Research by organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich reveals that while 95% of people believe they are self-aware, only about 10-15% actually are. This significant gap underscores the importance of deliberate practices and feedback in developing true self-awareness, a vital trait for effective leadership.
Emotional intelligence helps in avoiding passive aggressiveness and promoting emotional clarity. For example, anger is a healthy emotion. It indicates a discomfort we are feeling and guides us into setting healthy boundaries for ourselves, without destroying our relationships. So one of the goals of EQ is identifying what emotions we are feeling and fostering them in a conductive way, instead of blocking them until they bottle up to the point of exploding.
