Our emotions provide us with valuable information about ourselves, others, and situations. From frustration to contentment, from anger to elation, we confront these varying emotions daily in the workplace. The key is to use our emotions intelligently – by being aware of their presence and intentionally using them to guide our behaviour to enhance our situation. This process comprises two elements, says Hendrie Weisinger in ‘Emotional Intelligence at Work’ – first (considered here), we need to understand our emotions and develop self-awareness and, second, we must know how to manage those emotions to best advantage in the workplace. 1. Understand the meaning of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is ‘the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action’. For example, if a client drives you crazy to the point of anger, do you [...]