When we think of “intelligence,” geniuses like Steve Jobs or Albert Einstein come to mind. But there are many kinds of intelligence, and one of them is the ability to understand and interpret emotions.
“Emotional intelligence” informs how we react to other people’s emotions and our own, how we handle life’s challenges. It helps us understand who we are: our strengths and weaknesses, what we believe in, what our values are and whether we honor them or not; what motivates us; how we interact with, and understand, other people.
When we’ve grown up without cultivating our emotional intelligence, we can become technically adept without becoming wise -- becoming, as philosopher Alain de Botton puts it, “technologically-armed menaces to ourselves.”
Your brilliant manager with amazing tech skills who’s constantly complaining and manipulating the people around her…your talented co-worker who can’t seem to build strong relationships with anyone…your wealthy self-made uncle who’s disengaged from the life he’s meant to enjoy…these people lack emotional intelligence.
The ability to know yourself and to recognize how others feel – empathy for yourself and for others – plays a vital role in becoming a mature adult and an effective leader. Without it, we are like boats with no direction on a vast ocean.
Developing emotional intelligence helped me connect with myself, my spouse, my children, and people around me on a very different level. Not only did I learn to listen, I learned how to relate to them as human beings with their own agendas, emotions and weaknesses.
If you’re someone whose emotional intelligence doesn’t come naturally, don’t despair! We aren’t born with it -- we become masterful through education and practice.
Ksenia V. Krivor, founder of Emotional Connection, holds a degree in philosophy, and licensed to coach. She is a personal development specialist, creating and facilitating tailored workshops which enable highly functional leaders of the future through development of Emotional Intelligence. Ksenia draws on unique inspirations from philosophy and the arts, bringing intelligence and diversity of thought to her
EQ training. The result is training programs which provide current and future leaders with a deep understanding of themselves, their life and professional narratives, so they are better equipped to respond to the business challenges of today and tomorrow. www.KseniaKrivor.com