Ms. KS Lee, Health & Wellness Coach
Source: Daniel Goleman
Six Categories of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
1. Self-awareness. The ability to recognize an emotion as it “happens” is the key to your EQ. Developing self-awareness requires tuning in to your true feelings. If you evaluate your emotions, you can manage them. The major elements of self-awareness are:
Emotional awareness - your ability to recognize your own emotions and their effects
Self-confidence - certainty about your own self-worth and competencies.
2. Self-regulation. You often have little control over when you experience emotions. You can, however, have some level of control over how long an emotion will last by using a number of techniques to alleviate negative emotions such as anger, depression and aggression. A few of these techniques include recasting a situation in a more positive light; taking a long walk to clear your mind and experience your surroundings; meditation and focus on your breathing; prayer. Self-regulation involves the following:
Self-control. Managing disruptive impulses.
Trustworthiness. Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity.
Conscientiousness. Taking responsibility for your own performance.
Adaptability. Handling change with flexibility.
Innovation. Being open to new ideas.
3. Motivation. To motivate yourself for any achievement requires clear goals and a positive attitude. Although you may have a predisposition to either a positive or a negative attitude, you can with effort and practice learn to think more positively. If you catch negative thoughts as they occur, you can reframe them in more positive terms, which will help you achieve your goals.
Motivation is made up of:
Achievement drive. Your constant striving to improve or to meet a standard of excellence.
Commitment. Aligning with the goals of the group or organization.
Initiative. Readying yourself to act on opportunities.
Optimism. Pursuing goals persistently despite obstacles and setbacks.
4. Empathy. The ability to recognize how people feel is important to succeed in your life and career. The more skillful you are at discerning the feelings behind others’ signals the better you can control the signals you send them. An empathetic person excels at:
Service orientation. Anticipating, recognizing and meeting clients’ needs.
Developing others. Sensing what others need to progress and bolstering their abilities.
Leveraging diversity. Cultivating opportunities through diverse people.
Political awareness. Reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships.
Understanding others. Discerning the feelings behind the needs and wants of others.
5. Social skills. The development of good interpersonal skills is critical to success in your life and career. In today’s always-connected world, everyone has immediate access to knowledge. Thus, “people skills” are even more important now because you must possess a high EQ to better understand, empathize and negotiate with others. Below are some of the most useful skills:
Influence. Wielding effective persuasion tactics.
Communication. Sending direct and clear messages.
Leadership. Inspiring and guiding people.
Change catalyst. Initiating or managing change.
Conflict management. Understanding, negotiating and resolving disagreements.
Building bonds. Nurturing instrumental relationships.
Collaboration. Working with others toward shared goals.
Team capabilities. Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals.
6. Self-reflection. The act of taking a break in your daily, monthly, yearly routine is critical to reflect what you have been doing comparing to what you had planned to do. Are you on track towards achieving your objectives? Does this current situation side-track you from achieving your goals? By practising on how to self-reflect, you will develop the skills to re-encounter and better understand specific experiences that may challenge your EQ and enable you to think of better outcomes.