What exactly is Emotional intelligence I hear you ask.  Emotional Intelligence is often referred to as EQ but what do these terms mean?  We know that IQ measures the intelligence of a person.  However, what does EQ measure?  Psychology Today defines it in this way:

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"emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others."

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It’s the ability to recognise your emotions, understand what they mean and how they affect others. It’s how to recognise how other people are feeling and therefore how to manage your relationship with them.  It indicates how we cope with challenges, and use emotional information in an effective and meaningful way.

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My style of coaching is based on the principles of emotional intelligence, which comprises the following five elements:

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• self-perception

• self-expression

• interpersonal

• decision making

• stress management

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It is critically important for good leaders to be emotionally intelligent. 

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Self-awareness and empathy are key to changing your attitude and behaviour. Being self-aware means knowing your strengths, weaknesses and values. Improving your self-awareness and developing strategies to play up your strengths and manage your weaknesses are key features of our work together. 

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Understanding your team, colleagues and those around you and acting with empathy is what sets great leaders apart from average leaders. A team with an empathetic leader at the helm feel listened to, valued, and respected. Compassionate leaders know all about body language, they’re great at putting themselves in other people’s shoes, and give brilliantly constructive feedback. Emotional intelligence is especially important today where teams can be spread all over the world and can contain a mix of cultures and very different working practices. Being able to tune into the nuances of how each team member operates can contribute massively to the success of the team as a whole. 

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Self-control is crucially important to your success at work as it stops you making emotionally charged decisions, particularly when working under pressure. It stops us blaming other people when things go wrong, and helps us to deal more gracefully with stress. No more shouting or sulking! When we are able to manage our emotions properly, we are less likely to rush into a decision or make unhelpful assumptions about people.

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Executives who are highly motivated have a clear understanding of their goals and aim for very high standards in all that they do. They tend to be optimistic, have very detailed goals in mind, and constantly re-evaluate their progress and their motivation. 

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Outstanding leaders will always have good social skills. They are able to deal with bad news just as well as good; they are excellent communicators; and celebrate diversity. They are tremendous at managing change and always lead by example.

 

Once you are able to recognise and understand your emotions, you’ll able to control them and to be understanding of the emotions of others. Communication will be drastically improved and people are more likely to respond positively to you. Once you are able to see issues from other people’s point of view, your way of thinking becomes more flexible.  There are so many benefits to improving your emotional intelligence at work; it would be crazy to try to list them all here. 

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Whatever is fuelling your need for coaching, in our sessions together, with these 5 principles in mind, we will unlock the potential and talent in you, that you didn’t even know was there. 

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