Originated in 1990 by psychology professors John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey, emotional intelligence refers to the “ability to accurately perceive your own and others’ emotions; to understand the signals that emotions send about relationships; and to manage your own and others’ emotions.”
A few years later, psychologist Daniel Goleman published Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. He connects emotional intelligence to success in all areas of one’s life, including academic, social, professional and personal relationships. He also connects emotional intelligence with leadership and provides a framework of five items that encompass emotional intelligence.
The online Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Leadership and Professional Studies program from William Paterson University (WP) can help professionals develop leadership, communication and interpersonal skills to become effective and emotionally intelligent leaders in any industry.
The Components of Emotional Intelligence
Understanding and managing your emotions and feelings, as well as those of others around you, is a significant part of emotional intelligence. Those in leadership positions can facilitate equality, self-awareness and fairness in the workplace and beyond.
Here are the five components of emotional intelligence and how they impact the way leaders interact with those around them:
- Self-awareness is all about recognizing your own emotions and understanding how they affect you and others. Those in leadership positions can greatly influence a team’s mood and performance. When a manager is in a bad mood and doesn’t have self-awareness, they can affect the team’s productivity and cause increased stress levels and reduced motivation. When leaders monitor their own emotions and understand how they make others feel, they can understand the relationship between their emotions and their actions.
- Self-regulation is the ability to regulate emotions in stressful situations. Automatically reacting can create an emotionally charged environment with impulse-driven reactions. Leaders who learn to self-regulate their feelings can remain calm in adversity.
- Motivating and encouraging yourself to find the good in a bad day is critical. Leaders with emotional intelligence have a passion for meeting personal and relationship goals and are not simply motivated by money, recognition or fame.
- Empathy and relating to others’ feelings and emotions help diffuse bias. Being in tune with the emotional vocabulary of others helps leaders empathize and improve the quality of their relationships.
- Social skills and interacting with others, building a strong rapport, using active listening and understanding non-verbal communication are important social skills every leader should have. Developing a solid connection with co-workers and employees can increase productivity, loyalty and communication.
How William Paterson University Can Help You Become an Influential Leader
Leaders set the stage for an organization and can influence motivation and commitment. By learning and practicing the elements of emotional intelligence, potential leaders can understand their role in influencing employees.
WP’s online B.A. in Leadership and Professional Studies program can prepare graduates to become influential leaders across varying industries. This program provides learners with knowledge and experience with topics such as leadership skills, team building, negotiation strategies, and ethical and practical issues facing contemporary leaders. The curriculum supports the kind of development needed to become impactful workplace leaders.
The online curriculum focuses on expanding skills, knowledge and interpretation of specific leadership theories, professional issues, models, concepts and current issues and challenges. Students are encouraged to develop their own leadership styles and philosophies while learning strategies for effective communication, collaboration, self-awareness, diversity, research and leadership applications via experiential learning.
This leadership-focused degree integrates courses in psychology, economics, law and communication to prepare graduates to work as business managers, leadership coaches, human resources professionals, organizational trainers and more.
Learn more about William Paterson University’s online Bachelor of Arts in Leadership & Professional Studies program.
