A concept many of us probably heard of but never quite explored in detail, it can make a difference in the workplace. Find out how in this article!
Rome, October 3rd 2019
In a world that struggles with understanding and positively channeling emotions, it is no wonder that a concept like Emotional Intelligence is much needed to assess the situation. Shutting out feelings, or worse, ignoring them, can have extremely negative consequences in every aspect of our life, including the workplace. That’s why nowaday’s society, and the business world along with it, is shifting towards a significant change aimed at gaining better control and understanding of one’s emotions and to ensure a healthy and productive working environment.
But what exactly is Emotional Intelligence? To sum it up, it is defined as the ability of people to understand and manage their emotions, as well as recognizing someone else’s, distinguish them and effectively use them to guide and direct thought and behaviour. It is usually divided in five aspects, each one addressing a specific field: self awareness, which is about understanding one’s own nature and emotions; self management, the ability to control potentially negative emotional bursts and impulses; motivation, an essential element in pursuing and enjoying achievements; empathy, the ability to get in touch with other people’s feelings, very important in decision-making; and social skills, a vital characteristic in building relationships.
Emotional Intelligence plays a pivotal role in the workplace: understanding the origin and functions of one’s emotion allows a clearer judgment of situations and a more effective capability of discerning work dynamics and taking decisions. Starting with the individual, this extremely useful mindset and skillset can be spread to the entire job community, starting a chain reaction that eventually leads to a general improvement of the working conditions in the entire company and that involves everyone, employees and managers, and that touches every aspect of the human nature, from building healthy relationships between co-workers to enlightened leadership for CEOs.
If you’re looking to improve your professional mindset or the dynamics in your company, take a look at Rome Business School’s Executive Course on Emotional Intelligence.
