What is Emotional Intelligence & Why is it Important?
At RedRock Leadership, our training is grounded in the competencies of emotional intelligence. We believe that it’s the best way to help individuals overcome the challenges keeping them from accomplishing their goals, but some people we work with have never heard of emotional intelligence. So, what is it and why do we find it so valuable?
Often written as EQ or EI, the term emotional intelligence was created by researchers Peter Salavoy and John Mayer and popularized by Dan Goleman in his 1996 book Working with Emotional Intelligence. EQ is “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” In other words, it means being aware that your emotions affect both your behavior and the people around you, and learning to manage emotions (yours and those of others) in different situations.
What kinds of situations? When it comes to the business world, there’s never a situation where it isn’t important to have a handle on emotions. This includes giving and receiving feedback, balancing resources, working with different personalities, meeting tight deadlines, and setting and achieving goals. We’ve all experienced what happens when emotions are running high. Whether positive or negative, high emotions change the way we react to situations. We see a change in our cognitive abilities, our decision-making powers, and our reactions to others. Harnessing and understanding our emotions gives us the awareness we need to deal with situations in the best way possible.
Think of it this way. There are multiple types of intelligence out there: mathematical, linguistic, technical, commercial, and many others. Each type of intelligence enables someone to succeed in a particular area or signals an ability to navigate well through a particular set of challenges. Emotional intelligence is no different. In fact, Harvard Business School research that determined that EQ counts for twice as much as IQ and technical skills combined in determining who will be successful.
But how exactly do you train your EQ? At RedRock, some of the EQ competencies we use in our training are:
- Personal Awareness: the ability to recoginze your influence on others
- Integrity: the abiltity to let your intentions match your actions
- Internal Motivation: the abiltiy to do the right things for the right reasons
- Empathy: the abilty to understand and resposnd to others’s emtions
- Social Skills: the ability to build positive reslationships
As your EQ grows, you’ll see yourself pausing before acting; being authentically present for those around you; supporting others with praise and helpful feedback; and benefiting from feedback yourself as you gain the ability to ask, how can this make me better?
Emotional intelligence is valuable no matter what field you work in, and it gives you lifelong skills that will help you positively stand out. Contact us today for more information on how our training will use EQ to help you grow stronger.
Jeff Ruby
Founder & CEO of RedRock Leadership