5 emotional intelligence facts you need to know to be effective.

Emotional intelligence is defined as a set of competencies demonstrating the ability one has to recognize his or her behaviors, moods, and impulses, and to manage them best according to the situation.

Additional, though less often mentioned qualities include selection of work that is emotionally rewarding to avoid procrastination, self-doubt, and low achievement (i.e., good self-motivation and goal management) and a balance between work, home, and recreational life.

Basically, emotional intelligence is about understanding our emotions (and the emotions of those around us) and learning to manage the way we handle them – in the workplace as well as in the rest of our lives.

The following outlines a set of five emotional intelligence competencies that have proven to contribute more to workplace achievement than technical skills, cognitive ability, and standard personality traits combined.

A. Social Competencies—Competencies that Determine How We Handle Relationships

1. Intuition & Empathy. Our awareness of others' feelings, needs, and concerns. This competency is important in the workplace for the following reasons;

i. Understanding others: an intuitive sense of others' feelings and perspectives, and showing an active interest in their concerns and interests

ii. Customer service orientation: the ability to anticipate, recognize, and meet customers' needs

iii. People development: ability to sense what others need in order to grow, develop, and master their strengths

iv. Leveraging diversity: cultivating opportunities through diverse people.

2. Political Acumen and Social Skills. Our adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others. This competency is important in the workplace for the following reasons.

i. Influencing: using effective tactics and techniques for persuasion and desired results

ii. Communication: sending clear and convincing messages that are understood by others

iii. Leadership: inspiring and guiding groups of people

iv. Change catalyst: initiating and/or managing change in the workplace

v. Conflict resolution: negotiating and resolving disagreements with people

vi. Building bonds: nurturing instrumental relationships for business success

vii. Collaboration and cooperation: working with coworkers and business partners toward shared goals

viii. Team capabilities: creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals

B. Personal Competencies—Competencies that Determine How We Manage Ourselves.

3. Self Awareness. Knowing one's internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions. This competency is important in the workplace for the following reasons.

i) Emotional awareness: recognizing one's emotions and their effects and impact on those around us

ii) Accurate self-assessment: knowing one's strengths and limits

iii) Self-confidence: sureness about one's self-worth and capabilities

4. Self Regulation. Managing one's internal states, impulses, and resources. This competency is important in the workplace for the following reasons.

i) Self-control: managing disruptive emotions and impulses

ii) Trustworthiness: maintaining standards of honesty and integrity

iii) Conscientiousness: taking responsibility and being accountable for personal performance

iv) Adaptability: flexibility in handling change* Innovation: being comfortable with an openness to novel ideas, approaches, and new information

5. Self Expectations and Motivation Emotional tendencies that guide or facilitate reaching goals. This competency is important in the workplace for the following reasons.

i) Achievement drive: striving to improve or meet a standard of excellence we impose on ourselves

ii) Commitment: aligning with the goals of the group or organization

iii) Initiative: readiness to act on opportunities without having to be told

iv) Optimism: persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks.

This are 5 key emotional intelligences you need to know for your career to excel.

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