In his much celebrated book Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman reveals that there are certain skills that distinguish performers in any given field. He shows that it is not about the Intelligence quotient, level of education or technical know-how or the years of expertise of a person that matters, but the single most important factor is Emotional intelligence. According to Goleman , emotional intelligence is a set of skills that includes control of one’s impulses, empathy, self motivation, social competence in interpersonal relationships, pg. 2. Goleman found out that qualities traditionally associated with leadership including intelligence, determination, vision, toughness are usually insufficient. He proved that for one to be a truly effective leader or star performance in any given field had to demonstrate a high degree of emotional intelligence that includes self awareness, motivation , self regulation, empathy and social skills.
It has been argued that emotional intelligence is the most important ingredient for reaching and staying top at any given field, an ingredient that sets apart the stars from the mediocre. In this dynamic world, it is those individuals and organizations that learn to operate with emotional intelligence that prosper (Andrews, pg 3). Coleman went on further to list some of the motivational competencies that determine how we manage ourselves which include: self-awareness, self regulation, self motivation, self competence and social skills.
Self awareness
This is the ability of one knowing his/her internal state, tastes and preferences, abilities, resources and intuitions among others. This would involve recognizing one’s emotions and effects, recognizing one’s strengths and limits and the possession of self confidence. With a thorough self awareness, I am able to know my strengths, competencies that may give me an edge over others and the confidence of driving me into success. If an organization also knows how it operates, its resources, understands its workers and also know its competitors, it would prosper and remain relevant for a long time.
Self motivation
These are the emotional tendencies that would guide or facilitate an individual or an organization in achieving their goals. Self motivation sparks the achievement drive in a person or organization. This would help me want to improve or want to meet or a certain standard of excellence. It also sparks the initiative of wanting to tap on opportunities that present themselves and also drives commitment on certain courses. Through self motivation a person or organization commits to their objective of wanting to see the end results of their course (Andrew, pg 14). It also drives the optimism in a person or organization as individuals would be positive about what they are pursuing.
Social skills
This is the ability of inducing desirable responses in others around you. These social skills would involve empathy, learning the art of communication, conflict management, the art of listening, collaboration and cooperation, influence, team work and leadership among others. With these social skills, I am able to inspire, encourage, motivate and understand others in order to create an enabling environment for the success of any undertaking. It is also with these social skills that organizations would be able to understand their workers, motivate them and resolve conflicts to ensure its smooth running.
Emotional intelligence seems to the most important driver of success in individuals and organizations today. It has proven over the years to be twice as important as many other skills including intelligence and expertise in driving success. Emotional intelligence can be a toolkit for survival in individuals and also a key factor in the performance and competence of an organization.
Works Cited
Andrews, Linda W. Emotional Intelligence. New York: F. Watts, 2004. Print.
Goleman, Daniel. Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1998. Print.
Goleman, Daniel, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press, 2002. Print.
