What is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)? + Dimensions and importance of intelligence in business
Many people think that intelligence refers only to the Intelligence Quotient, or IQ for short. Another type of intelligence that the general public is unaware of is called emotional intelligence or EQ. Of course, the division of intelligence into two types, EQ and IQ, is not the only type of intelligence classification, and even in another valid classification, eight different types of intelligence are defined. In this article, we intend to address the concept of EQ, the role of emotional intelligence in business, and the relationship between emotional intelligence and success.
Simply put, emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, use, and manage one’s emotions in positive ways to reduce stress, communicate effectively with others, empathize with others, overcome internal challenges, and resolve conflicts.
Although many people think that IQ plays the most important role in people’s success, studies have shown that the relationship between emotional intelligence and success in business and professional life is much greater than IQ.
What is the definition of emotional intelligence?
Most people are familiar with the concept of general intelligence, which means the ability to learn, use knowledge, and solve problems. However, general intelligence is not the only type of intelligence, and as mentioned above, there is another type of intelligence called EQ. Emotional intelligence or EQ is a concept that was defined by scientists in the 1990s and is completely different from IQ.
EQ can be considered as the simplest possible ability to control one’s emotions. People with higher EQs can better understand their emotions and effects, as well as the behavior of others.
Components of emotional intelligence
EQ has five main components that are as follows:
- Self-awareness: Self-awareness means being aware of your emotions and feelings. People with high EQ show a high level of self-awareness. These people know how their emotions affect themselves and others and are not in control of their emotions.
- Self-regulation: People with high self-control do not make impulsive decisions. Such people, before doing anything, wait a while and think about the consequences.
- Motivation: Those who have high emotional intelligence are active people. Such people have big dreams and think about the role of their actions in achieving success. In fact, the relationship between emotional intelligence and success is highly dependent on motivation.
- Empathy: People with high emotional intelligence are usually less selfish. Such people feel empathy and sympathy for others. These people are good listeners, they do not rush to judge others and they understand the needs and wants of others. Therefore, a person with a high EQ is usually a loyal and compassionate friend.
- Social skills: Working as a team is much easier for people with higher EQs. Such people are great leaders because of their excellent communication skills and ability to manage relationships.
The importance of emotional intelligence in business
Today, the human resource units of organizations, in attracting the required personnel of the organization, attach great importance to EQ, and the results of emotional intelligence tests have become one of the most important criteria for attracting personnel by businesses.
Personnel EQ can be considered as one of the most important factors that play a role in the survival and development of business organizations. Some studies have shown that about 60% of the world’s largest companies have employees with higher EQs compared to smaller companies and weaker business competitors.
Such studies have shown that the level of EQ in owners, managers and employees of small and unsuccessful businesses is relatively low. In contrast, owners and managers of large and successful businesses have high EQs.
The relationship between emotional intelligence and success
EQ is an essential ability to have healthy and effective interpersonal relationships. Research has shown that EQ is an acquired behavior that is learned in the early years of life and that genetics do not play a major role. With high emotional intelligence, you can also be successful in earning money online.
In a study of more than 2,600 hiring managers, 71% of them said that emotional intelligence is more important to them in the hiring process than IQ.
When asked about the reason for this, they stated the following reasons:
Employees with higher EQs have a greater ability to maintain their composure in high-stress situations.
- Such employees are listeners rather than talkers.
- These people have more financial intelligence and make better business decisions.
- People with higher emotional intelligence have more control over their emotions and can talk very maturely about sensitive topics.
- The performance of these employees in resolving disputes is much better than employees with lower EQ.
- Employees with higher EQ have more empathy with their co-workers.
In fact, emotional intelligence is important in business because it helps you better understand your emotions and those of others, and manage them logically. The ability to control your emotions gives you the ability to lead people and help you be happier and more successful.
Based on the above statements, which are the result of numerous studies, it can be said that the most important reasons for the importance of EQ in success and business are as follows:
Understand non-verbal communication
If you have a high EQ, you have a higher ability to face a challenge before it becomes a problem. For example, if you notice that one of your coworkers is expressing signs of grief in a non-verbal way, you can talk to him or her privately and sympathize.
Self-awareness of inner emotions and feelings
You can use this skill to control and regulate your behavior before misbehaving with a co-worker or a client. For example, if you know you have had a difficult night, you may be more careful about your behavior at work and focus on positive emotions.
Improving Performance
Another reason for the close relationship between emotional intelligence and professional success is performance improvement due to empathy and understanding the emotions of others. If you strengthen your emotional intelligence, you can make decisions more easily and do things better.
Professional development
EQ and leadership skills go hand in hand. Skills such as patience, active listening, positivity and empathy can help you reach a managerial position and get a promotion.
Encourage others to strengthen interpersonal skills
Emotions are contagious, and expressing your motivation, empathy, responsibility, and teamwork in the workplace encourages others to reinforce EQ components, especially interpersonal skills.
How can emotional intelligence be strengthened?
As we said before, EQ is an acquired trait and genetics do not have much effect on it. However, everyone’s EQ is formed in the early years of life. Fortunately, there are ways to boost EQ. Here are five key pointers in moving your business forward.
1- Identify your weaknesses
Before taking action to improve your EQ, it is important to know your weaknesses. Self-assessing emotional weaknesses enables you to cover your weaknesses to increase your EQ more optimally.
For example, you may be great at helping people express their feelings verbally, but you may not receive nonverbal communication messages. When thinking about your weaknesses, be honest with yourself and look at the list of weaknesses you have made during the EQ boost process to keep track of how well you are progressing.
2- Reviewing the history of emotional intelligence
Review your EQ history after making a list of your weaknesses. Look at your emails and messages to see how you have behaved in different situations in the past. For example, you can identify situations in which you would be better off talking more empathetically with another person. Doing so gives you the ability to make better decisions and behave better in the future.
3- Getting feedback from others
The best way to understand your emotional inclinations is to get feedback from people you trust. Such people are honest with you, and the feedback you get from them gives you a lot of information. For example, you could ask a family member or close friend to comment critically on how you treat others. Use that person’s words to understand how others perceive your behavior, and address your behavioral weaknesses.
4- Asking for help
Seek help from your manager or professional role model to improve your emotional intelligence in the workplace. HR professionals can also help you boost your EQ. You can also see a counselor or psychologist.
5- Daily practice of emotional intelligence in business
Practice everything you learn about EQ on a daily basis at work. Focus on your weaknesses, get feedback from others, and seek help from others to cover those weaknesses.
Some EQ boost exercises are individual. For example, you can stand in front of a mirror and work on your facial expressions. However, most EQ exercises require communication with different people and your colleagues.
The relationship between emotional intelligence and success, both in personal and professional life, will be very effective. These effects may not manifest themselves quickly, but they will certainly pave the way for your progress in various aspects of life over a long period of time. Therefore, the less time you spend on boosting EQ.
Conclusion
EQ means the ability to understand and manage the emotions and behaviors of oneself and others and is completely different from IQ. Studies have shown that emotional intelligence has a more important role in the success of individuals in various aspects of personal and professional life than IQ.
EQ has five components, including self-awareness, self-control, motivation, empathy and social skills. Each of these components is important in the workplace and strengthening them can pave the way for your professional development.
There are five major steps you can take to begin the process of preparation for mediation. In the first step, you need to identify your weaknesses. Then, you should review your EQ history and see what you can do to boost your EQ. Third, you need to get feedback from others about your behavior to get a more accurate view of an outside person from your own communication skills. In the fourth step, you can get help from a manager, professional model, human resources expert or psychologist or counselor to boost your EQ. The last step to boost EQ is daily exercise.
As we said in this article, EQ is very important to your success, both in your personal life and in your professional life. Fortunately, EQ is an acquired trait and you can boost it. Take the time to strengthen your “emotional intelligence in business” as much as you can and be sure that you will see the fruits in the long run.
