The Ways That You Can Improve Your Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is an awareness of your own emotions as well as the emotions of people around you - and how to act on that knowledge.
Brenda Ellington Booth, a clinical professor of leadership at the Kellogg School, discussed the four components of EQ in a Kellogg Insights live, as well as ways for developing each of these: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
According to Booth, study after study has shown that EQ is far more important for leaders than technical competence. You can be the smartest person in the room, but it will not have the same impact on your success as EQ.
Self-Awareness
This is the self-check-in when you take a minute to assess your own feelings in a certain situation. This is significant because when we are defensive, drained, or stressed, our inherent inclinations emerge. Sometimes our natural instincts become combative or shut off, which is not our best self.
Taking a few long breaths to center yourself, or even writing to understand what your triggers are, are some strategies for developing self-awareness, according to Booth.
2. Self-Management
This is the point at which you decide to act on your self-awareness. Perhaps you're upset — controlling yourself may entail waiting an hour before responding to a crucial email. If you're feeling tired, go for a stroll, perform some yoga, or even contact a buddy.
Self-management also applies to positive emotions. When you're feeling optimistic, spread your happiness, according to Booth. Send a thank you message to a coworker or do a random act of kindness for a stranger. Sharing your own positive mood may be refreshing for many others. It is critical to be emotionally replenished.
The pattern of social awareness and relationship management is the same as that of self-awareness and self-management.
3. Social Awareness
To comprehend how others are feeling, you must be able to read the room. This entails checking in with people with the goal of actually knowing how they are doing. It might also entail approaching individuals directly if you suspect anything is wrong. Something as basic as, "I sense you're frustrated. Is that correct?" Or, "What do you need from me right now?" you may ask someone who you can sense is struggling.
4. Relationship Management
In today's cyber environment, honing interpersonal parts of EQ might be intimidating. There are, however, ways to read and respond to individuals through Zoom. Begin a meeting by asking each member to offer one word that describes how they feel right now. If you have a large group, start with a poll with a few options for people's emotional states. For example, satisfied, exhausted, nervous, or furious. This will assist you in determining how to calibrate your own degree of energy and tone.
When leaders conduct dialogues, Booth emphasizes that there must be boundaries. You want to be compassionate, but you don't want to become someone's therapist. To avoid this, always keep the best interests of your team or company in mind. Err on the side of compassion and grace, but if you notice a persistent pattern of behavior, shift the emphasis and say, "Let's talk about what we can do so the team isn't harmed by this.”
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