The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
It can be difficult to know where to start when trying to innovate. With so many options and ideas, it can feel overwhelming. But there is one aspect of innovation that can help – emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize what you’re feeling, figure out why you’re feeling that way, and use your emotions as a spark, jumpstarting the process of innovation.
The Meaning of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ emotions, discriminate among them, and use this information to guide one’s thinking and action. It includes the abilities of empathy, self-awareness, emotional regulation, impulse control, and social skills.
How to Improve Emotional Intelligence
There are a number of steps you can take to improve your emotional intelligence. The first is to be aware of the emotions you are experiencing and their intensity. Next, ask yourself what triggered the emotion and how you can change the situation to reduce its impact on you. Finally, think about what skills you need in order to deal with your emotion more constructively and use those skills as needed.
Practice the following four points to improve your Emotional Intelligence.
1) Control your emotions, don’t let them control you.
2) Listen to the other person, and show them that you’re listening by paraphrasing what they said and asking probing questions.
3) Give sincere compliments
4) Don’t forget to be kind to yourself, know your strengths and weaknesses.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence can help increase your work productivity, creativity, and leadership skills. Furthermore, it can prevent you from being caught up in the stress of everyday life. The best way to learn about this topic is by practising it every day.
Bonus TIP
You can improve your emotional intelligence by practising mindfulness. Mindfulness is a type of meditation that encourages you to focus on the present moment and control your thoughts. You can practice it in small ways, such as taking five minutes each day before work to centre yourself or being mindful of the food you are eating.
Featured Image: Andrea Piacquadio
