Emotional intelligence is the ability to notice one's own and other people's emotions, differentiate between different feelings, and use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.
Emotional intelligence is a core skill that can have all-round benefits to one's professional and personal life. According to Daniel Goleman, there are five critical elements of emotional intelligence:
1. Self-awareness: Our ability to monitor, understand, and process one's own emotions. Self-awareness is a vital part of having strong EI, allowing one to show higher levels of humility as they better understand their strengths and weaknesses.
2. Self-regulation: Self-regulation is about being in control of your emotions and actions. Someone with robust self-regulation will rarely have emotional outbursts, make rushed decisions, or compromise their values.
3. Motivation: Motivated people show more consistency towards their goals, displaying higher productivity and effectiveness with their work. Finding motivation isn't the most straightforward task - it requires a lot of introspection to find meaning and value in the work you do and the ambition you have with regards to your career and relationships.
4. Empathy: People with high EI show greater compassion. Empathy allows you to put yourself in someone else's shoes, giving you a more holistic view of any situation. This will enable one to work better in teams, build strong relations, and find innovative solutions.
5. Social Skills: An essential aspect of developing your EI is working on your social skills. An individual with strong social skills can communicate effectively, handle social conflicts, motivate and inspire those around him/her. Having strong social skills is the backbone of your emotional intelligence, allowing you to control the complex situations life may throw at you.
Working on our emotional intelligence is as important as developing any other aspect of our knowledge. Being social beings, knowing the information is only half the battle; being able to communicate our thoughts and ideas effectively is also crucial.
