Emotional Intelligence at Work

Personal and Professional Effectiveness:

Reflective Report on Emotional Intelligence at Work

Produced by : Fong Gwen Lyn

Introduction

In today’s workplace, relying on one’s intellectual skills and competence is no longer sufficient. One must now be trained in the art of people skills in order to excel at work. Besides for work, emotional intelligence (EQ) is a strong people skill that is essential for personal success too. It is the ability to be aware of, name, and manage one’s emotions; understand other’s emotions; and relate to others in effective ways both personally and professionally in a wide range of contexts and roles (Craemer, n.d.). Psychology Today (2014) added to this definition by saying that, it is also “the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problems solving.” This is because we are all emotional beings. We use feelings and emotions to help us make decisions with rational thinking.

While skills and experience may get us the job, our EQ will ultimately determine how well we succeed and how far we can rise in an organisation. The understanding of emotions and to be able to relate better to others help us “form healthier relationships, achieve greater success at work, and lead a more fulfilling life” as it can help us achieve career and personal goals more effectively and efficiently (Help Guide, 2014). Therefore, it is vital that everyone learns people skills and raise their EQs to create a more functional workplace and succeed in life.

This reflective report will discuss with examples and analyse the five elements of EQ – self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills – according to Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist (Mind Tools, 2014). The report will then provide recommendations of how one can improve on their EQ to contribute to their workplace and daily lives.

Self-awareness

Self-awareness is when we recognise our emotions and realise how they affect our thoughts...