Emotional Intelligence

     Emotional intelligence is defined as "the capability of individuals to recognize their own, and other people's emotions, to discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, to use information to guide thinking and behavior, and to manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one's goals." I was first introduced to this term in my pre-practicum course last fall, in which our professor explained its meaning and stressed its importance in the workplace. I was again exposed to the idea of emotional intelligence during my internship this past winter when a colleague brought up the term to me. He explained how he has read that emotional intelligence is often thought to be more valuable than one's IQ in regards to being successful professionally. He agreed with this concept and explained the ways in which he felt emotional intelligence played a role in holding a management position. This idea really stuck with me. In order to be a successful manager you must be able to read the emotions and needs of the people you are managing. This is why emotional intelligence is so critical. My partner (Regan) and I have chosen emotional intelligence as our first class discussion topic to present to the class on the 15th in hopes of learning more about it ourselves as well as spreading knowledge to our peers. I am excited to learn more about emotional intelligence and to apply it to being a successful leader and manager.

 

~Stay tuned for a reflection of our class discussion and more detail on emotional intelligence~