Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence

Some experts will tell you that your emotional intelligent quotient (EQ) may be more important than your IQ. How do you know if you are emotionally intelligent? And why should that matter?

To quote Daniel Goleman, the psychologist and author who first brought the term emotional intelligence to a wide audience in 1995:

The rules for work are changing… These rules have little to do with what we were told was important in school; academic abilities are largely irrelevant to this standard. The new measure takes for granted having enough intellectual ability and technical know-how to do our jobs; it focuses instead on personal qualities, such as initiative and empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness.

Goleman researched nearly 200 large global companies and found that a leader could have first-class training, an endless supply of good ideas and an incisive mind but still not be a good leader. Instead, great leaders were characterised by a high degree of what he called emotional intelligence. So exactly what is Emotional Intelligence (EI)?

Put simply, EI is the ability to identify or recognise and manage your own emotions and behaviour, as well as the effect that these have on others around you.

There are 5 key components, as listed in this classic Harvard Business Review post:

• Self – awareness
• Self – regulation
• Motivation
• Empathy
• Social Skill

If the above components don’t sound very business like, read on before jumping to conclusions. We’re used to hearing about ‘soft skills’ as easy, and perhaps second in importance to ‘hard skills’. But Goleman’s work provides evidence to put the story straight. He found direct ties between emotional intelligence and measurable business results. And there is a long list of studies to support this, including research by the Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) who found deficiencies in emotional competence to be one of the primary causes for leadership derailment.

According to Lifehack, emotions play a critical role in the quality of both our personal and professional lives. Being emotionally aware can impact our physical health, mental well-being, relationships, conflict resolution and ultimate success.

So how can you develop your EI? 

Mavis Ureke is an International Human Behaviour specialist with extensive experience in Emotional Intelligence. She will be delivering a 2-day programme aimed at strengthening your emotional intelligence, enhancing and channelling your creative energy and building fulfilling relationships. The programme also explores applications within an organisation context, namely understanding the power of emotions in building teams, and experiencing learning design to enhance your training, coaching and teaching. You take home dozens of proven EQ exercises and learning tools to use from this programme.

The programme will be run in Johannesburg on 28^th and 29^th July.

If you would like to book, you can find out more information here: www.ipm.co.za/next-event

You can also contact Lavern / Patricia on 011 544 4400 / email lavern@davestatelite.co.za / patricia@davestatelite.co.za

Click here to download the registration form