Emotional Intelligence for the Post Corona world

These are interesting times. 2020 has been a time of major self reflection and life changes for many. This is normal when it comes to disruption in the wake of life. After numerous discussions with doctors, friends, and mentors the conclusion I can make is this, there is no way we can live in a post COVID-19 world unless we change what we value as a species.  IQ has always been the benchmark for success. This is a fallacy, the science now more than ever supports that the best employees, bosses and partners need a healthy sense of EQ (emotional intelligence) . This is why:-

Self Awareness:- Self awareness is truly paying attention to knowing yourself. We are only taught abut the external world, however the greatest asset we have is knowing who we are as individuals. Cultivating a sense of awareness about yourself no matter how dark and sharp the edges might be is totally worth it.

Empathy:- This is not just a buzzword, it is a natural sense we all have as mammals. It helps us relate to each  other and maintain a sense of community. Without empathy we have very little connection with another. This one aspect can be cultivated by understanding,   the need for how life is precious and those in our lives need to be shown a sense of understanding.  Empathy is the secret sauce for navigating any social network.

Self Regulation:We are taught how to drive, workout, speak, write etc. but we are not managed to manage our emotions. This is the great void in the education system as we know it in a conventional sense. A part of EQ is knowing how to relegate times of anger, grief and stress. Dealing with them healthily and responding in away that does not cost us more than we can bear. Self regulation is essential to navigate the real world , especially since Covid-19 has made it painfully obvious how vulnerable we are.

Motivation:- An overused word in corporations and self help forums, this aspect although over mentioned is not overacted, knowing the why is really important when it comes to a humans emotional wellbeing. What drives us and how driven we are determines our narrative in a large way and our lives are greatly impacted by the reasons we do what we do. Getting to know what drives us and staying true to the healthy parts of this and having a plan of execution is essential to live a fulfilling life and adapt in a time of uncertainty, adaptability  is heightened if we know what motivates us and staying driven for the cause.

Social skills:- We are social animals, no way around it. We need each other in many ways. It enriches our lives when we have healthy relationships and makes us feel unsafe when we have toxic ones. Other people are essential to our wellbeing, so knowing how to adopt the above 4 aspects will greatly impact our quality of social navigation. It would  help us if we  figure out how we can be more socially aware in a nurturing way so that the people in our lives are able to bring their best selves forward whilst we maintain a sense of authenticity when we show up for them in life.

The above 5 factors are the foundation of emotional intelligence. Never forget how important it is to pay attention to this type of intelligence. It is often overlooked and pushed aside. This is a fundamental skill to cultivate as this is what makes us essentially human. Robots operate on a level of IQ the lack  of which is true emotional features.  We must give priority to this intelligence as the world cannot survive a wave of global crisis without it.