Emotional Intelligence At Workplace

Why is Emotional Intelligence So Important In The Workplace?

People who rise to the top of their field - whether it is psychology, law, medicine or banking - aren't just good at their jobs and tasks. It isn't technical skills - those are easy to learn, and it's easy to determine if someone has them or not. It isn't necessarily intelligence, either. It is something else, something that you knew it if you saw it, but which was difficult to clearly define. It was people skills.

After many years of talking about people skills, those of us in the business of training, coaching, managing and hiring have been vindicated. Our insight into what makes people shine in the workplace has taken center stage. We can retire that care-worn, soft phrase "people skills" and replace it with an objective, measurable, term - emotional intelligence.

Those who have never valued the ability to read people, understand people and understand emotions because these were soft skills and could not be measured will have to rethink their stand.

Bosses and leaders, in particular, need high EQ because they represent the organization to the public, they interact with the highest number of people within and outside the organization and they set the tone for employee morale, says Goleman. Leaders with empathy are able to understand their employees' needs and provide them with constructive feedback, he says.

Different jobs also call for different types of emotional intelligence, Goleman says. For example, success in sales requires the empathic ability to gauge a customer's mood and the interpersonal skill to decide when to pitch a product and when to keep quiet. By comparison, success in painting or professional tennis requires a more individual form of self-discipline and motivation.

Where Does Emotional Intelligence Fit In Terms of Workplace Success?

Emotional intelligence is not the sole predictor of workplace success, career satisfaction, or leadership effectiveness. It is one of many important components.

Part of being an educated user of emotional intelligence means understanding that it is not and should not be thought of as a replacement or substitute for ability, knowledge or job skills. Emotional intelligence - people skills - it enhances your success

Successful organizations in the future will be those that grow their people with outstanding EQ. The future will belong to those who have excellent relationship skills. Human capital will then truly leverage corporate performance through people, pride, and profits.

"The rules for work are changing. We are being judged by a new yardstick... not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other."
Daniel Goleman