High Emotional Intelligence plays a critical role in how others perceive you as a leader. It means you have the ability to manage and understand emotions, and this can potentially affect your role in various ways and help create more meaningful connections with team members that could manifest in better performance. 

So how will you know if you are an emotionally intelligent person? Here are the 5 signs of high emotional intelligence you can watch out for –

1. You Always Think about Feelings  

The ability to think about feelings is one of the most inherent indicators of high emotional intelligence as this indicates that you can see the connections between people’s sentiments and the decisions they make. Emotionally intelligent people can identify emotions and feelings and understand their role in influencing the words, actions, and thoughts of a person. 

2. You Respond Well to Criticisms 

People with high emotional intelligence respond well to criticisms and reflect on their emotions and other people’s emotions as well. For them, constructive criticism serves as a chance to learn and grow and shouldn’t be taken too personally. A person with high emotional intelligence listens and takes on feedback, realizing that people have their own opinions and use this as a chance for development. 

3. You Know How to Pause 

An emotionally intelligent person knows that emotions are only fleeting and that making impulsive decisions can often lead to regrets. This is why they know how to pause and think before they speak or act, particularly when they are amidst an emotionally charged situation. It means that they make sure that they don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions alone. 

4. You Take Situations as Challenges 

If you can recognize your negative emotions and consider difficult moments as a mere challenge and you persevere and focus on the positives, it means that you are a highly emotional intelligent person. For example, an emotionally intelligent person who loses his job might see it as a chance to take action for dealing with the challenge and controlling their feelings and thoughts. 

5. You are Empathetic 

Finally, EQ high goes way beyond being able to understand your personal emotions. High emotional intelligence is all about recognizing what other people are also going through. The ability to see the signs of different feelings such as anger, stress, motivation, worry and anything else that others are experiencing lets you come up with strategies and approaches to help them reach their fullest potential.