“By teaching people to tune in to their emotions with intelligence and to expand their circle of caring, we can transform organisations from the inside out and make a positive difference in our world.”
Daniel Goleman Psychologist, NYT Bestselling Author, Science Journalist.
Last week, we started looking into emotional intelligence (the leadership implications).
I introduced the concept of emotional intelligence and wrote a few things about the importance of emotional intelligence, and that emotional intelligence can be learned.
I was going to write just one article about emotional intelligence, but when I looked at how vast (and fascinating) the topic is, I decided to take it slow and try to cover its major (fundamental) aspects.
Today, we will briefly look at the components of emotional intelligence.
Daniel Goleman’s model of EI (Emotional Intelligence) breaks it down into five components:
- Self-Awareness.
- Self Regulation.
- Motivation
- Empathy.
- Social Skills
Self-Awareness
Understanding your unique emotions is a critical component of emotional intelligence.
Individuals with high EI are aware of their emotions, know the dynamics, and know how to control and harness the energy of their emotions.
Your being self-aware means recognising your weaknesses and strengths as an emotional being.
You know your limitations and understand how giving in to certain emotions affects those around you.
You know, understand and accept the consequences of your actions.
Self Regulation
Thinking before you act. Once an individual is big on self-awareness, they can now begin to master the act and art of self-regulation.
They can regulate their emotions in response to given situations. They don’t allow the heat and energy of emotions to control how they talk and behave.
This is powerful!
Individuals who have mastered self-regulation know how to interact with people effectively, making them excellent leaders.
Motivation
Having a robust hunger for personal development is one of the most prominent symptoms of intrinsic motivation and shows that such an individual has a healthy and high level of emotional intelligence.
Motivation is the inside force that stimulates and directs an individual towards achieving their goals in life, even in challenging situations.
An individual with low motivation can easily get distracted by challenges and difficult situations on their way to their goals, but an individual who has mastered the art of self-motivation understands that challenges and difficulties are all part of the process and that they even make him stronger and wiser.
Highly motivated individuals are life-long learners.
They pursue growth and development because they understand how it contributes to their destiny and helps bring out the best in them, giving them the internal resources to help others and give to the world.
They view personal growth and development as more than just a means to make money, achieve success, or gain status.
Empathy
Empathy is part of the new leadership golds. We’re in the leadership era where leaders are not just about how they feel but also how those they lead feel.
It’s more of self-interest than self-centredness.
To be a strong leader, you must sharpen your empathy skills.
It helps you identify the kinds of emotions people around you are expressing. It enables you to relate with them at their emotional frequency.
Empathy is all about being compassionate towards others. “Walking a mile in their shoes”, seeing the world from their perspective.
It helps shape your judgement of others and makes you aware of each person’s struggle to improve.
Social Skills
A person with high emotional intelligence (EI) is better at interacting with others than someone with low EI.
High EI helps people build relationships, communicate well, and keep friendships.
Leaders with strong social skills find it easier to create networks, establish relationships and interact with those they lead.
Understanding Emotions, Feelings, and Moods
People often mix up the terms emotions, feelings, and moods, but they have different meanings.
Emotions are quick reactions to specific situations, while feelings are what we experience as a result of those emotions.
Emotions are usually short but intense and have a clear cause.
Feelings depend on how we perceive the situation, which is why the same emotion can lead to different feelings in different people.
People react very differently to emotions in the same situations.
The way your colleague reacts to the emotion of anger will be different from the way you do.
They might leave work feeling frustrated, while you feel entirely different.
An emotion that should trigger a positive feeling in one person ends up triggering a negative feeling in another.
The situation was meant to make everybody happy, but some guy at the corner is processing it differently and exhibiting a very different feeling.
A mood is a temporary emotional state. Sometimes, moods arise from clear reasons; for example, you might feel happy and excited because your projects are going as planned.
However, in many cases, it can be challenging to pinpoint the specific cause of a mood.
An example is finding out that you feel unhappy, gloomy, grey and dull when you wake up on a Monday morning, and it lingers for another two days without any identifiable reason(s).
In the next article, we will talk about Emotional Intelligence & Cognitive Intelligence.
Additional Resources
I write about leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship every Monday at Care City. Though my writings target healthcare entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators, I feel entrepreneurs and leaders, in general, can learn from them.
Catch you next week Monday.
Happy New month, and have a productive week ahead. Bye.
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