Emotional Intelligence Can Make or Break Your Career

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) may just make or break your career. You earned that prestigious MBA, sowed the deals, and mastered your job but did you master yourself? If your not sure you may want to take a look at your emotional talent to see if it can take you to the next level of performance. 

Having the right skills is important but may not be the deciding factor in long term success. It is an ability to handle the day-in and day-out emotional aspects of work and life. This is not easy as multiple pressures and issues seem to attract and distract our attention raising stress levels.

That isn't always easy as life is messy and comes with many ups and downs. The extent of our peaks and valleys and how we deal with them defines our emotional resilience. At times we are better than at others. There may be a few days that we feel like we are at our brink.

Emotional intelligence influences our ability to interact effectively with others and understand the origins of our emotions. Work is naturally stressful and the barrage of other peoples needs and issues mixed with a fast paced environment can be overwhelming to most.

Emotional intelligence is a decisive factor in career success. In a complex global business environment emotional intelligence is needed among managers that work at multinational companies. Where emotional intelligence is lacking, or unable to be developed, is a hole the skill battery of an organization.

Organizations often focus on the hard and easily measured skills that are based in results or job function. They ignore those soft skills that require something more subtle out of people. Winning at all costs without being able to develop quality relationships can be disasterous to turn over rates in the future.

Emotional intelligence is so important it can even be used as a predictor of the ability to communicate with others domestically and internationally (Fall, et. al. 2013). According to their work emotionality, sociability, and self-control make their way into higher emotional intelligence.

People that score low on emotional intelligence are also unlikely to be able to understand the nuances of international relationships. They are limited by their own perception and ability to control their emotions. People of different cultural backgrounds often look for these cues to determine intention.

The same process occurs within the same culture as it does internationally. The use of verbal and non-verbal expressions creates the total message. In international relationships the subtle nature of these impressions can change the dynamics of the relationship.

Emotional intelligence can be developed and enhanced through practice and persistence. Taking a few moments to analyze a situation critically before responding can do wonders. At times emotions can be more of a knee jerk response. If you do happen to master emotional intelligence and match your business skills to it you will have an unbeatable combination.

Fall, et. al. (2013). Intercultural communication apprehension and emotional intelligence in higher education: preparing business students for career success. Business Communication Quarterly, 76 (4).