Daniel Goleman, Ph.D is a well-known writer and researcher on leadership who wrote the best-seller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability of individuals to recognize their own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.Goleman says that if you aren’t emotionally intelligent, you aren’t going to get very far. Here are seven signs that will help you determine whether or not you're emotionally intelligent.
1. You’re self aware
Emotionally intelligent (EI) people are incredibly self aware and know that if there’s something they can learn more about, they’ll admit they aren’t an expert.
2. You can manage your distressing emotions
People with EI are able to remove themselves from distressing emotions, and let their emotions live outside of their psyche. This helps them perform at optimal levels of emotional intelligence.
3. You have effective relationships
An inborn sense for friendships and belonging in a meaningful way is important to those with high EI, and all relationships they invest their time into are very effective.
4. You’re empathetic
Being empathetic can be difficult for some, but not for those who have high EI. They’re able to relate to others on a level playing field, and can easily understand any hardships employees or colleagues are going through.
5. You’re not a perfectionist
People with high EI are not perfectionists – but they always work hard and achieve the end goal of a project.
6. You have an emotional vocabulary
Only a select group of people in the world can actually define their emotions using words. People with high EIs master their emotions because they understand them, and they use an extensive vocabulary of feelings to do so.
7. It's almost impossible to offend you
As someone who is emotionally intelligent, you're quite self aware and as such is difficult for anyone to offend you or get under your skin. Today companies worldwide routinely look through the lens of EI in hiring, promoting, and developing their employees – how can you use that to your advantage?