The last time we discussed emotional intelligence, we defined it as a person’s ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions to facilitate high levels of collaboration and productivity. We also identified the five (5) dimensions of emotional intelligence (EQ) as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, social awareness (including empathy), and social regulation.
The ability to recognize and regulate emotions and harness them for improved decision-making and superior performance is critical. Self-control is strength. Calmness is knowledge and understanding. You need to be at a point where, as much as possible, your mood does not shift based on the actions or words of someone else. You will suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. Do not allow others to control the direction of your life, including your job and career. Do not allow your emotions to overpower your intelligence. True power is sitting back, observing, and using restraint. If words control you, that means everyone else can control you.
It is important to know that regardless of your current level of capability, emotional intelligence is an area you can focus on and develop. One way to help with this is to recognize the signs of poor and strong EQ, and here is a partial listing of both.
Poor EQ Strong EQ
Do you recognize yourself on these two lists? You may exhibit some signs of both strong and poor EQ, as this can occur depending on the situation, the people you’re dealing with, and other circumstances.
Successful leaders work hard to develop their emotional intelligence through intrapersonal (within yourself) dimensions (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation) and interpersonal (between you and others) dimensions (social awareness and social regulation). There is a lot to this concept of maximizing your emotional intelligence, leading to a much greater ability to interact with others and to be seen as a person who is in charge of their emotions, while having a good level of understanding of the emotions of others in a specific situation. Where are you on the emotional intelligence spectrum? Where do you already have strong capabilities and where can you improve?