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Section 9 – Working in Teams
This makes them invaluable on a team! Emotional and Social Intelligence
refers to competencies linked to self-awareness, self-management, social
awareness, and relationship management. These competencies enable
people to understand and manage their own emotions and the emotions of
others during social interactions. Psychologists agree that a person who is
aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and who works at improving their
social and emotional intelligence, is better prepared to influence and
impact others. Let’s take a look at ways to enhance your competencies
that will result in high social and emotional intelligence, namely: Self-
Awareness, Self-Management, Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills.
Self-Awareness.
Becoming more self-aware can be tricky since often
times
individuals do not recognize a lack of self-awareness in themselves. A
great way to start is to obtain feedback from other people. Ask them to list
your strengths and weaknesses. Compare results from multiple people and
look for trends and patterns. Try to see your behaviors from their points of
view. It is also helpful to keep a journal of your emotions. Write down details
about what happened that day, how you felt about it, and how you
handled it. After a month, look back to see if you can spot any trends or
types of situations that bother you or make you overreact. Reflect honestly
about why you are affected by certain situations.
The key is to look inward as opposed to focusing on external factors. For
example, you might find that every time you have a meeting with a
colleague, you end up in a bad mood. Rather than justifying your mood on
the fact that your colleague is self-centered, pushy, and monopolizes the
boss’s time, focus on how you react. Is it possible that you are subconsciously
annoyed that you don’t speak up more for yourself or that you are not
confident enough to share your ideas? Honest, internal reflection will help
you change the way you respond to interactions with others.
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