In the words of Nathaniel LeTonnerre a famous philosopher, “as none can see the wind but in its effects on the trees, similarly we can’t see emotions but in their effects on the face and body” emotions are our feelings. Factually, we feel them in our bodies as tingles, numbness, hot spots, goose pimples, pain, heaviness in heart, gushing of blood and muscular tension. Emotions not only are an enduring part of personal life but also of our work life. How we come across, how we present, how we make decisions matters to our success as well as success of the organization. Emotional Intelligence Quotient, or EQ, is a term being heard more and more world over in the corporate, political and social life; often in human resources departments and even in executive board rooms as it has its impact far and wide.
Emotional gamut during any work is implicitly divided into good emotions – those that are conducive to the goals of the enterprise and bad emotions – those that are perceived as destructive. Thus, positive emotions can increase creativity, encourage helping behavior and cooperation and reduce aggression both against the organization and against people. In contrast, anger leads to counterproductive behaviors such as theft, vandalism, and aggression towards co-workers, sadness makes employees want to quit their job, and envy and jealousy are a source of stress and also lead to a propensity to quit.
The theory coined by Daniel Goleman “Emotional Intelligence” in 1995 which has become popular all over the world was researched and developed during the 70’s and 80’s. It was psychologist Howard Gardner’s book “Frame of Mind”, which gave birth to the development of Emotional Quotient (through Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence). Emotional Intelligence is term which is used to describe the ability or skill of an individual to influence the emotions within themselves, as well as other people. Not only is a person able to influence these emotions, but they are also capable of managing and assessing them.
The 42nd president of US, Bill Clinton did not fumble or slip when people made personal attacks on his character and on his actions during the Vietnam War, which he actively opposed. The moral character issue stemmed from allegations of infidelity, which Clinton refuted in a television interview in which he and Hillary avowed their relationship, was rock-solid. Throughout his term in office, Clinton was dogged by allegations relating to the Whitewater real estate deal in which he and Hillary was involved prior to the 1992 election. Clinton charmed the world with his brilliance and wit both. Clinton has always vowed the world because of his choice of words, expressiveness and controlling his emotions all through the crisis which he faced in the White House. In many reports by the media Bill Clinton’s emotional quotient is said to be high.
Emotional Quotient (EQ) is increasingly been given more importance than Intelligence Quotient (IQ) since it has proven to help understand and assess people’s behaviour. It serves as an important tool in areas like: learning styles, managing styles, attitudes, interpersonal communication skills and potential of a person.
Most of us know that there is a world of difference between knowledge and
behavior, or applying that knowledge to make changes in our lives. There are many things we may know and want to do, but don’t or can’t when we’re under pressure. This is especially true when it comes to emotional intelligence. Every time we are under high levels of stress, rational thinking and decision making go haywire. Stress overwhelms the mind and body, getting in the way of our ability to accurately “read” a situation, hear what someone else is saying, get the apt meaning of what is being said, therefore controlling stress is most important. Stress does not allow us being aware of our own feelings and needs. It obstructs our communication; we lack clarity, voice tone, our facial expressions and body language goes for a toss. The first key skill of emotional intelligence is the ability to quickly calm yourself down when you’re feeling weighed down. Being able to manage stress in the bad moments is the key to flexibility.
The greatness of Sachin Tendulkar is described by Sir Donald Bradman in one of his interviews when he said, “Sachin reminds me of myself”. Undoubtedly, he is one of the best batsmen of all time and possibly the greatest of his era alongside Brian Lara”. Sachin is a statistician’s delight. Tendulkar has broken cricketing records of all kinds, while consistently setting new benchmarks of excellence in an illustrious career spanning over 19 years. Sachin is always grounded, graceful, and never ever gets swamped. Sachin has always kept his clam by channelling his emotions to achieve highest standards in the game of cricket. He radiates positive spirit, he is an excellent team player, has a great self control. Many reports have spoken about Sachin Tendulkar’s high EQ.
Daniel Goleman says the emotional brain responds to an event more quickly than the thinking brain. That’s the importance of emotional intelligence.
