The concept of "emotional intelligence" refers to the area of research, which answers the question: "What determines the success of human activity?" Emotional intelligence involves an opportunity to plunge into the emotions, to understand and feel it, and the need for rational analysis of emotions and decision-making process on the basis of this analysis. (Goleman, 2013) Emotions are a huge reservoir of information, using which a person can operate much more efficiently. Another crucial new element is that emotional intelligence allows to manage both - your and other people's emotions, resulting in greater efficiency and adaptability to communicate. People with well-developed emotional intelligence more easily achieve their goals in cooperation with others, become more effective leaders.
The main components of emotional intelligence:
Self-consciousness (you need to analyze your own emotions). We have to learn to identify the relationship between the expression of our feelings and the consequences of how our behavior affects others.
Managing emotions. Our internal state directly affects the perception of the world, creating the appropriate mindset. Consistent with the thoughts we begin to act.
Self-motivation.
Recognition of emotions of others. If the person knows how to control himself and has a desire to act, he will have the access to the next stage - the possibility to capture the social signals, that carry the information about the mood and feelings of other people. One of the indicators of the general level of intelligence - the ability to recognize the emotional state of the interlocutor. In this case, you can choose the model of behavior and to take the situation into your own hands. (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, 2000)
Examples of the need for the concept of emotional intelligence:
A new person came to the vacant position of the Chief of sales department and was faced with a problem. For some time regular customers began to refuse services of the company, resulting in serious financial losses. As it turned out, the previous Chief could not cope with this problem, because of this he has left. New Chief began to understand the situation. Talk to the managers, who worked with clients, he called a meeting to get their views on this matter and clarify the current situation, but also personally phoned to the management of companies, that refused to cooperate with their company, and find out the reasons that prompted them to do so, as well as the potential for contract renewal. After that, the new Chief has outlined all the possible ways of solving problems. As a result, one solution has been chosen, and he instructed his employees about the new course of action. The new chief was constantly looking through the sales reports and after a while happily found that not only the outflow of customers was stopped, but also some companies renewed their contracts. This example shows that a person should not give up in the face of problems. It is necessary to assess the situation and find the best way out of it.
Employees are often faced with stress. Portability of the stress - is the ability to withstand challenges, not retreating and actively coping with stress. People with with the high emotional intelligence are able to choose a course of action for dealing with a stressful situation, can treate with a optimism to any changes and innovations, they know that they are able to solve problems, even if they are not able to manage a stressful situation, may somehow influence it, without losing self-control and a positive view of life. Understanding and managing your emotions does not allow negative emotions to drive into a depressive state. From any situation, people with well-developed emotional intelligence primarily look for a reasonable way.
Factors, that are involved in the concept of emotional intelligence, have significant differences from traditional intellectual factors, which are considered that only knowledge is important without taking into account the emotional component.
Emotional factors:
Cognitive abilities (speed and accuracy of processing emotional information);
An idea of emotions (as values, as an important source of information about yourself and about other people);
Features of emotionality (eg, emotional stability, emotional sensitivity) (Lyusin, 2006)
The development of emotional intelligence of the leader plays a very important role. In the life of the leader for the successful and effective professional development it is particularly important to identify emotions and conscious management of emotions, which are key skills in the structure of emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence of a leader influences the results of hiss operations as follows: each leader creates around himself a certain atmosphere or climate. Thanks to the development of emotional intelligence, this climate is favorable. Leaders with emotional intelligence are able to put themselves in the place of others in any situation. They consciously help to develop people in their teams, challenge those who behave unjustly, provide constructive feedback.
If the leaders does not develop their emotional intelligence, the consequences could affect their work and the work of their subordinates. For example, the wrong reaction to uncertainty and rapid changes in the environment or the lack of understanding of the emotions and actions of his employees.
Thus, the ability to recognize and express your emotions, to distinguish between true and false expressions of emotions and feelings, as well as consciously manage your own emotions and the emotions of other people is important for the leader.
References
Goleman, D. (2013). Primal Leadership, With a New Preface by the Authors: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business Review Press
Lyusin D. (2006). Emotional Intelligence as a Mixed Construct: Its Relation to Personality
and Gender. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 44 (6), 54–68.
Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., Caruso, D. R. (2000) Models of emotional intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.). Handbook of Intelligence. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
