How many people really understand the phrase, emotional intelligence? Most are familiar with the words in separate respects. This type of intelligence embodies the understanding one has of the unique individuals around him– one’s comprehension of relationships. Employers and those in leadership roles often use an emotional intelligence test for enhancing the work environment, and not only for those in executive and managerial positions.
In the succeeding information readers will learn how the emotional intelligence test causes positive influence to trickle-down in the work place, creating a more efficient environment for managerial staff and lower-ranking employees alike.
What Is the Emotional Intelligence Test?
It is most frequently done by administering a series of questions to participating individuals. The emotional intelligence test draws conclusions from the participant’s self-perception. An influential professor that taught psychology at Columbia University in the early 1900’s referred to this testing as:
The ability to understand and manage men and women, boys and girls, to act wisely in human relations.
Unlike natural human emotion, considered to be focused on one single individual’s interaction with the external world or within the internal self, emotional intelligence must be considered in terms of the greater good. The emotional intelligence test poses questions based on a set of five major categories to measure this understanding. This set of characteristics– self-awareness, management of emotions, self-motivation, empathy, and handling relationships– examines traits of these features in order to analyze social competence on a singular level, eventually affecting the whole.
Who Uses the Emotional Intelligence Test
Emotional intelligence is defined by understanding and influencing positive social interaction. So this concept is heavily accepted by and usually beneficial for those in leadership roles. Business executives, organization heads, managers, human resources coordinators, and many more benefit from taking an emotional intelligence test as well as contribute to the work environment.
A place which values understanding of its employees values mutually satisfying relationships among colleagues, thus boosting morale. The human resources department directly influences an efficient leadership staff. Also, an efficient leadership staff directly influences organizational climate. Last but not least, an efficient organization climate directly influences efficient human resources. The cycle is infinite and continuous.
Ways in Which an Emotional Intelligence Test Can Help Your Business
From the publication Talent Development, the article What it takes to Achieve Managerial Success, discusses the benefit of emotional intelligence when used in the workplace and how the emotional intelligence test can be useful to the community.
Author Daniel Goleman notes that when identifying successful leaders, eighty to ninety percent of the expertise they possess most often does not have a foundation in emotional intelligence. This is because the specific skills that fall into the subsets of emotional intelligence all pertain to positive interactions to, and reactions with, many workplace factors. If asked to think of one well-known revolutionary leader, that person would more than likely adhere to guidelines of emotional intelligence such as being motivated, persuasive, confident, or empathetic.
The Emotional Intelligence test is useful for those in managerial or executive positions in that it assesses the perception of self. It helps identifying areas of emotional intelligence in which one is lacking or in which they excel. Leaders with poor emotional intelligence fall short of the ability to read social cues and predict their coworkers’ responses. They can come off to colleagues as confrontational, brusque, or insensitive. Identifying these abilities (or the lack thereof) makes it possible to track and improve one’s emotional cognizance.
4 Tips on How to Really Benefit from Emotional Intelligence Testing
1. The Participant Must Be Entirely Honest in Self-Reflection
When answering the questionnaire, it is important to give the unbiased review of one’s usual tendencies during interactions with others.
This is because it determines the score on the test. The higher or lower an individual scores, is a direct reflection of that individual’s emotion intelligence (EQ). Being honest and scoring accurately will give one the greatest chance at improving their EQ, thus better contributing to their work environment.
2. The Individual Begins to Reflect on Daily Encounters with Others
Drawing insight from either negative or positive reactions with colleagues in the work place will help to identify areas where one may excel. It can also emphasize where one might need improvement.
This reflection is a good way to begin to notice one’s effective and non-effective behaviors. Furthermore, it is a way to learn to practice predicting how others respond in conversation or even in disagreement.
3. Noticing Another’s Behavior, and Adapting One’s Own
There are some work places where emotional intelligence testing was done to improve leadership. Executives may also have been given a mentor, or the option to choose one.
By observing another individual that displays examples of high emotional intelligence, the person under-wing then begins to internalize and emulate the behaviors demonstrated. Examples:
- Being respectful when criticizing;
- Disapproving without harming a relationship.
4. The Individual Is Devoted
The one true way to really benefit from the emotional intelligence test is be dogged in learning. The next step is adapting accordingly to make changes in one’s daily involvements with others.
The aspiration to create an encouraging, harmonious environment drives the morale of not only the leader in training. But in the overall attitude of the environment, in order to influence maximum success.
Wrapping It Up
The use of emotional intelligence tests can without a doubt be an advantage when applying the scores to one’s self improvement in the workplace. Using open honesty with self and working passionately to heighten one’s emotional intelligence quota has been proven to be a recipe for successful leadership.
By consistent emotional intelligence training and understanding of the results of an emotional intelligence test, a leader can unlock their maximum potential. This leads to positive interactions and cooperation between colleagues to transpire. So overall leading your organization to have more efficient staff and interactions.
The images are from depositphotos.com.