When the Harvard Business Review published an article on Emotional Intelligence, it attracted a higher percentage of readers than any other article published in that periodical in the last 40 years. When the CEO of Johnson & Johnson read that article, he was so impressed that he had copies sent out to the 400 top executives in the company worldwide.
So, what exactly is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour. ‘Emotional Intelligence’ is about being honest, being aware of one’s own feeling, being aware of the other’s feelings and about being smart with one’s emotions.
Emotional intelligence helps to manage stress. It is vital for enhanced cooperation and teamwork, and it helps individuals to learn in relationships. Our ability to work together is profoundly impacted by our emotions, and this requires an ability to self-soothe, connect, and integrate in workplace relationships. While skills and experience may get us the job, our EQ will ultimately determine how well we succeed and how far we rise in the organization.
Given the importance of Emotional Intelligence in the workplace, the CRC department at Asian Business School organized a workshop for the PGDM 2014-16 batch on Emotional Intelligence. Different aspects of Emotional Intelligence like its impact on one’s personality, its affect on an individual’s attitude, etc were discussed extensively during the session. Various activities on Self Management, Self Awareness, Self Regulation, etc were conducted to enhance the understanding of the students.
The workshop gave the students an insight into why it is important to connect with your colleagues and what is the importance of hiring individuals with High EI.