You may be highly intellectual and technically excel at work, but if you can’t understand what motivates your team members or collaborate with others, these skills get overlooked. This is often the reason why highly intelligent individuals miserably fail when promoted to leadership positions.

Over the years Emotional Intelligence—also known as EQ—has turned into a must-have skill for leadership development and relationship management. EQ is the ability to understand one’s own emotions as well as recognize and manage the emotions of others.

Emotionally intelligent leaders better relate to others, stay calm under pressure and resolve conflicts astutely. Executives with high EQ shrewdly employ social skills during networking events to build connections with others. As a leader of E-Movers Group and the National Director of a premiere networking forum – CorporateConnections, I outline the key components of emotional intelligence.

Self-awareness

A fundamental element of EQ, self-awareness is the ability to know yourself better by weighing your strengths and weaknesses, and understand your values, goals, and motivations. When you understand and value yourself, you are able to understand and better relate to others. This in turn evokes reciprocation and cooperation from others for having felt understood.

Self-regulation

Self-regulated leaders control their impulses and never make decisions based on emotions. They always think before speaking and maintain a high-level of self-control in all social dealings. Additionally, they are experts at managing stress which is an essential quality in fast-paced environments.

Empathy

Empathetic leaders can sense and feel the emotions of others and are adept at handling people according to their reactions. Capable of evaluating a situation from others’ point of view and de-escalating issues, they make people feel comfortable around them and earn their trust.

Motivation

Emotionally intelligent leaders are born with a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence. They work for reasons that go beyond money or status, nurturing their passion and interests. With an optimistic mindset, they see obstacles as opportunities and this motivation rubs off their teams to achieve more.

Social skills

No leader works on an island and that’s why social skills are considered a key leadership capability. And in these fluid times, you’d never know how people you’re getting to know today may be of help to you someday. Leaders with good social skills have an uncanny ability to find common ground and build rapport with others. Their proficiency in kindling relationships and forging bonds help them widen their networks.

Now that you understand EQ, its components certainly serve as a guidepost in your efforts to connect and motivate others. By sharpening your EQ you can turn into a great leader or effective networker and build up your ability to influence and win across all your relationships.