Emotional intelligence is a word that many like to use, but one that not everyone truly understands. In the modern professional world, it is essential to be emotionally intelligent. Every professional needs to be able to understand the views and attitudes of their colleagues and competitors, both to support your colleagues in their development and to outperform your competitors. Working at a time where professionals must always be the best in their fields, emotional intelligence is one thing that all sectors have in common as an important skill to have.
Emotional intelligence starts from within. The most basic skills involved require a professional to look at their own emotions. When we begin to understand our emotions, we can start to attempt to control them. We can then begin to limit our negative emotions, like anger and fear, and benefit from our positive ones, like passion and happiness. This is especially important in the working world, where we absolutely cannot afford to lose control of our feelings in the workplace. These skills can also be of use in our personal lives, where emotional control can also be useful. When we have built up this knowledge and skill within ourselves, then we can begin to use it to influence our work and the world around us.
Being emotionally intelligent makes the workplace easier to understand. We can see why and how people act the way they do, and we can help them to understand their sentiments. This works the same with clients and colleagues, both of whom will need some support at times. Emotional intelligence helps to make you a more complete professional. You become more than just a skillset, you become a leader and a trusted colleague. It is this holistic approach to work that can be the key to unlocking new doors. For some professionals it can be the missing element that takes them across the gap from worker to leader.
Every good leader needs emotional intelligence. They must be able to empathise with their employees to develop good relations with them. They have to be able to balance their feelings with the needs of the business. These qualities are very much valued in the modern workplace. Executives across the world are also realising the effect that emotional intelligence can have on a workforce’s moral and output. They are adapting their recruitment strategies and training to fit this, so we can expect to see the role of emotional intelligence to only grow in the future.
It is important to remember that emotional intelligence goes beyond the workplace. Yes, it can be useful as a way to progress professionally. However, it is also important as a tool for personal development. The benefits can be reaped in all parts of your life, personal and professional. That’s why I truly believe emotional intelligence is currently one of the most important skills a person can have, not just a professional, but the person inside. We have to remember that at the end of every phone call and email there is another human being. A human being with their unique opinions, emotions and attitudes. To thrive together, we must work together and understand each other. Emotional intelligence will allow us to do just that.
Lisiane Ndong 