When discussing the multiple ways intelligence can manifest, people often point to IQ as the all-encompassing umbrella term that can determine how intelligent someone is.
Today, it is becoming increasingly common to assess not how high our intelligence quotient is but rather how high our emotional quotient is, and subsequently place effort on improving this ability. An individual’s emotional quotient (commonly referred to as their EQ) refers to how well they can recognize their own emotions and the emotions of others and how well they can handle these emotions and relationships as a whole positively.
It is now commonly understood that while IQ may be a good assessment of a person’s general intellectual abilities, EQ determines how well a person functions in the workplace. A person’s emotional intelligence affects how well they understand themselves, which subsequently affects aspects of the workplace like how well this person interacts with coworkers, how well they manage their own tasks, and even how well they can perform these tasks. Recognizing the value of emotional intelligence can single-handedly affect a business’s and its employees’ long-term success.
01. Empathy
Empathy can be defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. This quality largely determines how well a person can relate to those around them and how well they can respond to these feelings.
Having high emotional intelligence inherently means having a high degree of empathy, which in turn will affect the general atmosphere of the workplace. Employees who can be empathetic with each other are employees that can work well together.
02. Self-Regulation
Self-regulation refers to a person’s ability to discern their own emotions and subsequently appropriately respond to them. Having a high EQ allows an individual to assess, analyze, and respond to their emotions, which results in an individual being better able to control their emotions.
Consider an instance wherein an individual is experiencing strong emotion. In these instances, it is common for people to overreact and lash out, whether it be through yelling, tears, or even silence. While justified in many circumstances, these responses may be a reaction to a feeling and not the event itself. Being able to assess the feeling and why this feeling is being had will affect a person’s ability to regulate the emotion, fostering greater clarity and overall well-being.
03. Social Skills
The ability to interact with others appropriately is vital to both successes in the workplace and success in life. Generally, the workplace is often a collaborative space where every individual contributes to the overall company culture.
Therefore, having the ability to operate within these social settings ensures that the proverbial ship keeps afloat. More fundamentally, humans require a certain amount of human interaction, which is why having emotional intelligence is important because it gives a person the tools to maneuver through society and fulfill their basic human needs.
5 EQ Skills To Learn Now
So we understand that emotional intelligence is important in all facets of life and that it can be improved over time. As such, it would prove wise for entrepreneurs to study their own EQ and see where they can improve.
It’s been proven that emotional intelligence is a metric for entrepreneurial success, even more so than IQ. As such, here are five skills you can begin developing to boost your EQ and, eventually your business.
Developing EQ
The value of developing a higher EQ is multifaceted and lifelong, but like with any new skill, it requires time to develop. Fortunately, the skills you can develop to increase your emotional intelligence are relatively simple. With dedicated practice and enough honesty with yourself, you’ll find your EQ increasing over time.
