What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ as it is referred to, is what we used to call “people skills” and is about how aware you are of others, and how you interact with other people. It’s not always about YOU!

Regardless of how brilliant you are in your field, 90% of what you do will involve other people - and more importantly, achieving your personal success will involve other people. So by fostering good relationships with other people, you’ll achieve far more than if you’re an unapproachable, sour old puss!

Everyone is different and has their own likes and dislikes. So EQ is about understanding yourself and how other people react to you, and then using this knowledge to your advantage and better foster relationships.

But don’t despair – EQ is just a skill and any skill can be learnt. The important elements of EQ are:

• Self-awareness: the foundation of emotional intelligence – you need to know yourself first, so you can understand how other people see you.
• Building relationships – understand how everyone is different, but can be characterised into one of four behaviour types. Use this as the basis for forging new relationships.
• Communication skills – how to get your message across, and hear messages to you!
• Leadership – be a leader and lead.

So what are you waiting for – work towards your personal success by improving your EQ today!

And don't forget to teach people skills to your kids!

What EQ skills do YOU think are critical for success? Write a page on it and teach others…