You’ve probably heard the term “emotional intelligence” before. It shows up a lot, and it sounds interesting, but what does it actually mean for you and your job? If you’re curious about how emotional intelligence fits into the work world, keep reading.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) was first introduced by Mayer, Salovey, and DiPaolo (1990) as well as Salovey and Mayer (1990). According to the definition by Mayer and Salovey, emotional intelligence is “a subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (Mayer and Salovey, 1993, p. 433; Salovey and Mayer, 1990, p. 189).
In short, an individual possessing emotional intelligence demonstrates multidimensional abilities, including:
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Perceiving their own and others’ emotions,
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Integrating emotions into the thought process,
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Understanding the meaning of emotions, and
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Regulating emotions.
When we look at the role of emotional intelligence in the business world, we see that the concept was popularized by Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence” and particularly by his 1998 follow-up, “Working with Emotional Intelligence.”
Goleman (1995, p. 51) defines emotional intelligence as follows: “the ability to get yourself going, to keep moving forward even when there are setbacks, to control your urges and wait for rewards, to manage your moods, to stop stress from blocking your ability to think, and to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”
How Can We Use Emotional Intelligence in the Business World?
Although traditional intelligence, originally called intelligence quotient (IQ), is still considered during hiring processes, emotional intelligence (EQ) is a significant factor that reveals an employee’s success in their job.
A part of this success comes from the relationships we build at work. The ability to approach our colleagues with understanding, to sense their deepest feelings, and to establish and maintain effective interpersonal communication are crucial skills that our emotional intelligence provides us.
But what about when the situation is somewhat reversed? That is to say, when we encounter obstacles, how will we transform our emotional intelligence into a shield against stress?
Emotional Intelligence as a Shield Against Stress
We certainly encounter difficult personalities in the business world. These individuals may have passive-aggressive tendencies, constantly complain, or be characters who cannot accept dissimilar opinions.
The way we deal with them lies through our emotional intelligence. According to research conducted on emotional intelligence and interpersonal problem-solving skills, a significant and positive relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal problem-solving skills has been observed (Baştürkcü, 2016).
Individuals with high emotional intelligence were found to be constructive and persistent in their approach to solving the problems they faced. When they encountered obstacles, they tried to resolve the issues they experienced and found the strength within themselves to cope with these problems (Baştürkcü, 2016).
In addition to this research, Goleman (1998) emphasizes that individuals with high emotional intelligence possess two key abilities in conflict management: reducing tension in the environment and effectively managing tense situations.
The Secret to Dealing with Difficult People: It’s About You
Furthermore, in the chapter titled “The Secret to Dealing with Difficult People: It’s About You” mentioned in the book Conflict and Communication published by Harvard Business Review Press’s Emotional Intelligence series, Tony Schwartz presents various perspectives (HBR, 2019).
One of these is the “reverse lens.” The crucial point emphasized is empathy — that is, looking at the world from the perspective of the person who is upsetting you.
This does not mean abandoning your own point of view. By adopting the reverse lens and asking questions such as: What is this person feeling? What does this situation mean? What is my role in this dynamic? you will be able to resolve the incident you are experiencing (HBR, 2019).
This viewpoint shows a meaningful overlap with the core components of emotional intelligence: the effort to understand others’ emotional states and to put oneself in their shoes.
Emotional Intelligence and Professional Success
In short, our emotional intelligence helps us resolve problems in interpersonal communication while also providing us with the strength to manage the difficult, obstacle-ridden conditions we encounter.
Consequently, professionalism and success in our professional lives continue uninterrupted. When we make a general comment, employees with high emotional intelligence — who will benefit future work potential — promise future success for organizations through their competence in interpersonal communication, problem-solving ability, and building trust-based relationships (Baştürkcü, 2016).
Developing emotional intelligence is not only about understanding emotions but also about mastering stress management, empathy, and adaptability — essential components for thriving in today’s complex organizational environments.
References
Baştürkcü, B. (2016). The effect of employees’ emotional intelligence competencies on interpersonal problem-solving skills in business life [Master’s thesis, Dokuz Eylül University]. YÖK National Thesis Center.
Doğan, S., & Şahin, F. (2007). Emotional intelligence: A conceptual overview of its historical development and importance for organizations. Çukurova University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 16(1), 231–252.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books, Inc.
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books.
Harvard Business Review Press. (2019). Conflict and Communication.
Mayer, J. D., DiPaolo, M., & Salovey, P. (1990). Perceiving affective content in ambiguous visual stimuli: A component of emotional intelligence. Journal of Personality Assessment, 54(3–4), 772–781. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.1990.9674037
Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1993). The intelligence of emotional intelligence. Intelligence, 17(4), 433–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-2896(93)90010-3
Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185–211. https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG