Why EQ is Essential: The Ins and Outs of Emotional Intelligence
Brittney-Nichole Connor-Savarda
?????? Holistic Emotional Intelligence & Trauma Healing Specialist | Speaker | Philosopher | Author | I teach people how to liberate themselves from generational emotional trauma | Founder of Catalyst 4 Change LLC; EIM+
I believe, many of the people problems that we face today directly correlated with an EQ deficiency. And for that simple reason, EQ/EI (emotional intelligence) is crucial to our well-being and sustainability as a human race. Emotional intelligence isn't just a buzzword, or simply a skill that is going to make work in life run much smoother for you, although it definitely will. More than that, it's an understanding and a practice that we shouldn't take lightly.
The absence of EI can be the deciding factor to whether someone who is emotionally provoked will impulsively pull the trigger, because they chose to react instead of process their emotions and weigh the consequences of their reaction. It could mean life or death for the executive who just lost his entire life savings due to a market crash and gets lost in despair, instead of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Or, whether a leader decides to wage war or strive for a solution over conflict.
A lack of EI can be unnerving. Sadly, many of us oblivious to the fact that EI could solve many of our problems we face today diplomatically and interpersonally, because it's not something that is taught or often brought to our attention.
Since I've alluded to the grim consequences of not being emotionally intelligent, let's shift our focus to the upside of EI. Studies have shown that the most respected leaders along with 90% of top performers have a high EQ (emotional quotient). This essential skill allows us to cultivate a more fulfilling life for ourselves, while also enriching the lives of others around us.
Here are just a few things that you can expect and look forward to when you develop your EQ:
1) Reduced stress and anxiety: While a form of stress will always exist in our lives, unproductive stress and anxiety serves no benefit, and can be significantly reduced with the right mindset and strategies. When we become aware of what causes us stress, we can then learn how to effectively manage it, and decide how we will allow it to impact our well-being.
2) Increased performance and mental clarity: High EQ helps us rationally process information without allowing emotions to get in the way. Additionally, we're more intrinsically motivated, and less likely to procrastinate.
3) Stronger and more dynamic communication: Effective communication and high EQ go hand-in-hand. One of the primary factors for ineffective communication is a lack of awareness. This lack of awareness could manifest in the form of us communicating our emotions instead of the actual message, or need, that is behind that emotion. Emotional Intelligence helps us construct and deliver a sound message, and hear the message of another, while checking in with ourselves to make sure that we're not misinterpreting another's message, based on our internal narrative.
4) Improved overall well-being: We know that stress can lead to all sorts of physical health issues. Because EI helps us reduce our stress, it also reduces the chance of having the health issues related to stress. Emotions, like anger or envy for prolonged periods of time, actually become toxic, increasing our risk of suffering from coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, stroke, chronic fatigue, and much more.
5) A clearer life, purpose and direction: For most of us, we live our lives governed by the social norms and expectations that were set for us at a young age. We do, say, and act on these unspoken rules. And we don't always stop to ask ourselves questions like:
- What do I want?
- Am I doing this for me?
- Is this really what I want to be doing with my life?
Self-awareness, which is the foundation of emotional intelligence, helps us answer these questions and learn to separate our desires from that of society.
For organizations who invest in their leaders and employee’s emotional intelligence, they can expect to see a surplus of benefits. Here are just a few:
- Increased revenue
- Healthy human capital
- Employee engagement
- Higher innovation
- Increased performance
- More satisfied customers
- Stronger retention.
EI also cuts down on risk and losses due to things like ineffective communication, a fixed mindset, adversity to change, unmotivated team members, and more.
Emotional intelligence allows us to expand our perception of reality. This can scare some people, because this means we may find that the beliefs we've held, for potentially decades, may now be challenged, and quite frankly, not the whole truth, or even the truth at all. This is where we have to ask ourselves, am I willing to be understanding of alternative realities?
Developing our emotional intelligence does not mean that our core beliefs will necessarily change, although they could if we choose to change them. What it does mean, is that we will not allow our emotions and strongly held beliefs to be used against us, or allow our ego to present our opinion as fact. Developing our EI allows us to have more productive conversations and see other points of view more clearly. Without EI, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to genuinely connect and empathize with individuals who hold different beliefs than our own.
I truly believe that with enough of us practicing and embracing emotional intelligence, we can alter the emotionally turbulent climate we are living in today. And when we pair science and research with theory, we can see the significant impact EI has across the board in the data. You can observe this for yourself here.
If you have found this article insightful and would like to learn more about what it would look like to work together — defining your personal and professional visions and values, living and leading from a place of authenticity, and how to effectively bridge the gap from where you are to where you want to be — please click here to schedule a consultation with me.
Also, check out my newly released book The EQ Deficiency, recognized by Forbes and The Enterprise Project as top reads for 2021.
Creative Strategist | Coach
3 年Brittney-Nichole, thanks for sharing!
Our AQ (Awareness Quotient) | Developmental Leadership | The Art & Science of Project Management | Leadership Author
3 年This is a very insightful article by Brittney-Nichole Connor-Savarda. She takes us deeper in our EQ and its impact on our experience in life. Much thanks, Brittney!