Working with Emotional Intelligence

I believe this expression started with Daniel Goleman’s book of the same title which he wrote in the late nineties. He expressed Emotional Intelligence as

Emotional intelligence means managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively, enabling people to work together smoothly towards their common goals

Emotional competencies were found to be twice as important in contributing to excellence as pure intellect and expertise. An analysis of emotional intelligence in thousands of men and women found that women, on average, are more aware of their emotions, show more empathy, and are more adept interpersonally. Men on the other hand, are more self confident and optimistic, adapt more easily, and handle stress better.

For success at the highest levels, in leadership positions, emotional competence accounts for virtually the entire advantage. Leadership agility, the ability to work with different styles and with people at all levels of the organisation, from the sales rep on the street to top management, demands empathy and emotional self-management.

As part of the professional report within a Prism Profile (see www.prismbrainmapping.com ) emotional intelligence is categorised as the following; –

Self-awareness – are we aware of our own feelings in a wide range of work related situations and can we remain in control of those emotions and feelings. Thus maintaining a positive or optimistic outlook on life. – It is only in the last 15 years I have considered emotional intelligence and when I look back at my career I fell into many traps of a similar pattern. By knowing yourself better, could you escape some of the traps you might be falling into?

Self –management – are we able to adapt to a range of situations and to tolerate both criticism and challenge. Also are we able to maintain consistent performance in a wide range of situations and when under considerable pressure? – I am naturally quite a calm person but I know when under pressure I default to a tell style. What do you revert to when under pressure?

Awareness of others – are we highly empathetic to other people and engage them in problem solving and decision-making or acknowledge their uncertainties, needs, views and opinions? – I would like to think so, but maybe not when I was a young sales manager? How are you aware of others, what do you look out for?

Relationship management – do you have a strong democratic style and are you good at meeting the emotional needs of others by taking a close interest in them and their concerns, and effectively managing relationships with them so that they feel involved, valued and motivated? – I am not sure I managed this?

Self-motivation – a high level of motivation and high levels of commitment to long term goals and results which are pursued in the face of obstacles and setbacks – I have self- motivation “in spades”. How self-motivated are you?

Influencing others – to be effective in persuading others to change their viewpoint or to adopt their interpretation of a situation, or the need for action. As a leader if you don’t have this skill, I don’t suppose you can lead? What sort of leader are you?

Decisiveness – to be able to make decisions in difficult decisions, when faced with incomplete or ambiguous information, and use your previous experience as a basis for an intuitive assessment of the decision. I am definitely decisive but do I always make the right decisions?! What category do you come under, the deep thinker or the instinctive doer or are you somewhere in the middle?

Psychological presence – when people are present in this sense they are fully attentive and completely involved in their work and so perform at their best. Others experience them as accessible and engaged, and they contribute their creative ideas, energy, and intuitions fully. – this is a great place to be, I have been there occasionally. Where are you at the moment?

By being more aware of emotional intelligence and reading Daniel Goleman’s book on “Working with Emotional Intelligence” will put you in a lot stronger position at work. By having a Prism Profile (www.prismbrainmapping.com ) using me as your accredited coach to overview, you will know yourself so much better and then you will also understand that you need to adapt your approach to different types of people, who you will be able to recognise.

Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships. Do you want to be more emotionally intelligent? If so, take action which will work for you.