The fact that a successful professional life and a stable and healthy
personal life is not only dependent on intelligence is well established.
While there are many contributing factors, Emotional Intelligence plays a major role.
People with high Emotional Quotient can understand
and manage others’ and their emotions better.
They are more adaptable and empathetic.
Emotionally intelligent smart leaders interact better
with their subordinates and are better decision makers.
Mindfulness and focus can take one’s career to a different level.
Daniel Goleman who popularised the concept of EI has rightly
said, “As much as 80% of adult “success” comes from EQ.”
EI affects the health of people.
Even doctors agree on the healing powers of the human mind.
EI is not something that is woven in the genes but can be improved by practice.
Introducing children to emotional learning helps them
in their studies and in developing a positive outlook.
From the pre-historic times, people were aware of the importance of self-awareness and
self-regulation, even though the term Emotional
Intelligence was coined much later in 1964.
The concept gained popularity in the 1990s due to the research papers
published by Salovey and Mayer and the book published by Daniel Goleman.
In general, EI can be defined as the ability to understand
and label one's emotion as well as that of others,
manage the emotions and the associated behavior
and use them to socialize and influence others.
There are different models of EI.
The ability model considers EI as a cognitive ability.
In this model, EQ tests are similar to IQ tests.
The trait model considers EI as related to personality traits.
According to the mixed model, EI is a combination of intelligence and traits.
As per this model, there are five elements to EI namely self-awareness,
self-regulation, social skills, empathy and motivation.
The tests include self-reporting and reporting by a supervisor or peer.
EI is very important in all fields.
Corporates have now realized that EI is as important as IQ and technical skills.
Employees with high EQ are more productive and they are an asset to the company.
Emotionally intelligent leaders know their strengths and weaknesses.
They are more capable of controlling their
emotions and bringing positivity to the workplace.
They are clear about their goals.
They are very passionate about their work.
Being good communicators, they can make the team understand the expectations.
Appreciating them for the good work and offering constructive criticisms
whenever needed to increase the trust of the employees in the leader.
A motivated leader can motivate the subordinates also.
An emotionally intelligent leader is empathetic.
They don't look for a chance to blame others.
Instead, they try to solve the problems by looking into different perspectives.
He is also ready to take responsibility whenever needed.
He is not only concerned about his growth or the organization's profit.
He tries to create growth opportunities for all.
Emotionally intelligent leaders are also aware of their
body language and how to present themselves in the media.
For an employee, EI helps him stay motivated and focussed.
His social skills make him a better team player.
An emotionally intelligent employee is a curious learner and is easily adaptable.
Emotional intelligence can be improved by practice.
An emotionally intelligent person can make his
life and the lives of those around him easy.
In politics and military also, EI is very important.
World leaders with great emotional capabilities can solve any crisis.
Emotional training is very essential for military
personnel to manage their stress and depression.
EI is important for mental and physical health.
Social skills play an important role in long-lasting friendships.
Understanding the feelings of the partner, readiness to listen
and controlling impulses are very important in a marriage.
Pleasant surprises to friends and partners will definitely make them happy.
It is very important to nurture emotional capabilities in children.
Parents and teachers should help them to check their inappropriate behavior.
They should also be trained to see others empathetically.
This will naturally make them friendlier people
who are ready to help others whenever possible.
They grow up to become confident youth who can better handle teenage pressures.
They respect others and get respect from others in the future.
Dismissing or disapproving the negative emotions of children will do them no good.
They will have attention issues and may fare poorly in studies.
Those children when they grow will have lower self-esteem.
They tend to bully others and be victims of bullying.
Similarly, they are at risk of developing alcohol or drug addiction.
Many great personalities have exhibited a high level of emotional skills.
An example is Mahatma Gandhi.
He fought against the mighty British Empire to gain independence to India.
In this process, he never resorted to any forms of verbal abuse or physical violence.
He carried out his method – Satyagraha (passive
political resistance) and entire India stood with him.
Martin Luther King was another leader who knew the emotions of
people and delivered strong speeches to tap into their emotions.
The entire African American community united under
him and fought against the injustice towards them.
Similarly, Nelson Mandela famously forgave the administration
that practiced apartheid and put him in prison for 27 years.
He could control the reactions of the black Africans against the Whites.
A society where Whites and Blacks lived together resulted.
Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, travel around
the world to spread the message of forgiveness and non-violence.
When used in a positive way, EQ can help people lead a more meaningful life.