Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to monitor and work with your and others’ emotions. It is measured in EQ, which is the emotional equivalent of IQ. Daniel Goleman—author of the best-selling Emotional Intelligence—and other writers suggest that a technically proficient manager with a high EQ will be more successful than a manager who has only a high IQ.

Understanding EQ

Your EQ is the measure of your ability to understand and interact with others and becomes more important the more people you deal with. EQ does not measure personality traits or cognitive capacity. Emotional intelligence can be developed over time and can be improved through training and therapy. Those with a high EQ will be better able to control their own emotions, while at the same time using them as a basis for action. Working with emotions, rather than being at the mercy of them, makes individuals more successful in dealing with the demands of the environment around them. They are better able to control impulses and deal with stress, and better at problem solving. All of these qualities help the individual perform more competently at work.

CHECKLIST… Applying emotional intelligence answer in yes/no format

1. Am I aware of my feelings and do I act accordingly?
2. Can I share my feelings in a straightforward, composed manner?
3. Do I treat others with compassion, sensitivity, and kindness?
4. Am I open to the opinions and ideas of others?
5. Can I decisively confront problem people?
6. Do I maintain a balance between my personal life and work?

Using EI at work

To be a successful manager in today’s business world, a high EQ may be more important than sheer intellectual or technical ability. A manager who leads a project team of diverse people will need to understand and interact successfully with others. Applying emotional intelligence at work means you are open to the ideas of others and can build and mend relationships with others. You are aware of your feelings and act accordingly, articulating ideas so that others can understand them, developing rapport, building trust, and working toward consensus. Managers who are attuned to their own feelings and the feelings of others use this understanding to enhance personal, team, and organizational performance.

Managing emotions

Emotional intelligence has two aspects: one inward facing and one outward facing. The first of these is your emotional self-awareness and your ability to manage your own emotions. The second is your degree of empathy, or awareness of others’ emotions, and your ability to productively manage relationships with others. Both inward- and outward-facing aspects of emotional intelligence are made up of a number of skills or competencies.

The four competencies of emotional intelligence

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Development of others
• Inspirational leadership
• Influence
• Communication
• Effecting change
• Conflict management
• Bond building
• Teamwork and collaboration

INWARD COMPETENCIES

• Emotional self-awareness
• Accurate selfassessment
• Self-confidence

SELF-MANAGEMENT

• Emotional self-control
• Trustworthiness
• Conscientiousness
• Achievement orientation
• Adaptability
• Optimism
• Initiative

OUTWARD COMPETENCIES

SOCIAL AWARENESS

• Empathy
• Organizational awareness
• Service orientation

70% of managers value EQ more highly than IQ in their employees