Bold in Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Welcome to The Bold Brief—

You are a member of this community of top-notch expert nurses and healthcare professionals who aspire to be “bold” in career and life. We want to be bold in our life’s purpose and bold in life and career choices to live with authenticity, balance, and meaningful challenge.

So, bold in emotional intelligence.

Understanding Your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a complex mental ability used to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions, as well as to recognize, understand, and influence the emotions of others. So, EI requires a complete set of skills, generally considered to be: (a) self-awareness, (b) self-management, (c) social awareness; and (d) relationship management.¹

With development and growth, your EI can engage your emotions, thoughts, learning processes, problem-solving abilities, and decision-making skills in both life and career.¹  

The Evidence Underpinning Your EI

High EI is widely connected to successful, robust work and life outcomes. At work, EI is a factor shown to predict career success, independent of personality traits. ² Further, when considering job satisfaction, EI has been shown to be a significant predictor of success, even when personality traits and proactive personality were accounted for, suggesting that EI is a valuable factor in achieving career success. Most importantly, EI has been shown to be a predictor of individual salary thus having significant implications for employee selection and development programs.³

In life, research shows that high EI enhances social relationships in both children and adults, leading to better peer and family interactions and positive perceptions by others. ⁴ Additionally, high EI positively impacts family dynamics and intimate relationships, as well as academic success, all of which could be considered vital to happiness in life and career.

What this Evidence Means for Your Work and Life

1. Become aware of your emotions and motivations

2. Observe non-verbal cues in yourself and others

3. Consider your interactions with others

A Step-by-Step Guide to Enhance Your EI

Step 1: Develop Self-Awareness

Begin by identifying your emotions and the triggers behind them. Keep a journal to reflect on your emotional responses and the situations that provoke them. Reflect on your writings weekly and documents your observations as you become aware of your emotions and motivations.

Step 2: Channel Motivation

Channel your emotions towards achieving goals. Use your values as a guide to harness positive energy. Use positive affirmations and visualization techniques to stay motivated and build sustainable focus on long-term goals and achievements.

Step 3: Foster Self-Regulation

Begin a daily mindfulness practice; start with 1 to 3 minutes per day to focus on your breathing and observe your thoughts without judgment. Learn to control and redirect disruptive emotions and impulses; you can document these in your journal. Select a self-regulation technique this fits your style techniques such as mindfulness, deep breathing, or meditation to maintain your emotional equilibrium.

Step 4: Hone Empathy

Engage actively in listening and observing non-verbal cues in your interactions. Document your interactions and reflect on them weekly to improve your capacity to understand the feelings of others by putting yourself in their shoes.

Step 5: Build Social Skills

Be clear and concise verbal exchanges. Work on managing relationships more effectively by practicing clear communication, non-verbal communication skills, and learning conflict resolution techniques. Engaging in group activities or team sports can also enhance your social skills.

Why This Method Works

• Comprehensive Development: This approach covers all core components of emotional intelligence, from self-awareness to social skills. By focusing on each element sequentially, individuals can build a solid foundation in understanding and managing their own emotions, which is crucial for effectively handling interpersonal relationships.

• Practical Application: Each step includes actionable exercises like journaling, mindfulness, and active listening that can be incorporated into daily routines. These practical techniques make the abstract concept of emotional intelligence tangible and applicable in everyday situations, from the workplace to personal relationships.

• Enhanced Interaction Dynamics: Improving emotional intelligence naturally enhances how individuals interact with others. Better empathy and social skills lead to more effective communication and conflict resolution, key components in successful personal and professional relationships.

Ready to read a great book on EI? Try The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence: A Journey to Personal and Professional Success. Link

Conclusion

Embracing emotional intelligence is essential for anyone looking to lead a more connected life with richer relationships. Begin today by recognizing and managing your emotions. Then, watch as your work and personal relationships transform.

The bold career and life that you desire is not just a dream—it's within your reach. Let's make it a reality together.

P.S. If you want to learn from me on a daily basis, come connect with me on LinkedIn or in my Facebook Community.

Remember that this is a dedicated space for you, the nurses at the bedside and beyond, the committed healthcare professionals ready to explore transformative career paths beyond traditional roles. Every week, we'll dig into evidence-based strategies, insights, and stories designed to empower you to take bold steps toward a fulfilling career and life outside the hospital setting.

1  New Layered Model on Emotional Intelligence. Link

2  The Contribution of Emotional Intelligence to Career Success: Beyond Personality Traits. Link

3  Could Emotional Intelligence Ability Predict Salary? A Cross-Sectional Study in a Multioccupational Sample. Link

4  The relationship between emotional intelligence and happiness in medical students. Link