Today is April 13 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you work on your emotional intelligence?”
In his widely recognized publication Emotional Intelligence, Rutgers University psychologist Daniel Goleman defines emotional intelligence (EI) as emotional management and the ability to identify, appropriately express, and manage our emotions.
Over the last decade, there have been several studies illustrating the relationship between EI and career success. Ernest O’Boyle Jr. at Virginia Commonwealth University concluded that EI is the strongest predictor of job performance.
The U.S. Air Force found that the most successful recruiters scored significantly higher on the EI competencies of empathy and self-awareness.
A survey of 251 executives in six countries by Accenture identified three key indicators of EI that predicted future professional success: interpersonal competence, self-awareness, and social awareness.
Travis Bradberry, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 found many characteristics common among those with a high emotional intelligence. Here are just a few. First, you are curious about people as curiosity is the product of empathy, one of the most significant gateways to a high EQ.
Second, you embrace change as emotionally intelligence people are flexible and are constantly adapting.
Third, emotionally intelligent people don't just understand emotions; they know what they're good at and what they're terrible at.
Fourth, much of emotional intelligence comes down to social awareness; the ability to read other people, know what they're about, and understand what they're going through. Over time, this skill makes you an exceptional judge of character. People are no mystery to you. You know what they're all about and understand their motivations, even those that lie hidden beneath the surface.
Finally, emotionally intelligent people are self-confident and open-minded, which creates a pretty thick skin. You may even poke fun at yourself or let other people make jokes about you because you are able to mentally draw the line between humor and degradation.
Empathy is often described as “seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another.”
How often do you engage in empathy towards others? How often do you work on your emotional intelligence?