Motivation
Individuals with high emotional intelligence are self-motivated. They aren’t motivated by money or titles but find the motivation within themselves. This is something that all hiring managers should keep in mind when going through the recruiting process. Having a highly emotionally intelligent team will help the productivity of the workplace.
A passion to work for internal reasons that go beyond money and status -which are external rewards, - such as an inner vision of what is important in life, a joy in doing something, curiosity in learning, a flow that comes with being immersed in an activity. A propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence. Hallmarks include a strong drive to achieve, optimism even in the face of failure, and organizational commitment.
How do you know what really motivates you?
As you brainstorm for answers, think about your personal values, your dreams, and your goals. Why are these important to you? What is it about these things that really matter to you? What would they actually give you?
For example, if your goal was to get promoted to senior management, ask yourself what would that really give you? It could be a success, significance, respect, a sense of achievement, trust, influence, security (by being better paid), recognition or something else.
There are many ways to get what you really value. Some of our automatic reactions actually take us further away from what we want. By developing your Emotional Intelligence you can begin to create many more Win-Win situations with other people where everyone gets what they need. This helps to create better relationships and engagement within organizations, leading to more powerful leaders and high performing teams.
Now we know how to regulate our emotions and find what really motivates us to great work. In part 4 & 5 we will have a final look at emotional intelligence, and examine how empathy and social skills push us to be better versions of ourselves.