What is Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace?
Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace is a required course of Ottawa University’s online Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) degree. The course covers the role of EI in determining outstanding job performance, while examining a variety of instruments and writings used to build EI in workplace. OU’s graduate leadership degree is designed to prepare leaders to make a difference in their organizations immediately following graduation. OU’s online MAL degree program examines contemporary and classic leadership theories, investigation of successful leadership behaviors across a wide range of environments, and discovery of the strengths and development needs of their personal leadership style.
Which is More Important in the Workplace Emotional Intelligence or Intellectual Intelligence?
Among all the positive traits effective leaders bring to the workplace, research has revealed an attribute that is more reliable in predicting overall success than our intelligence quotient (IQ) – our emotional intelligence (EI). EI is defined as the capacity to recognize and effectively manage personal emotions in ourselves and in others.
Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?
The research published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education has proven that a strong propensity in emotional intelligence increases one’s ability to make sound decisions, build and sustain collaborative relationships, deal effectively with stress, and cope to a greater degree with constant change. To wit, it enables an individual not only to perform well in the workplace, but also in accomplishing various other goals and objectives in his or her life.
How Does Emotional Intelligence Help Managers?
EI is also essential to conflict management in the workplace, which involves having the ability to help others through tense situations, tactfully bringing disagreements into the open, and defining solutions that everyone can endorse. Leaders who take time to understand different perspectives work toward establishing a middle ground in disagreements. By paying attention to how others respond to one another, you can try to help people feel heard, which in turn, will help them be more willing to compromise.
Why is Emotional Intelligence Important in the Workplace?
Emotional intelligence in the workplace begins from the inside out with each individual. It involves recognizing various aspects of your feelings and emotions and taking the time to work on the elements of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Ottawa University’s online Master of Arts in Leadership degree gives you the tools to help you measure and analyze your emotional intelligence levels. You will also learn strategies for improving your level of emotional intelligence throughout the different stages of your professional development.
Goleman’s 5 Elements of EI
So, how does emotional intelligence positively affect leadership in the workplace? According to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist and author of the groundbreaking book, “Emotional Intelligence,” EI has five key elements that, when managed, help leaders attain a higher level of emotional intelligence.
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Self-Awareness
The ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, is a critical part of emotional intelligence. Beyond just recognizing your emotions, however, is being aware of the effect of your actions, moods, and emotions on other people. To become self-aware, you must be capable of monitoring your own emotions, recognizing different emotional reactions, and then correctly identifying each particular emotion. Self-aware individuals also recognize the relationships between the things they feel and how they behave.
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Self-Regulation
The ability to regulate and manage your emotions, which is not to say you are putting emotions on lockdown and hiding your true feelings. It simply means waiting for the right time and place to express them. Self-regulation is all about expressing your emotions appropriately. Those who are skilled in self-regulation tend to be flexible and adapt well to change. They are also good at managing conflict and diffusing tense or difficult situations.
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Motivation
Intrinsic motivation also plays a key role in emotional intelligence. People who are emotionally intelligent are motivated by things beyond external rewards like fame, money, recognition, and acclaim. Instead, they have a passion to fulfill their own inner needs and goals. They seek internal rewards, experience flow from being totally in tune with an activity and pursue peak experiences.
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Empathy
Being empathetic – or having the ability to understand how others are feeling – is absolutely crucial to emotional intelligence. But it involves more than just being able to recognize the emotional states of others. It also involves your responses to people based on this information. When you sense that someone is feeling bad, depressed or disheartened, how do you respond? You might treat them with extra care and concern, or you might make an effort to lift their spirits.
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Social Skills
Being able to interact well with others is another important aspect of emotional intelligence. True emotional understanding involves more than just consideration of your own emotions and those of others. You also need to be able to put this information to work in your daily interactions and communications. In professional settings, managers benefit by being able to build relationships and connections with employees. Workers benefit from being able to develop a strong rapport with leaders and co-workers. Important social skills include active listening, verbal communication skills, nonverbal communication skills, leadership, and persuasiveness.
Considering all these factors, it’s easy to discern why emotional intelligence matters in the workplace. If this theory backed by research sparks interest in you as a business professional, then perhaps a graduate degree in leadership is right for you? Ottawa University offers Kansas City’s best, fastest and most affordable online Master of Arts in Leadership degree. This competitive program holds the esteemed accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), showing the high levels of business teaching within this degree. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Ottawa University and its online programs near the top of the best colleges in Kansas City.
Career advancement awaits with Kansas City’s best, fastest and most affordable online Master of Arts in Leadership degree. Why not take the first step now?
Contact us today for get more information about earning your online Leadership degree at Ottawa University!
See Also:
Beginning Your Career in Leadership
8 Essential Leadership Skills for Career Advancement
Best Master of Arts in Leadership