{"id":17335,"date":"2014-10-28T23:14:27","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T15:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crazyleafdesign.com\/blog\/?p=17335"},"modified":"2014-10-28T23:20:12","modified_gmt":"2014-10-28T15:20:12","slug":"level-emotional-intelligence-enough-make-successful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crazyleafdesign.com\/blog\/level-emotional-intelligence-enough-make-successful\/","title":{"rendered":"Is your level of Emotional Intelligence enough to make you successful?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As freelancers, we’re constantly looking for new clients to do better work and to ultimately earn more.<\/p>\n

Before acquiring my current lineup of clients, I had to go through a ton of bad\/horrible ones before finding the folks that I am proud to say I do business with today.<\/p>\n

Clients, are people. And to manage your clients well, you have to understand how to handle people<\/strong> well. And if you don’t, well unfortunately, having a kick-ass design portfolio isn’t going to help you get that gig.<\/p>\n

This where having a high level of Emotional intelligence or EQ<\/strong> comes in to good use.<\/p>\n

\"discussion\"<\/p>\n

Image \u00a9 Todd Fong<\/a><\/p>\n

So what is Emotional Intelligence?<\/h4>\n

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ is the ability to know yourself and be able to identify, understand, control, evaluate, and emphatize with others in order to react positively within the situation and surroundings you are in.<\/p>\n

For self-employed freelancers like myself, this becomes a crucial skill to have, as you’ll interact with all types of different people on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

According to researchers from Harvard Business School, having a high level of EQ is in fact more important than having high IQ (intellectual intelligence).<\/p>\n

The 3 characteristics of Emotional intelligence<\/h4>\n

Self-awareness<\/strong> \u2013 You are aware and in control of your own feelings and emotions. You are intuitive and understand your thoughts and behavior. You are also a motivated individual who know your own strengths and weaknesses. In addition, you have the self-confidence to take initiative, follow through and adapt to changing circumstances.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"self<\/p>\n

Image \u00a9 Moyan Brenn<\/a><\/p>\n

Social empathy<\/strong> \u2013 You are able to understand the emotions, wants, and concerns of others. You easily pick up on their emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.<\/p>\n

People Skills<\/strong> \u2013 You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.<\/p>\n

How this relates to you?<\/h4>\n

People with high EQ are generally good at interpreting, understanding, and acting upon emotions. They are fairly comfortable with dealing with social or emotional conflicts, expressing their feelings, and dealing with emotional situations.<\/p>\n

So as designers, our success depends on our ability to listen to what our bosses or clients want and need. We can also identify what is expected of us by being aware of their body language and facial expressions.
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