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We all know that Academic Aptitude is a measure of Intellectual Intelligence. But Emotional Intelligence is used to measure one’s social skills.   

Hence, Emotional Intelligence or quotient (EQ) is the ability to understand, use and manage one’s emotions. It could also be referred to as being people smart… It is a part of the human mind that can be developed and improved upon by learning and practicing new skills. Some people naturally have good EQ skills, but others may need to work on them.

 Developing Emotional Intelligence can:

1. help to build and maintain strong friendships
2. make informed decisions
3. deal with difficult situations
4. help turn intentions into actions

Understanding and getting along with people is a useful skill that applies in almost any area of life.

Improving Your EQ

According to Daniel Goleman to improve one’s Emotional Quotient, there are five personal skills one must develop which are;

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-regulation
3. Social Skill
4. Empathy
5. Motivation

Skill one: Self-awareness  

Put simply, self-awareness is understanding your emotions and how they affect your actions and interpersonal relationships with others.

To master this skill, you must be able to monitor your emotions, recognize your emotional reactions to certain situations. Understand the relationship between how you feel and behave, know your strengths, limitations, have a good sense of humor, and be confident in yourself.

Skill two: Self-Regulation

This is being able to express your emotions appropriately. To be proficient at regulating one’s emotions you need to be flexible and adaptable. Self-Regulation also involves being able to manage conflict and diffuse tense and difficult situations.

Skill Three: Social skills

Developing social skills is important for connecting with others, to handle and affect other people’s emotions effectively.

Strong social skills allow for meaningful relationships with others. These social skills include active listening, verbal communication, non-verbal communication, and persuasiveness.

Skill Four: Empathy

Emotional Empathy is literally feeling what the other person is feeling. To build on this skill, you respect the feelings of others even when you don’t agree with them, do not belittle or make judgmental comments instead use questions to know how they feel.

Skill Five: Motivation

Motivation is having the drive to achieve a goal; it includes taking initiative, being committed, and being persistent. To stay motivated, set clear achievable goals, do not compare yourself to others, be determined not to give up, and be positive.

Only those who understand and regulate their emotions are able to work effectively with others. So, understand your own emotions, manage them appropriately, use them to achieve your goals; by doing this you will understand the emotions of others and influence them positively.

Emotional intelligence helps you work in a team. Read how to build a winning team.

Effective leadership cannot be overemphasized when it comes to success especially within a team. Of the many roles of a leader, building a winning team is one of the most important. We all agree that a leader cannot succeed without the cooperation of teammates. But then, why is team building important?

Team building…

1. makes for more open communication,
2. increases productivity,
3. encourages collaboration and builds trust and respect among teammates.

Team building also helps a workforce get on the same page, work together, and increase their motivation to complete tasks promptly.

Seven C’S to building a winning team

Coaching: seeks to create an environment that has everything a team needs for great teamwork: trust, honesty, and healthy discussions to navigate through existing conflict, mutual commitment to decisions and plans, accountability, and a collective focus on results.

Character: a leader aims to encourage good morals among teammates, as this will yield admirable traits such as honesty, responsibility, and courage.

Communication: effective communication within a team will build a common purpose among team members that will allow them to reach their goals. Strong group communication will create understanding, and that understanding will forge strong relationships within a team.

Commitment: A shared vision uplifts a team’s aspirations. It gives a higher purpose to work. It creates a sense of immersion, excitement, and passion. Commitment also matters because it fosters reliability. Reliability is one of the four behaviors that build trust within a team.

Contagious Energy: a team leader needs to beam with Positive energy (positive vibes). This is because whatever a leader thinks and feels projects on the team and has an impact on them. That’s why positivity is not just about you. It’s about everyone around you!!!

Caring: when team members feel cared for and especially by their team leader they tend to reciprocate, become more invested, and also care more.

Consistency: The value of consistency is that people know what to expect and so can act accordingly. Within a team, consistency equals reliability.

Remember,

“The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team.” Phil Jackson

To learn more about being a successful leader and other personal development skills, we encourage you to join this year’s Youth Lead Virtual Fellowship 2021.

Sign up and Register at bit.ly/YLEAD21

We live in an innovative age, and sharpening one’s digital skills is Key to success. Learning new virtual skills can help become a social entrepreneur, grow your resume, and of course, have fun. Here are some digital skills you must learn;

Copywriting

Copywriting is the art of writing texts for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. It is aimed at increasing awareness of a brand, products, web pages, ads, and promotional materials. For every good website, a skilled copywriter is needed.  Most businesses enlist the service of a Copywriter who can work remotely. Copywriters use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) which requires lots of skills, which comes with mouthwatering rewards especially with the use of social media.

Web Design and Maintenance

Web design also called ‘Web Development’ is the process of creating websites. It is lucrative and requires a lot of skills like webpage layout, content creation, and graphic designs. Web designing is an exciting career for a creative mind. The Web Design Industry is constantly progressing, it, therefore, requires that websites be updated periodically. A web designer sure wouldn’t run out of jobs.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is advertising through online or digital channels such as social media and search engines. According to milkwhale.com, ‘96% of adults use social media every day, the online market is a massive place to use to one’s advantage. Digital Marketing is a skill that is highly sought over other forms of marketing due to its wider audience reach. 

Find any appealing? Learn and be proficient in at least one of the skills, It will sure give you an edge wherever you go.

Wondering where to acquire these skills?  Join the YLEAD virtual fellowship 2021. Learn these and many more skills to add to your cache of knowledge.

Sign up and Register at bit.ly/YLEAD21