Happiness is the Path to the Productive Workplace
Without question, happiness is one of the most valuable benefits of the productive workplace. It's no secret that happier employees are more productive and loyal to their company. That's why it's arguably one of the best investments a business can make. Despite what you may read elsewhere on other blogs, there is no perfect office setting that will instantly produce a contented work force. Making workplaces "fun" or "useful" won't be enough to ensure worker satisfaction without some focus on emotional intelligence (EI).
EI is a set of strengths and skills that allow people to navigate emotions effectively in their workplace. There are at least four different categories of EI:
1. Self-Awareness & Self-Management
2. Motivation & Feedback
3. Empathy & Emotional flexibility
4. Social Intelligence & Decision-Making
Most articles on EI focus on the first two categories: Self Awareness and Self Management. The two are closely related to one another, not only because they focus on the same qualities such as self-awareness, but also because they both deal with managing your emotions within a context of your reality (self).
And for good reason: both categories are linked with workplace success, employee engagement and overall happiness. If a person is not self aware, it's unlikely that they will be able to effectively manage their emotions or take an interest in their own development. Nor can they monitor their successes or failures so far as to adjust their goals accordingly.
In the absence of self-awareness, a person must rely on others to provide them with feedback on how they're doing (or even if they're doing well at all). But without the same level of self-awareness, this feedback may fall on deaf ears – or worse yet, work against the interests of the individual who is relying on it for information.
And although both self-awareness and self-management are closely linked, it's important to note that there are many different levels of each. A person can be highly aware (self) in one area or quality of life and simply not manage their emotions well in another area. And similarly, they can have great self awareness but poor management skills. It all comes down to the individual's experience and level of emotional intelligence.
The more you know about your emotions, the more you can manage them effectively. And the more you know about how you're managing your emotions, the better off you'll be overall – which is why EI is so important to a company's success in the workplace environment.
But what's so special about emotional intelligence? Why is it such a valuable skill to have in the workplace in the first place?
In its purest form, EI is defined as the ability each person has to perceive, understand, and manage their emotions effectively. But because EI encompasses so many different areas that require different styles of thinking, it can be much more complex than one might think. This is why self-awareness and management skills are important – if a person lacks awareness of his or her emotions or manages them poorly, it will be very difficult for them to perform at their best.
It's important to keep in mind that being self aware and managing your emotions for the sake of personal happiness or form is not EI. Instead, EI is about leveraging your knowledge of yourself, your strengths and weaknesses so that you can enhance your interactions with others in the best possible way.
EI, therefore, is a skill that allows people to have heightened interaction skills with others based on their increased self-awareness (which helps them accurately understand how they're feeling). It enhances individual performance by allowing people to:
1. Recognize and Identify internal and external factors (personal & professional) that impact performance
2. Up their game when it comes to reaching goals by enhancing communication skills & decision making abilities
3. Become psychologically and emotionally prepared for any social situation
4. Enhance job satisfaction and workplace effectiveness by increasing their sense of achievement
Too often, though, people associate EI with:
1. Being a great listener – which is good for business relations, but not necessarily the best way to be emotionally intelligent.
2. Being empathetic – which can be a positive quality when it's applied in the right way and requires extensive training.
3. High EQ – which is an extremely important skill that applies to many aspects of life when used properly (especially in relationships), but many individuals tend to confuse EQ with EI.
Although EQ and EI are often confused, it's important to understand the difference. The words "emotionally intelligent" don't necessarily mean that you're a great listener or very good at understanding other people's emotions. Nor does it mean you're getting along with everyone in your life. Being emotionally intelligent means that you have heightened awareness of your own emotions, how they impact your life, and how to manage them for the good of the people around you.
And like any skill, it takes practice – which is why many companies are now training their employees in EI skills as a way of fostering happier and more productive workplaces.
But despite having the same name, EQ and EI are often confused. Here's the difference:
EQ: A word that refers to your ability to pick up on other people's emotions, and your inherent level of emotional intelligence. It's similar to self-awareness in that it involves a level of awareness of one's surrounding environment.
EI: A word that refers to the ability you have to manage your own emotions as well as those of others. It's closely related to self-management skills and can be measured through specific skills like empathy, self-awareness and social intelligence.
Although EQ is usually preferred as a term as it's not as confusing in everyday conversation, EI can be used interchangeably with EQ. Just like you can use the same word for different skills and qualities, you can also use the same word for multiple things.
Self-awareness is an important aspect of EI because it allows you to evaluate your own personal strengths in relation to those of other people (which helps you understand your own emotions and better understand how they're affecting others). And although self-management skills may seem self-centered (since it requires self-control), this doesn't have to be the case because it's actually all about managing someone else's emotions too – especially if they're working under your direction.
In conclusion:
While EI is a useful skill to have in the workplace, it's also important to remember that you can't force it. It's something that comes naturally based on your life experiences – which is why some people are born with it and some people aren't. Instead of being frustrated by this, though, you can learn how to enhance your EI by learning about the different emotional intelligence skills like self-awareness and self-management.
Because if you're ever feeling frustrated or confused about a work situation, it's important to keep in mind that emotional intelligence isn't about knowing exactly what to do – it's about being able to deal with uncertainty better than most people would be able to.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability that people have to perceive, understand and manage their emotions. According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence: Why it Matters More than IQ, EI consists of various skills such as self-awareness, empathy, self-control and social awareness.
Keywords used were Emotional Intelligence , Emotion , Self Assessment , EIQ , EQ6 , EQF , EI Quiz