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Understanding Emotional Intelligence and Success

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence first became popular in the 1995 when Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ made the New York Times best seller list. In his book, Golemen, a psychologist and New York Times science writer, indicates that emotional intelligence could be a key element in achieving success for many people.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

According to Psychology Today, emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your emotions and the emotions of others. It’s the capacity to handle relationships thoughtfully and empathetically. It impacts how we behave and make decisions. Goleman spent decades studying emotional intelligence in the workplace and in doing so he developed a framework of the five characteristics of it. Take a look them below.

  • Self-Awareness – Being self-aware is thought by some as the most important component of the emotional intelligence characteristics. Self-awareness means that you can understand and describe your emotions. As a result, you have control of them.
  • Self-Regulation – If you are a self-regulated person, you are able to keep negative emotions in check. For example, you don’t allow yourself to become extremely angry or jealous, and you usually think before you act.
  • Motivation – Being motivated is a major part of emotional intelligence. Motivated people see the value of focusing on long-term success rather than short-term gratification. They are highly productive and ready to embrace a challenge.
  • Empathy –Empathy is being able to understand the needs of the people around you. Empathic people are good at recognizing the feelings of others. As a result, they are usually excellent at managing and building relationships.
  • Social Skills – Having strong social skills means you are a team player. You want to help others reach their potential. You manage conflicts well and have excellent communication skills.

These characteristics are critical in building and maintaining relationships, so it makes sense that emotional intelligence has an enormous impact on success in business. However, don’t despair if your emotional intelligence could use some tweaking, many experts on this topic believe that it can be learned.

At Equity National, we like to give our partners the resources they need to be successful. Give us a call at 800-237-8489 and let us know what we can do to help you.

By: Equity National   March 30, 2015     Uncategorized

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