According to Psychology Today, Emotional Intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Emotional Intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) is generally said to include a few skills: namely emotional awareness, or the ability to identify and name one’s own emotions; the ability to harness those emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes both regulating one’s own emotions when necessary and helping others to do the same.
To learn more about the power of EQ, we turned to one of our amazing clients, Tara Renze, who is an author, speaker and emotional intelligence practitioner. Tara shared with us that “EQ is essential for fostering positive relationships and it elevates our overall human happiness, success and fulfillment.”
Tara is a frequent keynote speaker and trainer at national conferences and seminars. Emotional Intelligence awareness positively impacted the trajectory of her career and personal goals. “EQ is how you CHOOSE to show up – regardless of how you are feeling. I have always been dialed into this. I show up in a manner that makes others feel good, confident and excited to work with me. This has definitely changed the trajectory of my career. In addition, I’m in tune and understand that I am not my thoughts. This has allowed me to weather a lot of storms and not be overly hard on myself and get wrapped up in negative self-talk,” she says. According to Tara, strong EQ is responsible for 58% of our success at work. Yet, most of us know little about our own EQ or how to deploy strategies that help us to develop our EQ; let alone drive the results we desire. “EQ is essential in the workplace because it fosters trust and productivity. In my keynote “Unstuck” I dive into 6 complimentary-contrary EQ Elements that the workforce needs to deploy to get and stay “unstuck”. Empathy and Assertiveness. Independence and Interpersonal Relationships and Optimism and Reality Testing. A healthy balance of these 6 elements creates productive teams, healthy work relationships, increased productivity and workforce retention,” she says.
Take one of the biggest news headlines of the summer for example: Simone Biles Steps Down from the Olympics. A recent article on Inc.com by Justin Bariso declared: “Yes, Simone Biles's decision to protect her mental health is a brilliant lesson in Emotional Intelligence. Simone Biles has figured out a major secret to success--one that can also benefit entrepreneurs, business owners, and just about everyone else.”
The world was stunned when the news broke that Simone Biles was pulling out of the Olympics. While she faced criticism from some, she was applauded by many. Bariso writes, “No, Biles isn't weak. She's emotionally intelligent. Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions to achieve a goal. In this case, Biles recognized how the stress and pressure of performing under the bright lights on the biggest stage exacerbated the countless other problems she is dealing with, of which only she is aware. Worst of all, it was taking away her love for the sport.” “This is such a key lesson for entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone else trying to attain success. In fact, it's a lesson I've learned the hard way -- and continue to learn -- through building and running my own small business. Over time, I came to realize that my definition of success is much different from that of others. You don't have to win multiple gold medals or championships, or break world records, or build a billion-dollar company. Define success for yourself.”
If you’re ready to take the first step in learning more about your own emotional intelligence, Tara recommends first reading Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and then consider diving deeper with a comprehensive and personalized assessment.