Several times, you would have said that someone is not professional. Certain behavior from you might also have made other people say the same comment about you. So, what is the quality which makes you professional? Professionalism is simply, the conduct, behavior, and attitude expected from an individual in a business environment.

The way you work is the most important thing which determines your future in the professional field. However, your behavior, body language, and attitude communicate a lot about you and also need to be considered as part of professional training. A person who has a smile on his/her face regardless of the circumstances is more acceptable than the one who shouts in stressful situations. So, managing your emotions and being aware of them play a major role in your workplace.

If you are a team leader, you should also manage the emotions of your team members to create an ideal working environment for everyone.  

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is all about your ability to control your emotions and those who are around you. It is the meeting point of emotion and cognition. It involves the way you communicate, manage different situations, the ability to cope up with stress and deal with other people at the workplace. This is a quality expected from the business leaders and ideally from all professionals. The perfect leader must be able to stay under control even at the toughest moment and help others to concentrate on their work.

An employer who becomes stressed at the crucial situation can't take a significant decision. Also, the one who loses temper and scream at difficult times may not be considered suitable for the position of the leader. Managing emotions is also necessary for maintaining good relationships with others.

For instance, you would have heard employers asking salespeople to smile always despite the rude behavior from the part of the customer. If you develop emotional intelligence, it will be a great way to lead a smooth and happy professional life.

The term ‘emotional intelligence’ was coined by two researchers-Peter Salavoy and John Mayer and popularized by Daniel Goleman in his work with the same title.

According to Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence has five key elements.

Five key elements in emotional intelligence

• Self-awareness: The ability to observe and evaluate one’s own emotions and their impact on others. Individuals should be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses in order to develop themselves.
• Self-regulation: When people are aware of their own emotions, they can control the negative emotions to avoid issues in the workplace. It is also necessary for interpersonal communication as your way of communicating will have a direct impact on the other person.
• Motivation: Individuals should self-motivate instead of looking for appreciation or rewards from outside for motivation. Then, they will be more passionate about work and strive to achieve their goals.
• Empathy: Leaders, who feel empathy for other people can step into their shoes, understand their problems and help them to improve thereby refining teamwork. They can listen to the team members, observe their work and provide constructive feedback.
• Interpersonal skills: Interpersonal communication is one of the most important components of an effective business. The one who cannot communicate well to another cannot shine in his/her industry. Your way of speaking, tone of voice, body language and even gestures will determine the impact you can create on another person. They should manage their own emotions and also the other person’s emotions during communication.

Emotional intelligence vs. intelligent quotient (EQ vs. IQ)

Though many of you might be hearing the term ‘emotional intelligence’ for the first time, you must have heard about intelligence quotient (IQ). A person's ability to analyze data and make a reasonable decision is called intelligence quotient. IQ of a person can be calculated based on different tests to evaluate their reasoning and problem-solving ability.

On the other hand, emotional intelligence (EI also called emotional quotient or EQ) is a person’s ability to make decisions without getting affected by emotions. It is always asked which quality is more important for a leader. In fact, a leader should possess high levels of EQ and IQ.

An intelligent person who cannot control his/her emotions may take decisions in haste. He/she cannot be successful as building good relationships need people to be sociable and pleasing.

Likewise, a person who manages his/her emotions well may fail in a task due to the inability to take a logical approach. So, you should keep a perfect balance between IQ and EQ.

Why you should learn emotional intelligence

There are numerous benefits in learning emotional intelligence. It will help you to lead a fruitful and stress-free professional life. Have a look at the significant perks of understanding more about emotional intelligence. Individuals who have attained this skill can:

• Tackle everyday challenges in a productive way
• Manage stress at workplace
• Communicate well with team members and clients
• Earn respect from the team members
• Become a suitable team leader
• Maintain a positive attitude irrespective of the circumstances
• Stay flexible to changes incorporated to the work environment

Emotional intelligence in leadership

As mentioned, emotional intelligence is a quality expected from all employees and especially team leaders. Do you think that a person who can’t control his own emotions can manage a team? Team leaders must always stay calm and come up with solutions when the team members are puzzled at an issue. When individuals are aware of their own emotions, they can remain relaxed even under pressure and motivate other people for better results.

Training in emotional intelligence

A training course in emotional intelligence aims at developing the five core competencies of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and interpersonal skills. The participants can improve their work relationships and make work-life more productive by understanding more about their emotional behaviors and their impact on others.

The course will be useful for anyone who deals with other people regardless of the size of the organization. Team leaders, managers, customer service professionals, and salespeople among others will find it extremely useful in their profession.