Emotional Intelligence Is …
Although there are many different models of emotional intelligence, most of them include a combination of competencies that contributes to a person’s ability to manage his or her own emotions as well as monitor emotions in others. For example, The Hay Group uses a model in which emotional intelligence comprises four dimensions, each with its own set of behavioral competencies. These dimensions and their accompanying competencies are:
- Self-awareness:
Includes the competencies of emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment and self-confidence.
- Self-management:
Includes self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability, achievement orientation and initiative.
- Social skills:
Includes the competencies of leadership, influence, communication, change catalyst, conflict management, building bonds, teamwork and collaboration.
- Social awareness:
Includes empathy, organizational awareness, developing others and service orientation.
Emotional Intelligence Isn’t …
- It isn’t “getting in touch with your feelings” or letting it all hang out. Having emotional intelligence means to be able to manage feelings so that they’re expressed appropriately and effectively.
- It isn’t simply being nice. Sometimes being emotionally intelligent means being able to confront someone with an uncomfortable truth he or she has been avoiding.
- It doesn’t mean suppressing or controlling your emotions. It means utilizing the appropriate emotion at the appropriate time in the appropriate amount.
- It isn’t about just about personal self-improvement. The capabilities that underlie emotional intelligence are the ones that are most often associated with business success.
- It isn’t a quick-fix program in which differences are immediately noticeable. People may be able to learn word processing in an hour, but learning such things as managing anger takes a lot of practice.
Workforce, July 1999, Vol. 78, No. 7, p. 62.