What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence has been getting a lot of press lately and so it should.  Many of the great leaders had emotional intelligence.  This is also a quality that is recognized in the study of transitional leadership.  When leading change initiative we look at emotional requirements of the followers to make these changes stick.  Human Beings are emotional in nature and the key to creating success in your personal and professional life is not so much about your IQ but about your EQ. 

Emotional Intelligence focuses on four key elements

 

Self-awareness – You recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior, know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self-confidence.

Self-management – You’re able to control impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.

Social awareness – You can understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.

Relationship management – You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.

 

So how can we improve our emotional intelligence?  There are 5 key points that will help increase your EQ.

 

The ability to quickly reduce stress

The ability to recognize and manage your emotions

The ability to connect with others using nonverbal communication

The ability to resolve conflicts positively and with confidence

The ability to use humor and play to deal with challenges

"Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while other claim it is an inborn characteristic. A number of testing instruments have been developed to measure emotional intelligence, although the content and approach of each test varies. The following quiz presents a mix of self-report and situational questions related to various aspects of emotional intelligence. What is your emotional intelligence quotient? Take the quiz to learn more."  

http://psychology.about.com/library/quiz/bl_eq_quiz.htm