Emotional Intelligence 2034k

Emotional Intelligence Concepts, Utilities Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognize and respond to the emotions and feelings of others as well as the skill to help others manage their emotions. It is important to have emotional intelligence because it helps you to        

Solve problems by using logic and feelings Be flexible in changing situations Help other people express their needs Respond calmly and thoughtfully to difficult people Keep an optimistic and positive outlook Express empathy, comion and caring for others Continuously learn how to improve ourselves and the organization Enhance our interactions and communications with other culture people

Ei embraces two aspects of intelligence- Intra Personal and Inter Personal. Intrapersonal is understanding ourselves, our goals, intentions, responses, behavior etc. Interpersonal intelligence is understanding others and their feelings. Elements that make up Emotional Intelligence 1. Perceiving Emotions a. The foundation of EI is the ability to perceive emotions in ourselves and others b. Emotionally Intelligent people recognize quickly if they are angry or envious or feeling guilty or depressed c. They have empathy and are good at reading facial expressions, tone of voice and other signs of emotion 2. Reasoning with emotions a. EI people use their feelings to enhance thinking and decision making b. Emotions can be used to promote growth and improve relationships with others c. Emotionally smart people share the good news with others that comes their way and it almost always strengthens relationships and increases emotional well-being 3. Understanding Emotions a. EI people understand what causes emotions and what they mean and how they affect their behavior 4. Managing Emotions a. EI involves the ability to manage our emotions and those of others b. EI people have an ability to amplify or restrain emotions depending on the situation Key elements of Emotional Intelligence Self Awareness   

It is having a deep understanding of one’s emotions, strengths, weaknesses, needs and desires With awareness comes the ability to make better choices Emotional self-awareness, accurate self assessment, self-confidence are competencies related to Self Awareness

Self Regulation It means handling our own emotions so that they don’t interfere but facilitate Self control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability, achievement orientation and initiative are competencies related to Self Regulation Motivation   

It extends to the deep inner desire to achieve for the sake of achievement Highly motivated people constantly raise their performance expectations for themselves, their team and organization They remain optimistic even though they have experienced a setback

Empathy   

It means being aware and considerate of other’s feelings An empathetic person combines others’ feelings and other factors in order to make decisions Empathetic leaders can be astounding leaders because of their abilities to recognize and understand their opinions

Social Skills  

It is the ability to build rapport easily with someone by finding some common ground with everyone, thus establishing a broad circle of acquaintances Influence, Leadership, Developing Others, Communication, Change Catalyst, Conflict Management etc. are some of the competencies related to Social Skills

Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Style and Organizational Effectiveness An EI organization needs to     

Promote a culture of openness and transparency Respectful awareness must exist Encourage diversity Tolerate constructive disagreement Value flexibility and communication among its various departments

Characteristics of leaders     

Set goals that are clear and mutually agreed upon Prefer praise a tool for training and inspiring employees Rely on decentralizing for achieving goals Focus on employees and their feelings Act as role models

Use of EI in different leadership styles Coercive style  

It is used to kick start a turnaround or with problem employees with an objective of immediate compliance Competencies needed: drive to achieve, emotional self control

Authoritative Style  

It is used when change requires a new vision or clear direction with an objective to mobilize others to follow the vision Competencies needed: Self confidence, empath , change catalyst

Affiliative Style  

It is used to heal rifts in a team or to motivate during stressful times with an objective to create harmony Competencies needed: Empathy, Building Bonds, Conflict Management

Democratic  

It is used to build buy-in or consensus or to get valuable input from employees with an objective to create commitment through participation Competencies needed: Competition, Team leadership, communication

Pace Setting  

It is used to get quick results from a highly motivated and competent team with an objective to perform tasks to a high standard Competencies needed: Conscientiousness, Drive to achieve initiative

Coach  

It is used to help an employee improve performance or develop long term strengths Competencies needed: Developing others, emotional self awareness

Gender Play in Emotional Intelligence   

Women are on average more inclined than men to instantly sense other person’s emotions and women are most likely expected to engage in emotional labor in an organization. Engaging on regular basis in emotional labor most likely enhances emotional intelligence since it is a skill that prospers on experience Organizations with more female public servants at the street level are characterized by superior organizational performance including overall productivity, employee turnover and customer satisfaction

EI Application in istration and governance EI in public istration is an ability to understand and to solve problems that involves     

Managing emotional responses of stakeholders in public sphere Understanding emotions and emotional meanings of others Appraising emotions arising from situations Using Emotion for reason based decisions and policy making Identifying emotions in faces, voices, postures and other content during public management

Importance of EI in bureaucracies 1. Leadership and teamwork improvement Since emotions are intrinsic to the human condition, they doubtlessly arise whenever a group of people work together. Hence it is essential that leaders know how to deal with circumstances that include emotions. Improving EI should be a constant process of reflecting and learning which indicates that not only the selection of leader with already good people skills is favorable but also the development and improvement of emotional skills over the course of time is essential. Some of the methods of improving EI are 

: Managers who provide coworkers with in depth responses about their social skills sharpen their own awareness of emotional intelligence too  Modeling: Expecting managers to display socially appropriate behavior in front of their coworkers also increases self awareness and EI  Mentoring: Finding a mentor preferably from outside the organization for reflection and discussion of complicated people’s issues 2. Improvement of customer service The interaction between the customs and the public servant should produce a desirable outcome for both sides. This work is known as emotional work and requires adequate levels of emotional intelligence Building Emotional Intelligence Studies have shown that a high emotional quotient (or EQ) boosts career success, entrepreneurial potential, leadership talent, health, relationship satisfaction, humor, and happiness. It is also the best antidote to work stress and it matters in every job — because all jobs involve dealing with people, and people with higher EQ are more rewarding to deal with. 1. Start With Yourself One of the best ways to help your people develop EI is to lead by example. So, start by making sure that you're leading with emotional intelligence. This means staying aware of your own thoughts and feelings, and managing them, so that you affect other people positively. 2. Communicate the Benefits

Your team might be more open to developing their EI if you communicate the benefits that they can expect. For example, sales professionals who have higher Emotional Intelligence often achieve better sales than colleagues with lower EI. Let your team know how developing their EI will benefit them, both personally and professionally. 3. Develop Self-Awareness People who are self-aware understand their own thoughts and emotions, as well as understanding how their actions affect others around them. Encourage your team to keep a daily journal – even writing for just five minutes a day can help people develop selfawareness. You can also help team build self-awareness by asking for their opinions on decisions – this is especially important for quieter people, who might not speak up that often. It's also important to set aside time to talk about difficult situations or issues, and to address the resulting emotions. This can take place one-on-one, or informally over lunch. 4. Strengthen Communication People with high EI typically have excellent communication skills. Develop better communication in your team by teaching people to understand body language. Give your team avenues for "venting" negative emotions – or frustrations about setbacks – in a constructive way. For example, if people are upset, set aside five minutes of each meeting for complaints and frustrations, and let your team know that their criticisms won't be frowned upon. Teach everyone on your team to use active listening skills, and to respect other people when they're speaking. 5. Build Optimism The ability to think positively is an important part of EI. You can help your people think positively by stopping self-sabotaging behavior or statements. For instance, if you hear someone say "I'm not very good at writing reports," or "I'll never be able to make a presentation in front of the group!" remind them of their strengths and thank them for the good work that they're doing. 6. Encourage Healthy Conflict People with high EI know how to engage in conflict in a healthy way, where everyone's perspective is respected when they communicate their views. This type of conflict can strengthen people individually and within a group, and can lead to personal growth. Teach your people good conflict resolution skills. Make it clear that conflicts should never get personal. Set ground rules, so that everyone knows what is and isn't fair behavior. 7. Set Specific Learning Goals Your team will have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to their own EI. First, help each person discover their strengths and weaknesses. Next, set clear, specific goals to help each person work on their weaknesses. For example, one person might be a poor listener,

so, his goal could be to use active listening techniques four times per week for the next four weeks. Personalized goals like this will keep each person motivated. Last, make sure that you provide constructive on each person's progress, but to do this sensitively for team who may have low EI.