EI or Emotional Intelligence is one of the must have skills in the professional world today. Most of you would be wondering - why emotional intelligence is of so much importance at the workplace. If we talk about it, then it isn’t just a trend that is continuously gaining importance among peers at the workplace but an essential attribute for success. Being an emotionally intelligent can affect a person’s life professionally. Instead, most of the companies have generated statistical proof that clears out the fact that employees who have greater emotional intelligence greatly affect the bottom line. In addition to it, employees with high levels of emotional intelligence are seen to have positive effect on total sales and productivity of the company.
Now lets understand first what is EI. Emotional intelligence refers to the capability of a person to manage and control his or her emotions and possess the ability to control the emotions of others as well. In other words, they can influence the emotions of other people also. Emotional intelligence allows to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one's goal(s)
Emotional intelligence envisages four main sets of skills i.e self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. It has now become vital to develop these skills to survive in the competitive workplace and have blissful life. Here in this article, you will find some of the ways which can increase your EI:
Develop an assertive style of communicating: Assertive communication implies to the style of communication that helps in earning respect. One should clearly state their opinions and feelings, and firmly advocate for their rights and needs without violating the rights of others. Its an ability to express positive and negative ideas and feelings in an open, honest and direct way. It allows us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions without judging or blaming other people. And it allows us to constructively confront and find a mutually satisfying solution where conflict exists. Eye contact, congruent body language & gestures, voice, timing and content help in developing assertive style of communicating.
Respond instead of reacting to conflict: While in a conflict, emotional outbursts are common. One must try to remain calm during stressful situations as well. It is important that you don’t make impulsive decisions at that time. You must try to respond calmly in those situations. You must make sincere effort to respond rather than react. Instead of allowing your thoughts to arise and your body to react to them — try using the pause between stimulus and response to determine your next most effective course of action. Don't let frivolous thoughts and the everyday situations of life control you.
Develop active listening skills: Instead of just blurting out all the time, one must also develop listening skills. One must try to remain calm and also understand what is being said before responding. The active listening skill set involves 6 active listening skills ; paying attention to speaker, withholding your judgment, reflecting on the content, clarifying yourself, summarizing the discussion and sharing. To practice active listening one must make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, the complete message being communicated.
Be motivated: People with great EI are self-motivated. They set their goals in a manner that helps them in achieving great heights. Keep your spirits high and always remind yourself of your goals. Keeping track of your goals and checking your progress can help keep you motivated day in and day out. Find time to watch and read motivational stories or speeches so you can suddenly feel a new sense of motivation to keep striving. You can remain motivated if you eliminate your distractions. Sell it or put it in a storage locker. Move away from it. Throw it away. You can't become motivated if you're squandering all of your time.
Maintain a positive attitude: Having a positive attitude means being optimistic about situations, interactions, and yourself. It is vital that one must remain aware of the moods and guard their attitude accordingly. They must start their day with an optimistic outlook. Be grateful for every small thing that life has given you. This will help you to see the brighter part of life and help in coping up with your stress. Start your morning strong. Spend time for yourself, take a walk or enjoy delicious breakfast. When your morning is more productive and less rushed, you’ll be sure to head to work in higher spirits. That morning glow will spread throughout your day and keep you positive and then the cycle can repeat.
Practice self-awareness: People with great EI are self-aware about their emotions and feelings. They can easily pick emotions and body language of other person and use it in enhancing their communication skills. It’s the most effective method for learning about yourself, your needs and your potential than anything else you can do to learn about yourself. Fundamentally, your very survival depends on your ability to manage yourself. Self-awareness teaches you how to do it more effectively. Be aware of your strongest reaction and monitor your negative and positive feelings. Write down your thoughts and feelings on a piece of paper this will give you an opportunity to communicate with your subconscious mind, check yourself, correct yourself and help in developing self awareness for betterment.
Develop leadership skills: It is vital that you be an emotional intelligent person and develop excellent leadership skills. You need to set up high standards for yourself and set an example for others to follow. Be an inspiration for others. An effective leader should be able to motivate others and drive them to do their best in the worst situations. Keep learning always . We learn and grow every day. We follow and we lead. It all comes around in a circle. Let your action speaks for you. Help your team members to grow personally and professionally. A great leader is not someone who brings out the best from the best, but someone who has the ability to bring out the best from the worst.
