Role of EI for Managers

In the last byte, we looked at some statistics about managers and their failure to handle different demands of their career. If we closely look at the statistics again, we can point these to the lack of human skills. In this byte, we discuss the role played by emotional intelligence(EI). 

Recollect, we had discussed briefly about emotional intelligence earlier and highlighted the role it plays in conflict management. For ease of recollection here are some of the attributes of emotional intelligence one could think of: self-awareness, self-control, trustworthiness, confidence, empathy etc. 

As one moves up the career ladder, emotional intelligence becomes more valuable for managers. Employers look for emotional intelligence in their hiring processes - these may not be consciously always. Even during internships, it was found that the companies where willing to offer long term employments to the interns who had demonstrated higher levels of EI. 

Large corporate have identified the role EI plays and have consciously included EI assessment as part of their hiring process. This has not just let to improved performance in the traditional measures of their role's impact but also reduced the turnovers - that is a good investment in the long term for the company!

There is good news for those are thinking if they can develop their EI - yes! EI could be developed and also has been found to improve throughout life.