What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence, or EQ, in simple terms, is a set of abilities that enable you to effectively manage yourself and effectively relate with others. There's more to it of course and I'll define it more specifically later, but first, consider the burgeoning interest in EQ.
What’s driving the EQ Wave?
Since the mid-1980’s when researchers first used the term, interest in the development of EQ, has continued to climb dramatically, with no signs of slowing down. In 1995 a visit to Amazon.Com would yield one book on the subject, Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Goleman’s book initially sold 7,000,000 copies, introduced the subject to the public and legitimatized a discussion of feelings in the workplace. Now, As I write this in 2007, a book search for emotional intelligence on Amazon reveals over 7000 items and a Google search result for the subject displays over 3,000,000 items found.
People are not just reading about EQ they are taking actions to improve it. In addition to reading about EQ, more and more individuals and organizations are investing in emotional intelligence development and there has been a corresponding increase in the number of providers of EQ assessments, materials and training. What is driving this extraordinary interest in EQ? Interest that not only shows no signs of slowing but continues to increase after almost twenty years. Well for one thing it works!
Research, Results and Revolution
Numerous research studies have shown that increases in emotional competencies in areas of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management are related to improvements in workplace productivity and profits. Research further suggests that up to 90% of the difference between outstanding and average leaders is linked to emotional intelligence. EQ is two times as important as IQ and technical expertise combined, and is four times as important in terms of overall success. You can download case studies and research results by visiting the website of the industry group of researchers and experts formed to advance the use of emotional intelligence, at eiconsortium.com.
With evidence of such improved performance in hand, the business community increasingly embraced the concept of emotional intelligence and invested more in EQ training and development programs, becoming a prime driver and further stimulating interest, development and application.
Research and performance results have been important to EQ growth but they are not the real reason that this subject has gained unstoppable momentum. The extraordinary growth is fueled in part by a social revolution and the Soul’s quest for wholeness.
An Unmet Need
In today’s society and today’s workplace, people are no longer content to squelch their emotional expression and their values. People want more – a more nurturing environment that embraces humanistic and spiritual values. Through our EQ At Work website I have contact with many people who are interested in emotional intelligence…even though they don’t yet really know what it is. What are they searching for and what's EQ got to do with it? To them, the term emotional intelligence has become an icon; a promise of fulfillment of their unmet needs for emotional and spiritual connection to themselves and others.
This hunger for connection and wholeness is a part of our continuing human growth; it’s the authentic self, crying out for expression and the strongest driver in the EQ growth wave. What do you think? What do you hunger for?
EQ: At The Heart Of The Matter
At first glance you might assume that emotional intelligence is a single set of concepts and that the principles, training and the assessments that measure EQ are all the same. A deeper look reveals many different theories, models and measures of emotional intelligence but also some common ground. What all models agree on is that at its core, emotional intelligence includes your ability to sense and perceive, understand and use emotions, to better manage yourself and relate with and influence others. In this book we will focus on the core emotional skills of perceiving, understanding, and using emotions that enable the expression of authentic self including:
• Emotional self-awareness
• Emotional self-management
• Emotional reasoning or using emotions to make decisions
• Emotional awareness of others
• Emotional management of others or relationship management, and
• Emotional self-expression
EQ and You: Feelings, Thoughts and Choices
Emotions have great influence on your thoughts, choices and results. Developing your emotional skills will increase your effectiveness, your well-being and ultimately your consciousness.
At the most basic level, consider that every workplace or life event has within it your feelings, your thoughts and the choices that you make that determine your actions and your results. Developing emotional intelligence will bring into conscious awareness your feelings and thoughts and the impact they have on each other and on your choices. Informed, rather than compelled, by your emotions you can consciously choose the action that is most consistent with your values, your purpose and your intended results.
Copyright 1998-2007 Joseph Liberti. This page excerpted from the soon to be released book True You...using emotional intelligence to liberate authentic self, by Joseph Liberti. All rights reserved. Feel free to copy and distribute as long as you keep this credit. For more excerpts from the book visit the True
You Blog. To learn more about emotional intelligence coaching, training and certification visit EQatWork.Com
