Let’s go through the key components of emotional intelligence, as described by the addicted2success.com website.
Popularised by author Dan Goleman, the term emotional intelligence consists of five parts. These are:
- Self-awareness
- Self-regulation
- Internal motivation
- Empathy
- Social skills
Self-Awareness
This is the ability to acknowledge your own emotions and their effect on people around you. Emotions can be contagious. So you should engage in inspiring behaviours and display positive emotions. That way you will keep others feeling calm and motivated.
Self-regulation
This is the ability to refocus potentially negative emotions and channel them into constructive actions. Don’t allow your fears and worries to lead you to failure; instead, embrace them and act in such a way as to deal with them.
By remaining in control of your emotions, you will never allow your own frustrations to make you shout at colleagues. On the contrary, you will always remain calm – for example by writing negative comments on a piece of paper and then shredding it.
Internal motivation
Self-motivation means you shouldn’t need any external validation, whether this be in the form of money or status. You naturally set high standards and keep your optimism. Why you were passionate about your work in the first place? Remind yourself why you like what you are doing.
Empathy
If you can relate to what other people are going through and adapt your approach with this idea in mind, you are empathetic. You are ready to listen to your colleagues, you notice non-verbal cues and you know how to keep your team engaged.
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