The Flow

Why Emotional Intelligence can not be ignored at the workplace?

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Recently I finally read “Emotional Intelligence, Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” written by Daniel Goleman. It has been on my reading list for years, I have a thing about bestsellers; as louder resonance as longer I postpone reading:)

Here is my takeaway on why, according to Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence can not be ignored at the workplace. Very interesting point of view especially considering that book was written in 1995, long before major social changes like the pandemic or AI.

According to Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence or EQ is divided into four competencies:

• Self-awareness, knowing what we are feeling and why we are feeling it.

• Self-management, handling our distressing emotions in an effective positive way so they don’t get in the way of what we are doing

• Empathy, knowing what someone else is feeling, and being able to put yourself in someone's shoes.

• Relationship management, the ability to resolve a conflict and the ability to influence, coach, and mentor other people.

Goleman's Emotional Intelligence Model (2002)

So why is EQ as important as IQ? Because of permanent changes in the working landscape. Today, technologies are evolving at mind-blowing speed and that affects people’s emotional needs. Emotional resilience and adaptability became the mechanism for coping with changes and uncertainty. And understanding and managing emotions effectively is crucial for building resilience.

"IQ is no longer the decisive factor for success."

IQ is no longer the decisive factor for success. No doubts technical skills are important but they became a baseline for entering the workforce. Technical skills get us in a door but now we will compete with the people who are as smart as we are. And what is going to differentiate our performance is how well we can manage ourselves and how well we can lead the group.

IQ represents our cognitive abilities and it is pretty much fixed starting from adulthood. EQ is learnable and can be learned in a short period of time. According to Daniel Goleman new Emotional Intelligence competency can be ingrained in our brain in 6 months. And Daniel Goleman encourages leaders to learn these competencies. Otherwise, it won't be possible to lead sustainably in an ever-changing business environment.

"Work in Flow can be compared to meditation."

According to Daniel Goleman, an example of Emotional Intelligence working at its best is the state of Flow. What happens when we enter the state of Flow? We are performing in our pick, because our emotions are contained, channeled, positive, and aligned with the task at hand. Flow is the state of being in the present moment and being fully immersed in the activity. And in that sense, the work in Flow can be compared to meditation and can give us deep emotional satisfaction.

When we are in the Flow, we are in control of what we are doing, and our responses are attuned to the changing demands of the task. And although we perform at our best while in the Flow, we are not concerned with thoughts of success or failure. The pleasure of doing becomes the motivation for doing. And that is the most productive and the most enjoyable working environment for the team. Building such an environment without applying Emotional Intelligence is impossible.

We enter the Flow when we find a task we are skilled at and when the requirements of the task slightly challenge our abilities. We tend to focus best when demands on us are slightly more significant than usual, and we are able to give more than usual. When the level of demand is insufficient we are bored. When the level is too high we are getting anxious. The Flow occurs in that delicate area between boredom and anxiety and thus prevents us from both.

“The art of leadership is to get the work done well through other people”

I want to conclude with a quote from Philip Caldwell. “The art of leadership is to get the work done well through other people”. And that places Emotional Intelligence at the top of the list of leadership competencies. High IQ and expert knowledge are valuable but they may not result in a successful carrier without high EQ. Becoming a leader shifts work priorities from using technical skills to managing people. And today managing people sustainably is not possible without practicing Emotional Intelligence.