Is Emotional Intelligence still relevant in the 21st century?

With the rapid progress in artificial intelligence and machine learning, many people are wondering if emotional intelligence (EQ) is still relevant in the 21^st century. Well, I would say a resounding YES. Emotional intelligence is the one factor which differentiates humans from machines. Though some machines can read the emotions of humans, they may still not have the intuition to be able to deal with the emotion well. This could lead to them causing more harm than good to the human that the machine is interacting with.

But before we get further into the discussion let us look at what emotional intelligence is. According to the online Oxford Dictionary, emotional intelligence is defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” Through this definition we can divide emotional intelligence into four areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management.

We need to master emotional intelligence to assist us in being better citizens of the planet and also so we can keep our edge in our careers. With machines being able to do technical aspects of a job more accurately and precisely, the job market is losing a substantial amount of jobs. People will need to work on their knowledge and emotional intelligence to be able to excel in their jobs and be ready for new jobs that become available.

Here are six steps which can help you to improve your emotional intelligence.

1. Watch how you react to others. You need to take an honest of view of how you think and react to others. Are you open to consider others views or perspectives? What biases do you believe?
2. Have humility. Being humble does not mean you lack self-confidence or are shy but rather that you don’t always need the glory. You know what you did and you are quietly confident about it.
3. Do a self-evaluation. An important question to ask yourself is are you willing to work towards being a better you. You will need to take a look at yourself objectively and work on the weaknesses that you have.
4. Check how you react to stress. By learning to stay calm in tough situations, you will improve your relationships both personally and in business.
5. Be responsible. Nowadays, people often like to blame others for their failings. It is important to acknowledge your actions and the consequences that they have had.
6. Look at how your responses affect others. When you do take action, try to look at it from the recipient’s viewpoint. When you have assessed this, then you need to acknowledge the affect your actions had on the person and how you can help them deal with it.

By going through these six steps you will be well on your way to improving your EQ and making yourself more in tune to what is going on in the world.

In conclusion, it can be said that in the 21^st century emotional intelligence is still a critical skill for everyone to have. It can ensure that you continue to have relevance in the workplace and that we behave well towards our fellow citizens of the world.

Book one of our training programmes today for great advice and tips on emotional intelligence.