Emotional intelligence (EI) is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments. Although the term first appeared in 1964, it gained popularity in the 1995 best-selling book Emotional Intelligence, written by science journalist . Goleman defined EI as the array of skills and characteristics that drive leadership performance.
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic.
Studies have shown that people with high EI have greater mental health, job performance, and leadership skills, although no causal relationships have been shown. EI is typically associated with empathy because it involves an individual connecting their personal experiences with those of others.
Various models have been developed to measure EI. The trait model, developed by Konstantinos V. Petrides in 2001, focuses on self reporting of behavioral dispositions and perceived abilities. The ability model, developed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 2004, focuses on the individual’s ability to process emotional information and use it to navigate the social environment. Goleman’s original model may now be considered a mixed model that combines what has since been modeled separately as ability EI and trait EI. More recent research has focused on emotion recognition, which refers to the attribution of emotional states based on observations of visual and auditory nonverbal cues. Inaddition, neurological studies have sought to characterize the neural mechanisms of emotional intelligence.
The research published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education has proven that a strong propensity in emotional intelligence increases one’s ability to make sound decisions, build and sustain collaborative relationships, deal effectively with stress, and cope to a greater degree with constant change. To wit, it enables an individual not only to perform well in the workplace, but also in accomplishing various other goals and objectives in his or her life.
Emotional intelligence in the workplace begins from the inside out with each individual. It involves recognizing various aspects of your feelings and emotions and taking the time to work on the elements of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills..
Among all the positive traits effective leaders bring to the workplace, research has revealed an attribute that is more reliable in predicting overall success than our intelligence quotient (IQ) – our emotional intelligence (EI). EI is defined as the capacity to recognize and effectively manage personal emotions in ourselves and in others.
EI is also essential to conflict management in the workplace, which involves having the ability to help others through tense situations, tactfully bringing disagreements into the open, and defining solutions that everyone can endorse. Leaders who take time to understand different perspectives work toward establishing a middle ground in disagreements. By paying attention to how others respond to one another, you can try to help people feel heard, which in turn, will help them be more willing to compromise.
So, how does emotional intelligence positively affect leadership in the workplace? According to *Daniel Goleman* , an American psychologist and author of the groundbreaking book, “Emotional Intelligence,” EI has five key elements that, when managed, help leaders attain a higher level of emotional intelligence
The model introduced by Daniel Goleman (1995) focuses on EI as a wide array of competencies and skills that drive leadership performance. Goleman’s model outlines four main EI constructs:
– – the ability to read one’s emotions and recognize their impact while using gut feelings to guide decisions. The ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, is a critical part of emotional intelligence. Beyond just recognizing your emotions, however, is being aware of the effect of your actions, moods, and emotions on other people. To become self-aware, you must be capable of monitoring your own emotions, recognizing different emotional reactions, and then correctly identifying each particular emotion. Self-aware individuals also recognize the relationships between the things they feel and how they behave.
– – involves controlling one’s emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances. The ability to regulate and manage your emotions, which is not to say you are putting emotions on lockdown and hiding your true feelings. It simply means waiting for the right time and place to express them. Self-regulation is all about expressing your emotions appropriately. Those who are skilled in self-regulation tend to be flexible and adapt well to change.
– the ability to sense, understand, and react to other people’s emotions while comprehending social networks. Being able to interact well with others is another important aspect of emotional intelligence. True emotional understanding involves more than just consideration of your own emotions and those of others. You also need to be able to put this information to work in your daily interactions and communications. It also involves your responses to people and the organization in attaining the goals of that organization. When you sense that someone is feeling bad, depressed or disheartened, how do you respond? You might treat them with extra care and concern, or you might make an effort to lift their spirits.
– the ability to inspire, influence, and develop others while managing conflict. . In professional settings, managers benefit by being able to build relationships and connections with employees. Workers benefit from being able to develop a strong rapport with leaders and co-workers. EI generate huge result in ensuring intrinsic motivation in work place
People who are emotionally intelligent are motivated by things beyond external rewards like fame, money, recognition, and acclaim. Instead, they have a passion to fulfill their own inner needs and goals. They seek internal rewards, experience flow from being totally in tune with an activity and pursue peak experiences.
Considering all these factors, it’s easy to discern why emotional intelligence matters in the workplace. For any organization to achieve maximum productivity and effective performance of the work force the leadership must have a critical study of EI. He must acquire competences of EI. Workers or employees must acquire the skill and competences of emotional intelligence in their personl life and work situation.Emotional intelligence increases one’s ability to make sound decisions, build and sustain collaborative relationships, deal effectively with stress, and cope to a greater degree with constant changes that charcterise work place often. ln conflict issues it bring out the best resolutions that favours both the employers and employees.
Since its popularization in recent decades, methods of developing EI have become widely sought by individuals and corporate organization seeking to become more effective leaders and increased job performance in work place.
*Samuel Atumiye Shiaka, FCAI*
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