What is emotional intelligence (EQ)?

How do you respond when you’re agitated, stressed, and overburdened? Do you panic or yell instead of taking a deep breath to regain your composure?

What happens when other people have intense feelings? Do you have the ability to recognise those emotions and comprehend why they are occurring, or do you make snap judgments?

People with high levels of emotional intelligence are conscious of their own emotions as well as those of others. And with that knowledge, they can control their responses and foster productive interactions. It’s a skill that helps people succeed both inside and outside of the workplace, making it essential for leaders to master.

In this article, you’ll learn about emotional intelligence and its two categories: personal competence and social competence. Then, you’ll learn why emotional intelligence is essential for leadership success.

What is personal competence?

The ability to identify and control one’s feelings is an essential component of personal competence. Having self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation are all necessary components.

Understanding your own feelings constitutes self-awareness. The first step is simply being aware of the feelings as they arise and then comes figuring out what triggered them and how they’re influencing your thoughts and actions. People with a strong sense of self-awareness tend to question their initial feelings and search for more complex justifications for their conclusions. You may examine your feelings to find out if they are really masking something else, such as insecurity, sadness, or stress.

Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions once you are aware of them. It centers on exercising restraint and making deliberate decisions. Those who are adept at self-regulation can control impulsive actions, and destructive emotions, and maintain resilience during difficult times.

Last but not least, we have the concept of “self-motivation,” or internalised impulse. Emotional motivation is the use of positive feelings as a driving force to maintain focus on positive actions and avoid distractions (such as procrastination). If you’re highly motivated from within, you won’t need as many incentives from the outside world to keep you going. This helps you stick to your goals despite setbacks and maintain a positive outlook.

What is social competence?

Understanding and controlling one’s own feelings, as well as those of others, is a crucial component of social competence. If you’re good at this, you’ll have more opportunities to connect with other people and make an impact in their lives. The ability to empathise with others and to interact effectively with others are the two main components of social competence.

Knowing how another person is feeling is what we call empathy. Empathetic people have a keen eye for the emotional states of those around them. They pick up on a speaker’s nuances, body language, and other cues, both verbal and nonverbal. They probe for insight into others’ emotions in order to better relate to them.

Interacting effectively with other people is what we mean when we talk about having good social skills. Competence in this area is centered on doing. It’s the practice of using empathy for the benefit of others by making social connections based on an awareness of their emotional state. It is concerned with a wide variety of interpersonal skills, such as negotiating, managing, leading, and motivating others. Simply put, social skills are “people skills.”

Why is emotional intelligence essential for leadership success?

Leaders set the tone of their organisation. If they lack emotional intelligence, it could have more far-reaching consequences, resulting in lower employee engagement and a higher turnover rate.

You’ll gain several leadership advantages by raising your emotional intelligence. You’ll have fewer blind spots and make more impartial decisions. You’ll establish a positive work environment with higher employee morale and improve communication.

Developing emotional intelligence takes time. No matter your industry or career stage, practice your skills to reap long-term benefits.

The key takeaways

The capacity to identify, comprehend, and control both your own and other people’s emotions is known as emotional intelligence.

Understanding your own feelings constitutes self-awareness.

Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions once you are aware of them.

If you’re highly motivated from within, you won’t need outside incentives to keep you going.

Knowing how another person is feeling is what we call empathy. It’s the practice of using empathy for the benefit of others by making social connections based on an awareness of their emotional state.

Competence in this area is concerned with a wide variety of interpersonal skills, such as negotiating, managing, leading, and motivating others