Putting emotional intelligence to work is an emerging trend, not only in the corporate leadership but also in entrepreneurship. As an entrepreneur, you cannot rely solely upon your intellectual knowledge. Aside from your IQ, there are a lot of other skills and competencies needed to take your company from a startup to a thriving enterprise. "Entrepreneurs are those that shine and excel in the workplace beyond the norm," according to the study made by Cross and Travaglione of The University of Newcastle, Australia. But really, what sets entrepreneurs apart from the other members of the workforce? Are these characteristics innate, or are they something that can be learned?

Entrepreneurs are not afraid to express their emotions. Entrepreneurs are the kind of people who are expressive and do not withhold information, even their own emotions. This is not only a trait of emotionally intelligent entrepreneurs, but it's also more of a strategy to resolve issues and conflicts.

Article Source

Entrepreneurs know how to regulate their emotions. Being an entrepreneur means you're exposing yourself to a lot of risks and stress. But have you ever wondered why successful entrepreneurs just don't stop despite these negative conditions? It's because they know how to control their emotions. As a result, they "create inspiration and commitment, motivate skills, maintain harmony, and manipulate trust" (Cross & Travaliogne, 2003).

Entrepreneurs use their emotions to solve problems. Starting an enterprise and keeping it alive not only involves risks and stress but also a whole lot of criticism and rejection. According to studies, entrepreneurs have the tendency to transform negative feelings such as criticism and rejection into a motive for improvement. These highly self-motivated individuals use their feelings as a source of determination and relentlessness to avoid a repeat of such rejection and criticism.

Emotionally intelligent entrepreneurs have a high level of self-awareness. These individuals are well-grounded yet confident. They know what they want and what they can do. Their knowledge of their self-efficacy helps them decide on matters that could affect the business, no matter how big or small the impact is. Being an excellent decision-maker sets these breed of individuals apart from the regular members of the workforce.

Entrepreneurs are socially adept. In an entrepreneurship, an entrepreneur is often faced with situations that require persuasion and negotiation skills. They have the tendency to use their social skills to their advantage, like getting people to agree with them or do business with them. This talent starts from their smart ways of building a network of people they know, trust, and like before they even need anything from them. No wonder they often get what they want!

EI SMART entrepreneurs know how to effectively empathize. In the past, researchers define entrepreneurs as opportunists and creators of opportunities that they can exploit (Littunen, 2000). But really, entrepreneurs are more than that. In fact, they are not only good at creating opportunities, but they are also good in showing empathy to others, especially the people they work with. They know how to build, cultivate, and promote rapport among employees and clients.

Now, who says that emotions are unimportant in the business? Of course, they are! Your emotions, whether positive or negative, can influence your judgment, memory recall, ability to show appreciation, creativity, and reasoning skills. It's important as well to take note that entrepreneurs were not born with these traits. These characteristics were developed over time, thanks to experience. Also, it's good to know that these strategies can be learned. Nobody expects you to have all six characteristics mentioned above. Now, ask yourself, "Am I ready to learn about EI and be an emotionally intelligent entrepreneur?"

The Secrets of an Emotionally Intelligent Entrepreneur