What are the benefits of Emotional Intelligence?

So if you read my last blog you are aware of what EI is, but why is it so important? Why are organisation leaders being coached on the subject?

Well, according to a Harvard study in 2000 by Psychologist Daniel Goleman, it is the single biggest predictor of high performance, in fact, 90% of the top performers studied had a high levels of Emotional Intelligence, and it is twice as important as academic or technical knowledge.

The higher the level of self-awareness, the more creative and confident we are. We are better at making decisions, better at understanding our own emotions, feelings and mood states, as well as those of other people. This enables better conflict management, communication and team building.

Furthermore, people with high EI are more productive than those with low EI (up to 10 times in some studies). It can reduce stress (remember 70% of people do not handle conflict or stress effectively) and increases people’s ability to understand emotions as they happen (only 36% of people can do this).

However, as you climb the career ladder, confidence may increase but often the ability to self-check decreases. At the top leaders are often less likely to get feedback from people they manage. Alarmingly 80% of people think they are self aware, whereas only 15% actually are. This can lead to a ‘I know better attitude’.

What is encouraging is that Emotional Intelligence can be improved, I see it time and time again with my clients. Coaching in an incredible tool to help ‘hold up the mirror’ and see a truer version of ourselves. Watch out for my next blog post about how to improve your Emotional Intelligence.