As you prepare to respond to this post, refer to the “Emotional Intelligence” Learning Activity. Think about a manager that you have had in the past. Which aspect of emotional intelligence mentioned in the reading would you say was lacking for this manager? Explain your answer. How did this affect the group managed? What steps could this manager take to become more of an effective leader? 

Emotional Intelligence

Read this section about emotional intelligence, the ability to assess and control your own emotions and understand the emotions of those around you. In what ways do you think understanding your own levels of emotional intelligence can be valuable? Share your thoughts in Social Learning and respond to another post on this topic.

The concept of emotional intelligence is related to the Big 5 traits of extraversion, agreeableness/tact, and stability under stress.

Understanding your own levels of emotional intelligence and improving on them can be a valuable way to analyze your own strengths and weaknesses.Ridofranz/iStock/Thinkstock

As noted by Daniel Goleman (2002), self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, and empathy are all aspects of emotional intelligence. Self-awareness refers to your ability to know your strengths, weaknesses, drives, and motivations. Self-regulation involves being able to control your emotions, based on outside stimuli. Social skill is the ability to manage relationships. Empathy refers to the ability to consider others’ feelings and thoughts and put yourself in their position. Throughout his research, Goleman found effective leaders in organizations tend to score high on emotional intelligence. He calls skills and technical abilities important as the gateway to get into management positions, but once people move up the ranks into executive positions, emotional intelligence skills are crucial.

Note. Adapted from “Developing Interpersonal Skills for Success,” by Portolese Dias, L., 2014, Leadership and Supervision, Chapter 2. Copyright 2014 Flat World Knowledge, Inc. – Fully answers the question(s); Post is substantive and shows a deep level of understanding of the concepts; Post synthesizes, applies, and/or integrates concepts effectively.