We are in the digital age where we tend to trust machines more than human beings. Today, people who are emotional are being called names such as over emotional, too gullible, or cry-babies. However, we are forgetting that humans are the smartest living beings on earth. The greatest edge we have over most other living beings is that we have emotions. The key lies in our ability to recognize those emotions and be mindful of how the emotions are governing our decisions.  Emotional intelligence is exactly that! And Emotional Quotient (EQ) is a measure for how far we can understand our emotions and how we can use them for better. Several studies suggest that people with higher EQ are performing well in their personal and professional lives than the ones with more IQ (Intelligence Quotient). This is exactly why Emotional Quotient (EQ) is more important than Intelligence Quotient (IQ).

Emotional Intelligence is a vast subject and needs a lot of understanding. Let us start by understanding common misconceptions about Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intelligence or having more EQ is NOT the following:

• Completely stopping yourself from expressing any kind of emotion
• Being stern and acting that all is well, suppressing all the emotions to yourself
• Leaving emotions at the door of your workplace and trying to be a different person at work

People with more EQ show emotions and acknowledge them. They retrospect and try to understand how situations can be improved further.

Elements of Emotional Intelligence

• Being self-aware
• Managing your emotions and yourself
• Being aware of other people (Social awareness)
• Managing your relationship with others based on your awareness

So how shall we improve our emotional intelligence? Here are a few beginner tips to be more wary of our emotions and use them for our best.

• Be aware of your emotions and work on them. Do not brush them away or go on a guilt trip for having those.
• Try to know your emotional triggers and be mindful of not exhibiting an unwanted emotion next time when the trigger is pulled. For example: Anyone biting their nails gives you an instant fit of anger and irritation. Biting nails is the trigger. Anger is the emotion you want to avoid. Be mindful of it to avoid that further.
• Self-awareness and self-management should be of high priority before we go to the next step of understanding other people’s emotions and trying to fix them. Work with yourself first.
• Be empathetic towards people who need emotional support. Leaders with more EQ are always empathetic and are active listeners when it comes to dealing with other people’s problems.
• Try to acknowledge and appreciate constructive criticism. We all dislike negative feedback. But, if the critic gives you a feedback which would help you improve yourself, make a note of it.

Unlike IQ, EQ is not something we are born with. This is something we need to keep improving by being aware and constantly checking which emotions are helping and which others hindering our growth in life.