Develop your emotional intelligence

essentials
What is emotional intelligence?

Are you able to understand a problem and propose solutions? Do you have solid expertise?
These qualities are without doubt very precious, but they are not enough to make you a good
manager.
When faced with a problem, we react with both our intelligence and our emotions. Very often, it is
our capacity to manage these emotions, i.e. our emotional intelligence, that is the decisive factor.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence and IQ
Daniel Goleman was one of the first people to talk about the
concept of emotional intelligence or EQ (Emotional Quotient),
which he distinguished from IQ (Intelligence Quotient).
 ccording to Goleman, IQ is a measure of our theoretical
A persevere despite obstacles and disappointments. To do this,
intelligence and has little impact on our aptitude to manage
our emotions. Our emotional intelligence, however, is a
measure of the skills essential for developing self-control and
maintaining healthy relations with others.
A lack of emotional intelligence can have damaging effects;
emotions that are too strong may negatively affect our
capacity to reason and can lead to irrational behaviour.
Emotional intelligence is a key factor in success. IQ by itself is
not thought to be a very good predictor of job performance,
and has been estimated to have only a 10-20% influence on
professional success. Our IQ is not a measure of our capacity
to handle lifes trials and tribulations.
The 5 pillars of emotional intelligence
Five personal skills are basic to emotional intelligence and need
to be strengthened.
The first three pillars relate to our own capacities.
Self-awareness is the fundamental component of emotional
intelligence. Concretely, it means being aware of our moods
and the thoughts we have that relate to these moods. If we
are self-aware, we can understand our feelings and how they
affect our thoughts and actions. We can limit the negative
impact of our emotions and use our instincts when making
our decisions.
Self-control is our capacity to manage our impulses and
emotions so that they facilitate rather than hinder our work.
It helps us to remain calm and positive in the most gruelling
of circumstances. It also enables us to remain concentrated
in spite of stress.
Being able to motivate ourselves is knowing how to
we need to be able to
master our impulses, and
remain in a positive mood.
Being able to motivate ourselves also helps us to take initiatives
and be more efficient.
The two last pillars relate to our interactions with others.
Empathy is the aptitude to see a situation from another
persons point of view being able to decode the feelings,
concerns, and needs of those around us. It enables us to
maintain harmonious relations with all kinds of people.
However, understanding other people doesnt necessarily
mean agreeing with them.
Managing other peoples emotions is the ability to make
wise use of emotional contagion. It means having a keen
ability to decode situations and human relations and the
capacity to master ones own emotions in relationships with
others. If we can manage others emotions, we can motivate
teams, persuade, guide, negotiate, and settle disputes.

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 What is emotional intelligence?

essentials

Using emotional intelligence in professional relations

Emotional intelligence is vital to efficiency Improve your emotional intelligence

People who are angry are inefficient and find it difficult to Master your emotions.
remain attentive and make decisions. Well-mastered emotions Learn to understand and name your emotions in
are beneficial. stressful situations.
When you are overcome by your emotions, take the
Peoples efficiency, satisfaction, and productivity at work are time to calm down.
closely linked to the way in which others relate to them when To progress, choose to handle problems that youll
raising problems. be capable of solving.

Take into account other peoples emotionalism.

Help others to think about their emotions, and take a
step back.
When holding a meeting, leave some time for
newcomers to get to know each other.
Gradually increase the difficulty of the tasks you give
to your team members.
Imagine what consumers may need by putting
yourself in their place.

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Any reproduction or representation for non-private use is strictly forbidden