Most of us are not new to the concept of Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and we base a lot of our professional judgments about others based on how intelligent they appear to be. On our report cards and resumes, we are quick to state our achievements when it comes to proving our intelligence. Tests, exams and other ways of gauging our intelligent have been used for many years and these are the results we use to prove how good we are. But does that say all there is to say about our intelligence? Where does the emotional side of us come in? And how important is that part?

For the past few years a lot of people, especially those in the corporate world, have been giving a lot of importance to the emotional intelligence of those working in their organization. In fact, some might even go as far as saying that EQ (emotional quotient) holds more importance than IQ. No matter what position you might hold at an organization today, your emotional intelligence plays a big part in how you conduct yourself and perform at your workplace.

Those who have studied the role of emotional intelligence at a workplace claim that it holds much more importance than most people realize. In fact, your emotional intelligence can determine such factors as how you approach your job and colleagues, how well you do your job and even what kind of promotions you manage to get. And the best part is that all this is not something that is impossible to achieve, you only need to know how to boost your emotional intelligence and apply it to reality.

It is not unheard of information that people like be around optimistic people. Most people like people who are warm, friendly and approach things with a positive attitude. And when such a person appears at a workplace, more often than not, people enjoy working with that person. Not only that, positivism can rub off on others and if you are enthusiastic about your workplace and your task at hand, that passion will definitely be felt by those around you.

Be aware of the fact that people’s like or dislike towards you can greatly be shaped by how you make someone feel. If you take a minute to think about someone who you do not particularly enjoy being with at the workplace, you might find that the dislike might come out of, not so much his or her aptitudes (or lack of it), but more because of how that person makes you feel.

For years we have not taken into consideration our emotions when it comes to our workplace. In fact, so many professionals are firm believers in not bring emotions to the workplace. But is that humanly possible? Not really, when you consider the fact that we are first emotional beings and then intellectual begins. Bringing in optimism, energy, happiness and humor to a workplace is all part of bringing your emotions to the workplace and all these are qualities that foster a healthy and motivating work environment.

All this does not mean that you have to constantly be gregarious or mirthful, but just that you should be pleasant to work with and work well alone and with others. Self-awareness, empathy, social skills and motivation are all qualities that are highly regarded in an employee and, coupled with technical skills, can lead to great success in the workplace.

Gone are the days when worker’s intellect and technical skills were the only factors that were taken into consideration. There is a lot that emotional intelligence can achieve for you, within and outside of the workplace. Boosting your emotional intelligence is a must for those who are serious about finding success.