Work: Emotional Intelligence Wins!

“It is easy to see that the situation on the labor market is changing a lot. We are already being considered according to the new standards: now the employer is interested not only in our intelligence, education or competence; today we are also judged by the quality of our relationships with others and with ourselves… In whatever field we work, the decisive criteria by which our value in the labor market, and hence future professional prospects, are assessed are quite clear.

These rules have little to do with what we went through in school. The new scale of values ​​abstracts from most of our school skills. The intellectual ability and technical skills necessary for our work, she considers a given. But the focus of this new scale is on such personal qualities as initiative, empathy, adaptability and persuasion.

Do not think that we are talking about a fleeting trend or the latest (more or less dubious) miracle cure in management. The seriousness of these criteria is confirmed by studies that involved tens of thousands of employees in a wide variety of positions.

Today, we finally have a better understanding of human abilities, which have been called and evaluated differently for decades (character, personality, and even social skills), and the word that characterizes all these qualities: “emotional intelligence.”

So he writes in the book “Emotional Intelligence. Why It Might Matter More Than IQ,” a worldwide bestseller by Daniel Goleman.

In it, he questions intelligence quotient (IQ) as a determinant of success in life and insists that it is important for everyone to develop such qualities as self-awareness and self-control, motivation, perseverance, respect for others and ease of communication. They are absolutely necessary for emotional balance and harmony in relationships.

Goleman also writes about the role of emotions in achieving professional success. “Today, work is often temporary, and flexibility and adaptability are increasingly becoming an important part of the very concept of work. They are necessary in order to find a job and keep it.”

Daniel Goleman explains to us why a well-made head is better than a full one.

Psychologies: There is a lot of talk about emotions these days. Is it a fashion or a sign of major change?

Daniel Goleman: There is a new interest in emotions, generated by technological progress and a surge of research on this topic. But it is also a symptom of our times. People are unbalanced by uncontrollable emotions, and they can also be disturbed by both technological innovations and social changes that increase the distance in communication and question traditional emotional ties.

Why is emotional intelligence needed?

Above all, I try to promote tools that allow us to express emotions in acceptable ways so that we become smarter as a human and socially.

The brain has an emotion regulation system, the amygdala, in the part of the brain that controls emotions. It is this amygdala that is responsible for how we use our emotions. For example, it is she who makes us responsive or not very responsive individuals, able or unable to endure disagreements with other people.

If this gland is too sensitive, then we become over-emotional. There is an art to using your emotions, and that is emotional intelligence. Emotions can be made sensible by being sensible towards them.

Don’t you think that this form of intelligence can be used as a selection tool, as is the case with IQ?

There is a danger of emotional intelligence being misused, just as we misused IQ: people were labeled as worthy based on test scores. Although in fact the IQ predetermines professional solvency by only 10-20%.

Moreover, it is nonsense to try to measure, using a test similar to the IQ test, the subtle properties that determine emotional intelligence. People don’t necessarily tell the truth and are rarely objective when describing themselves. In addition, the five fundamental qualities through which emotional intelligence is expressed—self-awareness, self-mastery, motivation, empathy, and the ability to build relationships—are not always present in equal measure in one person.

It is possible to have a talent for empathy and have difficulty dealing with anger. Another danger is to assume that the result of a supposed emotional intelligence (EQ) test is final and immutable. This does not happen already in the case of IQ, and even more so it is impossible in relation to emotional intelligence – it can improve at any age, you just have to really want to.

Do you not lose sight of the fact that a significant part of the psyche is unconscious?

Yes, the unconscious makes inaccessible the underlying causes of emotional manifestations. That is why self-awareness, which is achieved through introspection, is so important to me. It is also necessary to be aware of the reasons that prevent, for example, speaking in front of a group of people or suddenly make us angry.

These emotional reactions are triggered by repressed conflicts, conflicting desires and feelings repressed into the unconscious. It is important to understand all sides of this conflict in order to understand what really drives us.

5 qualities worth developing

Recent studies by psychologists and neuroscientists prove that each of us is able to improve our emotional intelligence. Here are five basic and most important qualities for professional life that Daniel Goleman highlights.

1. Self-awareness: always be aware of your feelings and use your inclinations to make the right decision. Really evaluate yourself and fully believe in yourself.

2.Self-control: manage your emotions so that they make your work easier, not hinder it. Be responsible and be able to forgo immediate rewards in order to achieve a more distant goal. Be able to quickly recover from emotional upheavals.

3. Motivation: use your deepest desires as a compass that points the way to the goal, helps you take the initiative, act more efficiently and persevere despite disappointments and possible setbacks.

4.Empathy: to feel in unison with others, to be able to empathize and maintain harmonious relations with a variety of people.

5.Sociability: own emotions in relationships with people and be insightful in assessing situations and the intricacies of human relationships. Be tactful. Use your abilities to persuade, guide, align and bridge differences to build collaboration and inspire colleagues.