Unlocking Success: 7 Tips to Boost Your Emotional Quotient (EQ)

While you might be good at technical skills, your success, as well as the business, depends on your emotional intelligence or EQ for short. Emotional intelligence is your ability to  identify and manage your own emotions; pick up on the emotions of others and manage them; and in so doing, build trust and grow influence.

"Emotional guide everything we do."

Daniel Goleman wrote in Emotional Intelligence asserting that emotional intelligence is a far stronger predictor of success - in work, love and life - than traditional measures of intelligence, with 90% of leadership success being attributed to a high EQ. So, to be a team player and to build a good rapport with the business associates, it is crucial to have a good EI. Do women possess higher EQ when compared to men as building a career while being a woman may be tough. As decision makers, business or job can be pretty rough at times and pose unique challenges when you are a woman.

Here are a few tips that might improve the emotional quotient in women to build a successful career and business. Listen First. Then Talk. Most problems while building a solid career can be solved by simply listening more and talking less. While this may seem quite obvious, a well-thought practical application of this tip would help a woman in the long run. People feel valued when listened to and this leads to more productive feedback from them. Grievances can be lifted off their chests, which would make them appreciate you more as their leader or boss. This would improve the overall productivity of the business.

Show Empathy to Others. While hearing other's issues might be good, it may not soothe their mental state immediately. When coupled with showing empathy, the person would feel relieved to find someone who understands their issue. This improves morale and uplifts that person's work performance. This also has the added benefit that women can be relied upon to give a patient hearing to other's problems and make them feel better. Try Not to Interrupt Others. Staying with the conversation is a great skill that one could possess. Interrupting someone while they are speaking might make them think their ideas are not considered and valued.

This can lead to trust issues with co-workers or even people in general. Show Respect to Everyone. Instead of giving commands or telling others to do something, it would be in the best interest to ask instead. This makes them feel respected. This induces the need to show mutual respect as well, which would make others answer in a positive way. It is Okay to be Vulnerable. Being a strong woman leader need not necessarily mean being Wonder Woman. Instead, showing vulnerability can have the reverse effect. Instead of blind worship, others can understand that their leader needs them as much as they need their leader.

Learn to Apologise for Mistakes. Apologising to people is one of the most difficult things to do. But nothing helps build rapport faster than owning up to mistakes and making up for them. Apologising can also lead to the portrayal of truthfulness, which would help a woman to run a business successfully in the long run. Respond to Actions Instead of Reacting. Look before you leap is a saying that can be used in multiple situations. An emotional trigger is a reaction which can be quite unpredictable at times. Responding to situations instead of going into a panicking reaction is always a better option as one can notice how the other person is feeling you can then take a conscious decision to respond as needed.

These short and sweet tips can help anyone, especially women, to improve their career or to grow a business in the long run.