The key to emotional intelligence is development. Rarely is a person able to display high emotional intelligence without putting in some work. The five components of emotional intelligence are soft skills that can be worked on over time, allowing you to increase your emotional intelligence and become a better version of yourself. Are you ready for the next step? Let’s learn how to develop these soft skills for peak performance!

self-a·ware·ness
noun
conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.
“the process can be painful but it leads to greater self-awareness”

As a people, we struggle with looking inwards. We struggle with who we are because we have a hard time looking at ourselves. Self-awareness is the act of looking inward and finding out what motivates us, and what makes us want what we want. While it seems easy on paper (or on-screen) it can be very difficult for some. Developing self-awareness means developing a slightly selfish attitude. It means doing things for yourself, and it means acknowledging your feelings. By doing these things, you start to understand more about what motivates you and keeps you moving.

self-re·port
verb
gerund or present participle: self-reporting
provide details about (one’s circumstances, typically one’s medical or psychological condition).
“35% of participants self-reported a history of asthma”

Self-reporting, sometimes called self-regulation, is the ability to control your emotions and reactions. Self-reporting is accomplished by first knowing your values. By having and understanding your personal code of conduct, you’ll be able to quickly look inside yourself and decide what to do quickly when you’re faced with a moral quandary. This allows you to hold yourself accountable, which means that you’ll be able to admit to your mistakes and accept responsibility for them.

mo·ti·va·tion
noun
the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
“escape can be a strong motivation for travel”

There is a reason for most things that we do, especially in our professional lives. That reason is your motivation. Your raison d’etre, as the French say. Improving motivation can prove difficult, but can be done. First, examine, or re-examine, why you do your job. After years or even decades, of working, we can forget what we love about our work. Revisiting this can help motivate you to continue working, and to move to the next level. Remember to set goals, and continue to review them, and set new goals as time passes.

em·pa·thy
noun
the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Good leaders are empathetic. The ability to understand and share what those around you are feeling is imperative to being a good leader. A common complaint about leadership is a feeling of not being understood. By looking at situations from other points of view, you can develop your empathy, helping you to become a better leader. Pay attention to body language, and respond to feelings when working with others. Most people just want to be heard, and by developing your empathy, you’ll be able to do that for them.

social skills
plural noun
the skills that are necessary in order to communicate and interact with others

Knowing how to deal with people is paramount when you’re in leadership. Being open to all types of information and being able to communicate all types of information separates good leaders from great leaders. You can improve your social skills by learning conflict resolution and developing your praise-giving skills. Learn to improve your communications skills as well, so that you can help your team understand your goals.

Developing emotional intelligence is not easy. It does take a lot of work, but it can be done. Do you have questions, or need help? We’re here for you!