EQ or emotional quotient which has been a buzzword for the recent few years has really become the super power behind every successful leader. While IQ or intelligence quotient was the popular method of gauging human intelligence, EQ on the other hand is your own ability to perceive and manage your own emotions and more importantly perceiving and managing the emotions of others. As I keep repeating, we now live in a VUCA world with unlimited chaos, with undetected mental issues that most human beings have developed. Emotion here becomes important. 95% top performers have high EQ (Chirstina Grancia). Developing an emotional quotient mindset can obviously lead to better employee engagement and higher retention of talent, but you succeed through more solid stakeholder relationships and better negotiations and faster problem solving.
So, how do you improve your emotional intelligence and develop the EQ mindset to your benefit? Here are a few key initiatives you can take to get there.
True self awareness
If somewhere deep down within you understand emotions and have empathy, it’s really a great head start. However you need to first understand who you are as a person and what makes you tick. The conundrum is that most human beings feel that they know themselves well. Most of these perceptions come from what you think you are, compared to what you really are. The best way is to do talk to some people you trust and do a joint SWOT analysis with them. You could do it with even 4 people. When you do a complete analysis of all the SWOT documents, you will find a suggestive analysis core of what you project what you are, subconsciously. From here will begin your true journey of self-awareness. Remember. The more self-aware you become, the closer you get to genuinely developing the emotional quotient mindset.
According to Tasha Eurich, an organisational psychologist, researcher, and author of ‘Insight’ people who are self-aware tend to be more confident and more creative. They also make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.
Real self-regulation
Once you are truly self-aware through the collaborative self-awareness exercise’, the obvious goal that you set upon yourself is to build on your strengths and eliminate your weaknesses. Chase your opportunities and work at weakening your threats.
The real goal of this exercise however is to develop and control disruptive emotions and impulses, People with strong self-regulation can promote positivity and peace especially during stressful situations and imagine the situation that lack of real self-regulation can cause. They can just let off their emotions and impulses, creating panic and anxiety causing emotional damage themselves.
Becoming socially aware
Being socially aware is critical in building your EQ. Very simply put, it is developing your self to understand the others. A real sense of Empathy really drives the sense of being socially aware. The social awareness cycle really comprises of understanding in truth of how others feel, sharing this emotion and of course trying to address these issues positively. To really be able to understand how others feel is never easy. We as human beings are hardwired to think of ourselves first. People who say ‘me first’ need to evolve to the mindset of saying’ you first’. This is the easiest way to explain EQ. While you develop the EQ mindset, you must remember that you must use this mindset with those who matter in your business and personal circles
Take care of small things…big things will take care of themselves
Do adapt to changes quickly, ace yourself in managing conflicts, lead with empathy, not ego. Listen to understand, not reply. Keep constant pace with needs of stakeholders, build genuine connections.
Every conversation is not about you. Do not take credit for your team’s work. Never ignore feedback. Remember, change is the only constant so do not resist change.
“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”
Dale Carnegie.
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