How Does Emotional Intelligence Effect the Workplace?
Emotional Quotient, also referred to as Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is just as important as IQ in terms of success; it has even be referred to as a predictor for success. I describe 4 attributes of EQ in The Prosperous Leader:
Self Awareness
Social Awareness
Self Management
Relationship Management
In some ways, EQ’s importance surpasses IQ: it’s important for all aspects of your life, not just at work. Your EQ can even affect your mental and physical health! In her article titled “Manage a Difficult Conversation with Emotional Intelligence”, Susan David explains “…research suggests that suppressing your emotions – deciding not to say something when you’re upset – can lead to bad results”.
In other words: if you don’t manage a difficult conversation with emotional intelligence, you could be physically or mentally harming yourself. “Being resilient comes down to understanding the thoughts that precede our emotions and being able to change the underlying thinking – to cut off those thoughts before they turn into emotions”, I explain in Chapter 4.
Susan and I both share similar ideas of how to manage emotions and stress during important events:
Recognize your emotions and learn what stress feels like in order to combat stress early on.
Assess how those stressors affect your work and combat them immediately when they appear.
Understand what causes these emotional outbursts and do things during your day to prevent unnecessary stress – take 30 minutes in a calm environment your emotional side.
Manage the stressful nature of your life at home and in the office. Learn how you best deal with stress and employ those tactics on a daily basis.
You can read more about Emotional Intelligence in Chapter 4 of The Prosperous Leader, Emotion and Intelligence: Do They Go Together?, and in the full article from Harvard Business Review, Manage a Difficult Conversation with Emotional Intelligence by Susan David.
