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Checklists - 178 Emotional intelligence

Introduction
Emotional intelligence (EI) has frequently been named as a strong factor contributing to personal success.
While there are many factors in personal success, some of the most successful people in various walks of life
have been found to have high levels of EI demonstrating the ability to both manage themselves and
understand others. EI is associated with the softer skills that are frequently emphasised as important for
success in leadership and management and this has led some writers and consultants to stress the
significance of EI as an indicator of potential. It is important to understand the difference between EI, or
emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) as it is sometimes called, and Intellectual Quotient (IQ). IQ defines
cognitive ability which remains constant throughout the lifetime of the individual. In contrast, many people
believe that EI can be improved through personal development and learning. At the same time, some research
suggests that successful people with high levels of EI also have high cognitive analytical skills, indicating that it
is the combination of both EI and IQ that makes these individuals successful.

First popularised by Daniel Goleman in the 1990s, EI involves recognising one's own emotions, and acting on
them in a reflective and critical manner. A person with high EI is generally expected to be very self-aware, to
have strong self-control, to reflect on his or her own feelings and behaviour and to be able to empathise well
with other people. While very aware of their feelings, those with high EI resist the temptation to react
impulsively on the spur of the moment to situations or incidents which provoke strong emotions, and instead,
base their actions on a considered appraisal of their feelings, the situation, potential responses and the
consequences these may have. At work, the capacity to react on the basis of thought, informed by feeling, can
significantly enhance interpersonal communication and people skills.

This checklist explains the concept of emotional intelligence. It gives an overview of the basic principles of EI
and explains how it is relevant to managers. A brief self-test EI indicator is provided at the end.

Definition
While there is no agreed standard definition of emotional intelligence, the concept can be expressed as the
ability to perceive, and understand one's own personal feelings, and those of others. EI means recognising
emotions and acting on them in a reflective, positive and critical manner.

Action Checklist

1. Understand the theories of emotional intelligence

People generally experience a range of both positive and negative emotions in response to their
conscious experiences and relationships, and this happens at work just as it would anywhere else. We
generally define emotion as an affective state of consciousness in which joy, sorrow, fear, hate, or the like,
is experienced, as distinguished from cognitive and volitional states of consciousness. Some typical
examples of emotions felt at work might be satisfaction, exhilaration, anger, frustration, pride and anxiety.

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The phrase 'emotional intelligence' was first defined in the 1980s by two American psychologists, John D
Mayer and Peter Salovey. A third American psychologist called Daniel Goleman later built on their work,
and popularised the concept in his 1996 book, "Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ".
This outlined a five-element framework for emotional intelligence:

self-awareness - the ability to understand yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and how
others see you
self-regulation - the ability to control yourself and think before you act
motivation - the drive to work and succeed
empathy - the ability to understand other peoples' feelings and viewpoints
social skills - communicating and relating to others.
the drivers - motivation and decisiveness: traits that energise and drive people to meet high goals
the 'constrainers' - conscientiousness/integrity and emotional resilience: traits that act as controls
and curb the excesses of the drivers (especially if these are too high, undirected or misdirected)
the enablers - sensitivity, influence and self-awareness: traits facilitating performance and success.

2. Emotional intelligence at work

Many people have a tendency to think that we should try to ignore our emotional responses at work,
especially if they are extreme or negative, but EI involves recognizing and understanding our emotions.
When very strong emotions like anger, joy, fear, frustration, pleasure or anxiety are experienced, the
human brain is programmed to respond instinctively. The response triggered is physical as well as
emotional and includes heightened blood pressure and increased hormonal levels that, in primitive terms,
prime us for immediate action of some sort - to fight in self-defence, jump for joy, shout, or run away, for
example. At work, however, and in most modern contexts, such instinctive physical or verbal responses
are normally considered inappropriate, and may lead individuals to say or do things they later regret.

Individuals with substantial emotional intelligence recognise the emotions and physical reactions they are
experiencing, and are able to take a step back from their own feelings, reflect on the situation, and
consider possible responses to it, and the resulting potential outcomes. They are also able to recognise
others' emotions, appreciate their potential state of physical arousal, and (hopefully) help them to avoid
impulsive, negative reactions such as losing their temper or storming out of a difficult meeting.

3. Consider how EI applies to your role at work

Some particular management competencies depend strongly upon EI. For example, to manage
successfully, we usually need to be able to:

manage ourselves and not vent any frustration we feel on colleagues or team members(self-
regulation and constrainers)
be self-aware and recognise our real, rather than perceived, strengths and weaknesses
regularly seek feedback from others on our behaviour and actions and reflect on this
recognise that we all change over time, and our work motivations and relationships will change, too
motivate others as well as ourselves
counsel or coach others within the organisation (social skills, enablers)
encourage others, and offer advice (social skills, enablers)
develop good working relationships (empathy and enablers).

It should not be assumed that a high score in every dimension of EI is achievable, or even desirable for
success in specific roles. For example, the role of a line manager in a healthcare environment will require
a very different approach and competencies from that needed by a battlefield team leader.
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It is also important to be aware that EI can be used to manipulate people or exploit their vulnerabilities in
unethical ways. Therefore, take care to assess whether emotions are genuine or not.

4. Think about how to develop EI

If emotional intelligence is as important for leadership and management success as some theorists
suggest, i is worth considering how to develop these skills and abilities. However, there is a degree of
disagreement about whether it is possible to develop EI over time. EI involves an individual's ability to be
empathic and understand the perspectives of others, and while there is no empirical evidence for such a
thing as 'inborn' empathy from a research perspective, empathic abilities are usually developed early,
during a person's childhood and adolescence.

However, it is generally accepted in psychology that emotional skills undergo lifelong development, and
some training approaches in perspective-taking and empathy have been developed for adults and appear
to have had a certain degree of success. See, for example, the work of Robert Krauss, at Columbia
University, or the frequent use of empathy training in the re-socialisation of criminals. However, it must be
recognised, that changes in empathy as a result of adult training are most likely to be small incremental
steps over an extended period of time. While no fast-track training approach for EI is available, some
related aspects of EI, such as team building and motivation skills, can be developed.

Until more academically rigorous and tested assessment outcomes are agreed, it may be safest to
assume that, for the present, only some facets of EI can be learned or taught. Others, like adopting a
more understanding attitude, or building drive and determination, may be less open to supported
development, and depend on individual experience, maturation and willingness to change.

5. Assess and develop your own Emotional Intelligence

In the absence of an agreed, standard definition of EI, trainers and practitioners focus on varying ranges
of characteristics and adopt a range of differing assessment. Nevertheless, the varying tests for
measuring EI can be useful in raising people's awareness of the issues involved, and suggesting where
an individual's emotional strengths and weaknesses may lie.

EI tests usually take the form of questionnaires or psychometric testing, measuring competencies or
characteristics such as: emotional energy, stress, assertiveness, sociability, attitudes, decisiveness,
objective judgement, self-esteem, courage, tolerance and consideration for others. Some tests are wholly
web-based; others paper-based. An example of a very basic EI indicator is given at the end of this
checklist.

Potential Pitfalls
Managers should avoid:

assuming that they or others don't bring emotions to work - feelings can be hidden, but not dropped at
will
thinking that EI is not relevant to behaviour at work
assuming their own EI is confirmed, unchanging, and needs no further development

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thinking that there are 'wrong' or 'right' emotions - all emotions are useful indicators of climate and
motivation
failing to understand that emotions are highly context-dependent and are always the product of an
interaction and a specific situation
forgetting that different cultures have varying ideas about the appropriate expression of emotions
overlooking that there can be a 'dark side to EI as it can be used to exploit people's vulnerability for
unethical reasons.

Additional Resources

BOOKS
Developing your emotional intelligence: boost your professional performance by understanding
emotions, Maïlys Charlier and Carly Probert, Carly

Brussels: 50Minutes.com, 2016

The emotional intelligence activity kit: 50 easy and effective exercises for building EQ, Adele B Lynn and
Janele R Lynn

New York: AMACOM, 2015

What makes a leader? Why emotional intelligence matters Daniel Goleman

Florence, Massachusetts: More Than Sound, 2014

Leadership: the power of emotional intelligence: selected writings, Daniel Goleman

Northampton: More Than Sound, 2011

Emotional intelligence: the new rules, Rob Yeung

London: Marshall Cavendish, 2009

JOURNAL ARTICLES
The "big idea" that is yet to be: toward a more motivated, contextual, and dynamic model of emotional
intelligence, Oscar Ybarra, Ethan Kross and Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks

Academy of Management Perspectives. May 2014, vol 28 no 2, pp93-107

Improving emotional intelligence, Golnaz Sadri

Industrial Management, Jan/Feb 2013, vol 55 no 1, pp18-22

Primal leadership: the hidden driver of great performance, Daniel Goleman, Ricahrd Boyatzis, Annie
McKee

Harvard Business Review, December vol 79 no 11 , 2001 pp42-51

RELATED THINKERS

Daniel Goleman: emotional intelligence

INTERNET RESOURCES
The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations www.eiconsortium.org

The site offers a range of reports, best practice guidelines and details of inventories.

CMI PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

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This checklist has relevance for the following standards:

IE3.2 Building relationships

IE2.3 Motivation
PE1.2 Self awareness
IE3.6 Networking skills
PE1.5 Being resilient
IE1.6 Ensuring resilience

Revised January 2020

Emotional Intelligence Indicator

Please Note:this test has not been validated in any way, and is intended only to give a rudimentary illustration
of a few of the many characteristics that can make up the overall concept of EI and how they can be assessed
to provide indicators for development.

Mark x in the appropriate column: 1 2 3 4 5

Low …………… Medium …………… High

Self-awareness

You are aware of how you are Never Sometimes Always

perceived by others

You are aware that your moods can Never Sometimes Always
affect others for better or worse

You are confident of your abilities and Rarely Sometimes Always

feel that most people respect you

Emotional Resilience

You are determined to see things Not Usually Always

through to completion often

You are comfortable when you have to Never Usually Always

overrule others' firmly held views

You are easily depressed if things go Always Sometimes Never

wrong

Motivation

You always look for new challenges Never Sometimes Always

and to exceed existing targets

You always encourage your staff to do Never Sometimes Always

the same

You find it difficult to exercise self- Always Sometimes Never

discipline

Empathy

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You find it hard to be a good listener Always Sometimes Never

You take into account other people's Never Sometimes Always

concerns

You sense what other people are Never Sometimes Always

feeling without being told

Social Skills

You feel uneasy talking to large groupsAlways Sometimes Never

You are comfortable when meeting Never Sometimes Always

and dealing with new people

You always try to get people to work Never Sometimes Always

together, not against each other

Maximum score: 75 Your score: ___

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