Whether you’re fresh from college and hunting for your first job, the district manager for a corporate chain, or the CEO of your own business, it’s never too late to learn new skills or pick up good habits. Today we’re going to be touching on an ability you’ve been using to some extent throughout most of your life, and is more important than you may know: emotional intelligence. In fact, it’s arguable that emotional intelligence affects how successful you’ll be in your career more often than normal intelligence (IQ) does!

Perceiving

This is, of course, your ability to perceive emotions. If you have strong EQ skills, you are likely adept at noticing when someone is happy or sad, angry or frustrated. People who struggle to read others can improve their ability to perceive emotions by taking care to really watch people and take in their expressions, their body language, and the words they use.

Using

In EQ terms, using emotions refers to your ability to utilize your emotions for a positive effect. You may have a predisposition to good or bad moods, but proper training and practice can teach you to think positively. Positive moods translate to better motivation — both in the workplace and in every facet of your life! If you are using your emotions well, you will show increased drive towards your goals, stronger commitment to your work, take initiative more often, and remain optimistic in the face of hardships.

Understanding

It’s one thing to perceive an emotion – it’s another to understand it. The understanding part of emotional intelligence is easy to equate to your empathy – by definition, an empathetic person is good at understanding emotions. If you are good at not only knowing when someone is angry, but understanding why they are feeling that way, then you are going to be able to respond to them better. Think of emotional understanding as your ability to put yourself in another’s shoes – even (or especially) if you disagree with them!

Managing

Finally, managing emotions relates to your ability to regulate emotions: yours and others. Managing your own emotions is as simple as recognizing when you are feeling a certain emotion, and not allowing the wrong emotions to guide your thoughts or actions. It’s a simple concept, but many people struggle with controlling their emotions instead of letting their emotions control them. Emotional intelligence also translates to stronger social skills: it’s your ability to persuade people of a point, or to inspire them, or to resolve a disagreement. Healthy management of emotions is especially critical for those of you in leadership roles!

Why is emotional intelligence important?

Emotional intelligence is part of our everyday lives, not just work. Humans are innately emotional, and knowing how to recognize and use emotions in an effective manner will help you become a better person across the board. So go on: walk a mile in another’s shoes!

What is Emotional Intelligence?