What is Emotional Intelligence? And why do you need it?

So, exactly what is this thing called ‘Emotional Intelligence?’

In truth, it’s been pondered since the ancient Greeks first explored the need to ‘know thyself.’

More modern definitions put it this way.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions and to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately.

Consider, it’s easy enough to be aware of what people know. After all, that’s the stuff of ‘qualifications’, IQ and ‘knowledge tests’, and the reports one might produce at work.

Knowing how people feel (and why) is quite a different matter.

It’s also central to good leadership and/or being an effective part of a productive team. Because only when you can identify your own emotional drivers and those of others can you truly tap into forces like motivation, commitment and (dare we say it?) even love to help you accomplish your objectives and achieve your goals.

What organisations are always looking for, are those in the organisation who are proven, outstanding performers because they possess what are termed 'distinguishing competencies' i.e. abilities or competencies that are found in star performers that are just not seen in average performers.

Daniel Goleman looked at the competence models of approximately 100 organisations and he found that on average for all jobs at all levels, emotional intelligence was twice as important as cognitive ability and that the higher you go in an organisation, the more it matters.

There are four domains to emotional intelligence i.e. Self-awareness, Self-management, Social awareness and Relationship management. Within each of these domains, there are learned competencies i.e. competencies that individuals can develop, which are based on underlying abilities that make people outstanding in the workplace.

There are two sets of competencies as follows: -

• Self-management competencies: Emotional Self Awareness, Emotional Self-Control, Positive Outlook, Achievement Orientation and Adaptability
• Relationship management competencies: Empathy, Organisational Awareness, Influence, Coach and Mentor, Inspirational Leadership, Teamwork and Conflict Management.
• Daniel Goleman introduces Emotional Intelligence:

20 years on – and we’re learning more every day.

The importance of Emotional intelligence has been recognized since the term was first coined in 1990 and became a ‘must know more’ topic for business leaders after Daniel Goleman published his first book on the topic in 1995. Since that time, study after study has confirmed the importance of personal and social competence in achieving personal success.

Building Emotional Competence is at the core of the EQ 101 professional development workshops. In other words, what attendees learn will equip them with the skills to turn learned knowledge of emotional intelligence into practical action.

We can’t stress enough that this is a workshop about achievement, getting things done and real-world bottom-line issues and results.