　According to Daniel Coleman there are four main EI competencies that managers should try to develop and improve. 　　These are:

　　1. Self-awareness – knowing what we feel and using that knowledge to guide our decision-making.

　　2. Self-management – being able to quickly recover from stress. It also means being trustworthy and conscientious.

　　3. Social awareness – sensing what other people are feeling and being able to take their views into account.

　　4. Social skills – handling emotions in relationships well and accurately.

　　The current generation has been criticized for years now as being self-absorbed, emotionally lacking and narcissistic. They are even labelled “Generation me”, or “Me, my selfie and I”, to signify the perception that with this generation the needs of the individual come first.

　　These traits do not fit into the workplace very well. When you look at the skills and traits desired by most employers nowadays, you will find that most are not centred around the individual, but around one’s ability to work with a team and as an employee to meet the needs of the company.

　　However, focusing on one’s emotional intelligence should not wait until we are managers of companies. It is important to start working on developing and improving these competencies while still at school.

　　What are the immediate benefits of developing and improving one’s emotional intelligence?

　　1. Physical Health –Only by being aware of our emotional state and our reactions to stress in our lives can we hope to manage stress and maintain good health.

　　2. Mental Well-Being – Emotional intelligence affects our attitude and outlook on life. It can also help to alleviate anxiety and avoid depression and mood swings.

　　3. Relationships – By better understanding and managing our emotions, we are better able to communicate our feelings in a more constructive way.

　　4. Conflict Resolution – When we can discern people’s emotions and empathize with their perspective, it’s much easier to resolve conflicts or possibly avoid them before they start.

　　5. Success – Higher emotional intelligence helps us to be stronger internal motivators, which can reduce procrastination, increase self-confidence, and improve our ability to focus on a goal.

　　6. Leadership –An effective leader can recognize what the needs of his people are, so that those needs can be met in a way that encourages higher performance and workplace satisfaction.

　　Don’t sabotage your career or your overall well being because you can not manage your emotions or the emotions of others.

　　REFERENCES

　　1. www.lifehack.org

　　2. www.thomasinternational.net

　　3. www.uncc49er.com