Have you ever heard of an “EQ”? It stands for Emotional Intelligence, and it can be critical to your success.

EQ can be defined as: the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.

According to Nikki Karnowski of Metamorphosis Coaching, Consulting and Training, emotional intelligence accounts for 58-percent of performance in all types of jobs. Plus, For every point increase in EQ you can expect it to add about $1300 to an annual salary. 

There are four components that make up EQ: Self-Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness and 
Relationship Management.

• Self-Awareness: Understanding what you do well, what motivates and satisfies them and which people and what situations push their buttons.

• Self-Management: This is your ability to take that self-awareness of your emotions and being able to stay flexible to respond appropriately our emotional reactions to situations and people. ‘

• Social Awareness: It’s your ability to accurately pick up on the emotions of other people and to know what is really going on with them. 

• Relationship Management: This skill is often taps into our ability to use the other 3– Self-Awareness, Self-Management, and Social Awareness to manage interactions and relationships with others. 

Nikki says the following strategies can help boost your EQ.

• Stop treating feelings as good or bad. 
• Leaning into discomfort. 
• Stopping to ask yourself why you do the things you do. 
• Seeking feedback. 
• Knowing how you respond under stress. 
• Working on your sleep hygiene. 
• Greeting people by name. 
• Watching body language. 
• Catch the “mood of the room.” 
• Tackling tough conversations. 
• Understanding your natural communication style. 
• Remaining curious and open in situations.