All about emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our own emotions and those of others. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is divided into several key competencies: 

• Self-awareness. It is the ability to recognize and understand our own emotions, something that is fundamental for managing our reactions and making decisions.
• Self-regulation. The ability to manage our emotions effectively, avoiding impulsive reactions and misconduct.
• Motivation. It consists of using our emotions to achieve goals. People with high emotional intelligence tend to be more resilient and persistent.
• Empathy. It is the ability to understand the emotions of others, thus facilitating the building of solid and trusting relationships.
• Social skills. The ability to manage interpersonal relationships effectively, which is essential for collaboration and leadership.

In the words of psychiatrist, Marian Rojas Estapé, emotional intelligence is “the ability to understand and express my emotions, to try to understand what others feel and to put myself in their shoes." According to Rojas, “emotional intelligence is more important than normal intelligence, much more, because it is the ability I have to relate well emotionally with my environment."

Emotional intelligence is a fundamental tool in many aspects of life: it helps us to face challenges, prevent conflicts, and foster a more respectful and collaborative environment. To this end, it is very important to promote emotional education from an early age, as it lays the foundations for effective emotional management in adult life; and also to facilitate this emotional education to adults.

This type of intelligence is essential to avoid impulsive reactions and respond appropriately to different situations. This is what we mean by emotional management: the ability to manage our emotions in a constructive way. Proper emotional management in adults not only improves personal well-being, but also contributes to a more positive and productive work environment, in a context where pressure and stress can be high.

Emotional intelligence is also a driving force that allows us to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to manage stress and negative emotions. The first step for all this, and for developing emotional intelligence, is self-knowledge: developing a deep understanding of our own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses.

According to Marian Rojas, self-knowledge is “understanding our personal biography”: “All of us are an adaptation of what has been going on in our lives, with our personality, and the tools we had at our disposal, we are beings adapted in the best or worst way in our lives with everything that has happened to us."

Emotional intelligence is an aptitude that is increasingly taken into account by companies, as it is a key factor for organizational success. Employees with high emotional intelligence tend to be more productive, have better communication skills, and are more effective in conflict resolution. Furthermore, it is closely linked to leadership skills.

Large companies highly value positive thinking and the so-called “cross-cutting competencies” or “soft skills”. Effective communication, the ability to work in a team, adaptability and flexibility, the ability to solve problems, the ability to learn, and leadership are competencies linked to the emotional intelligence of the person and allow employees to contribute more to the operation and objectives of the company.

A positive attitude is also closely related to emotional intelligence, as it involves the ability to see the positive side of situations and to handle stress constructively. A positive attitude is important for maintaining a healthy and productive work environment: employees with a positive attitude are more likely to overcome obstacles, collaborate with others, and maintain high team morale.

Healthy communication, on the other hand, facilitates conflict resolution, improves collaboration, and contributes to a more harmonious work environment. It is the ability to express our ideas and emotions clearly and respectfully, as well as to actively listen to others, and is an essential component of emotional intelligence at work.

Creating an environment where emotions are recognized, valued, and managed effectively is what we know as “emotional integration in the workplace”. It is linked to the concept of “emotional labor”: the process of managing feelings and expressions to meet the emotional requirements of a job.

It improves communication, fosters healthy working relationships, helps to reduce conflicts and increase resilience... Emotional intelligence helps to better manage day-to-day stress in companies, but, in addition, cultivating it helps to create healthy and collaborative work environments. This is the understanding of Marian Rojas Estapé who, in 2022, on World Health Day, accepted Repsol's invitation to give a talk on the combination of leadership and well-being, and on inspirational leadership, which seeks to create commitment and trust in work teams. Rojas placed special emphasis on the need to take care of people: listening to them, supporting them, and creating a positive and healthy work environment, something for which personal will is fundamental.

In this line, to promote work and emotional integration, companies can carry out training programs in emotional intelligence and develop policies that promote emotional well-being and leadership that models emotionally intelligent behavior. For example, in 2024 Repsol carried out training for its salespeople and managers, one of the objectives of which was to learn about the different dimensions of emotional intelligence and apply them in their daily work.