Having low emotional intelligence (EI), is an issue that can have a significant influence on your work and social relationships. Some experts even believe that emotional intelligence has more of an impact on your chances of overall success in life when compared to one’s IQ.
Your emotional intelligence can play a significant role in how you interact with others, and with low emotional intelligence, you might find work and social situations difficult and full of tension. As a leader, building and sustaining relationships is vital, both with your team as well as those in-and-outside the organization.
But how do you know if you are emotionally intelligent or not? Here are some of the top signs that might suggest you have low emotional intelligence.
Getting in a Lot of Arguments
You probably know someone who is incredibly combative with others, or you might be the one who tends to get into arguments with others. Family, friends, colleagues, and even random strangers might find themselves embroiled continuously in disputes with these argumentative people.
Since people with low emotional intelligence tend to struggle with understanding other’s emotions, they find themselves arguing without considering the feelings of others. Feeling stress and pressure from work or home demands will lessen your EI.
Not Understanding How Others Feel
People that have low emotional intelligence are often oblivious to the feelings of others. They simply don’t get that someone might be angry or irritated with them. Not only that, but they tend to feel annoyed that others expect them to know how they are feeling. Low EI means low empathy.
Believing Others Are Overly Sensitive
People who have low emotional intelligence might tell jokes at inappropriate times or say something where they’re ‘only kidding’ and become offended when someone calls them out.
When others react to these out-of-line jokes, those with low emotional intelligence might feel that others are being too sensitive. People with low
EQ find it challenging to understand the emotions of others, which makes it difficult for them to interpret the emotional tone after a conflict or traumatic event.
Refusing to Consider Other Points of View
Individuals with low EQ feel that they are right and will defend their position while refusing to listen to what others have to say. This is particularly true when others are critical of how the person doesn’t understand what others are feeling.
Low EQ individuals are often pessimistic and overly critical of the feelings of others, such as their boss or coworkers.
Blame Others for Your Mistakes
Individuals who have low emotional intelligence have very little insight into how their own emotions might lead to issues.
When things start to go wrong in their lives, their first instinct is to blame others for their problems. They might suggest that they didn’t have a choice for what they did and that others simply don’t understand their situation.
Low emotional intelligence can wreak havoc in not only your life, both in your personal and professional life, but the also lives of others. If any of the above categories sound familiar to you, it might be time for you to work on improving your emotional intelligence.
“Emotional Intelligence is the single most important influencing variable in personal achievement, career success, leadership, and life satisfaction.” Darwin Nelson & Gary Low, 2011)
If you want to enhance your emotional intelligence, reach out to learn more. Don’t delay – take action today!