As you've probably already figured out, it’s not the smartest people who are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life.
You probably know people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially awkward and struggle at work or within their personal relationships. Yes, your IQ can help you get into college, but Intellectual ability (IQ) isn’t enough on its own to achieve success in life.
In 1995, psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman published a book introducing the concept of emotional intelligence. He suggested that an ability to understand and manage emotions greatly increases our chances of success in our relationships in all areas of life. The concept quickly took flight and has been a major influence the way people think about emotions and human behavior.
Emotional intelligence, sometimes referred to as EQ, is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. It helps you to connect with your feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you. IQ and EQ exist in tandem and are most effective when they build off one another. Emotional intelligence is based on just a few attributes or skills:
Self-management
Self-awareness
Social awareness
Relationship management
By mastering just these four skills, you can be much more emotionally intelligent, and your relationship will be much more satisfying to you and your partner.
10 Ways to Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence – Tips to improve your EQ.
Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace (PDF) – How to build and practice EQ to improve your success at work.
Understanding and Developing Emotional Intelligence (PDF)- How the principles of EQ provide a new way to understand and assess the behaviors, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential of people.