Emotional intelligence

We hear a lot about emotional intelligence but let's dig into this topic a bit more.

You will meet two types of people in your life. The ones who have their EQ quite evolved and the others who are still figuring it out.

But how to deal with these people and what does it mean when we put them in a corporate context vs a private one?

Usually, the ones who are still struggling with their EQ are the ones who still need to work on unresolved issues in their life and on their emotions. EQ is something which can be improved. Let's see how.

People with high EQ are usually the ones who understand theirs and others' emotions well. They have spent a good amount of time self-reflecting on their emotions, situations they have lived in the past, their challenges and learnings.

When one of your friends or colleagues is angry, you need to first tune into your own feelings before assessing theirs and understand what is the real issue behind.

Sometimes anger is just on the surface like the tip of the iceberg. The real issue is hidden below. We need to learn how to ask concrete and specific questions in order to understand the issue better.

You can also notice among your coworkers that people who stopped smoking, are starting again out of stress, frustration or other personal reasons. Try to look out for the reason which is triggering this situation.

Same goes for people who used to drink only socially and since the time of confinement have started to drink regularly, even daily stating they are having WhatsApp drinks with their friends. But below are other emotions, such as boredom, frustration of being stuck at home and it ends up becoming a habit.

If you notice this kind of behavior among your loved ones or even coworkers, encourage them to take some time out of their busy schedule to self-reflect on their emotions and put in place some time for self-love. Advise them to look out for some self development topics online. There are many sites which talk about these, they can watch videos on youtube. They can even go and see a therapist who will help them navigate their emotions.

In a professional setting you need EQ to be able to motivate your people. Recognise, understand and manage your emotions before managing others.

In these times, with home office, you cannot expect that they produce the same results as when they were full time in the office as some of them have their kids at home.

So use your emotional intelligence and understand them, even if you don't have children, you need to assess all the possibilities.

A good performer will perform even better if you give them a chance and set a positive environment around so they are able to express themselves.

Stop micromanagement and give your people space to express themselves. Encourage them and be there for them. They shouldn't be afraid to come to speak to you or discuss an idea. Even if the idea is concretely not feasible you should explain the reason in detail and welcome their initiative and encourage them to continue.

"Be the change you want to see in this world" - Mahatama Gandhi

Love

A.