You’ve probably come across lots of online quizzes offering you the chance to test your Intelligence Quotient (IQ). You might also have heard of Mensa, the oldest and probably best-known worldwide IQ society.
You might not be so familiar with Emotional Intelligence (EQ).
IQ and EQ differ in that they say your IQ cannot change in your lifetime, and you don’t really have control of this, but you can control and change your EQ.
That means that, unlike your IQ, you can improve your EQ.
Explore the many things that you can do in order to slowly increase your ability to process emotions and better understand them. Here’s a starting point:
- Develop self-awareness
It’s really important to be self-aware. This means you have a good understanding of what makes you tick. You’re aware of your personality, emotions, thoughts, strengths and weaknesses. Realising your own personal potential – plus any flaws – ensures that you know best about how you work and operate. This includes being aware of what motivates you, as well as what you need to be working on in order to improve yourself. Good self-awareness also equates to good decision making!
- Focus on your interpersonal skills
These skills connect to your ability to develop and maintain good relationships with others. These sought after skills include a combination of verbal and listening skills, good judgement, perceptive problem solving, and the ability to spot and dissolve issues that could get out of hand i.e. conflict resolution and mediation. An interview is one way that potential employers can quickly assess your interpersonal skills.
- Learn to practice empathy
Being empathetic is absolutely crucial in a workplace environment especially when working in teams. It’s essential to try to listen to what others are saying in order to gain an understanding of their point of view and how they operate. Place yourself in the shoes of others and you’ll most likely see that your approach to e.g. differences of opinion, will be different.
If you’re still at a loss as to what steps you could take in order to improve your emotional intelligence, Curtin Careers, Employment & Leadership are running a Drive Your Career workshop on Tuesday 24 September, which aims to further explore the link between emotional intelligence and career success.
