Emotional intelligence may be
defined as the ability or the
skill to effectively understand and control the feelings of
oneself, others or the groups an individual deals with. The term is
a combination of two words: emotions and
intelligence. Emotions are associated with the mood, temperament,
dispositions and motivation of an individual. The English word `emotion'
has been derived from the French word `émouvoir' which is based on
the Latin word `emovere', where `e' means out and `movere'
means move, which in turn means moving out of feelings. Intelligence
is generally associated with the brain or intellect, and is the ability of
an individual to solve problems, understand things, and get
involved in a process of logical thinking.
Why emotional intelligence? Human beings who are
social animals deal with people, every time, everywhere, whether it be
their personal or professional lives. It is easier to work with
machines because there is a definite mechanism to operate them, but
the case is not the same with human beings. Men and
women—each individual is unique—with
different thoughts, perceptions, ways of working and understanding. No
two individuals are the same. Again they cannot be expected to work
like machines, because these individuals have emotions and feelings,
and hence they are to be treated in the best way to utilize their
skills effectively for the well-being of the organization. Also, the way
we interact with friends and family members, and the way we
are expected to behave with our colleagues, subordinates, peers,
boss, clients and other stakeholders are different. There should be a line
of demarcation between the two, and also between the various groups
we are dealing with. Herein lies the importance of
understanding emotional intelligence to effectively deal with people
of different classes and different groups with varied nature. |
