Emotional intelligence is catching on like wildfire! It’s relevance to personal and professional success is unparalleled, which is why I thought it would be beneficial to outline what it is.
Lately, I’ve noticed that emotional intelligence is gaining more popularity and interest. I’m frequently asked by companies to provide training and workshops on how one can increase their emotional intelligence.
The other kind of smart.
Emotional intelligence is known as “the other kind of smart” and is the number one predictor of success both personally and professionally. We all know someone who is academically brilliant, otherwise known as “book smart” and yet they are (often) socially unskilled.Emotional intelligence is an individual's ability to recognize, understand and manage their feelings and those of others. Learning how to communicate one's emotions effectively, while interpreting and responding to others is key to success.
Intellectual Intelligence isn't enough on its own to be successful.
We are all born with a unique personality and a set IQ. While IQ can be enhanced there is a limit. In contrast, developing emotional intelligence aka EQ is completely within everyone's reach.
Once referred to as Social Intelligence, researchers now know that those with high emotional intelligence can outperform those that rely on their IQ alone. Employees and leaders that exercise emotional intelligence have an innate and strong work-life balance, better self-control, stronger and more meaningful relationships.
Interesting statistics about emotional intelligence:
- 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence.
- Emotional intelligence matters twice as much as technical knowledge.
- 70% of individuals do not handle conflict or stress effectively.
- Only 36% of individuals understand emotions as they occur.
- Just 15% of individuals feel respected and valued by their employers.
The exciting news is that our brain is like plastic, which means it’s highly malleable and allows us to retrain ourselves. Brain plasticity is a common term used by neuroscientists, referring to the brain's ability to change at any age. Unlike IQ, emotional intelligence is not fixed at birth.
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Ever heard the saying, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks?' IT'S NOT TRUE, you can, due to neuroplasticity!
Ever heard the saying, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks?' IT'S NOT TRUE, you can, due to neuroplasticity!
