First of all, let’s get this straight up before definitions and other points that emotional intelligence is essential for any human being; leader, client, business owner, employer, employee, lawyer and whatever position out there.

It should be aspired to or worked on having even if it’s non-existent in a person.

It is not basically saying be weak, sentimental and be accepting of all thrown into one’s face BUT rather emotional intelligence speaks and encompasses some kind of:

balance, attitude of firmness

while incorporating understanding,

a sort of foreshadow in issues or a person,

knowing what to say and what not to say or do,

knowing how to pragmatically solve a problem while all the time maintaining an ethical stance, dignity, fairness to the person affected

and to a great extent, injecting an impressive leadership or handling of issues.

I see these as strategic too.

Emotional Intelligence is sometimes in built in a way and many times, learned.

Each person would have to figure out the best way to imbibe the attributes and basic strategies earlier mentioned.

An employee can be a leader in that they take initiative and understand and do things right while an employer can be a leader and also do all of the above.
An understanding of emotional intelligence makes it good and fluid and makes the relationship have less friction.

The same goes for a lawyer and his fellow lawyers or a lawyer and his clients or a lawyer and his society or any other person or group,places, etc as the case may be.

DEFINITION

Mary Juetten, a lawyer defined emotional intelligence as:

“Emotional intelligence (EQ) is defined as your ability to recognize and understand emotions, both in yourself and others, and to then use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships.”

The psychologists, Peter Sallvey and John D. Mayer, both defined emotional intelligence as:

“The ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior”.

The two in further researches added more thoughts and definitions in a way of being more encompassing to include: the capacity to reason about emotions, the capacity to reasoning emotional, the capacity to enhance thinking, etc.

THE VALUE IN EI:
A lawyer who is efficient in the law and general practice or even relative areas or careers, knows when to:

listen or reply or attack or scold or apologise or negotiate or mediate or communicate or hold back some words or ideas is most likely more emotionally intelligent and if such lawyer or any lawyer or person really, just researches or studies or gets more trained and aware of emotional intelligence, understand this balance in communication, lawyering, living, conflict resolution, advocacy,fight,negotiation,empowering,etc-that’s a highly valued, powerful and successful person.

( It doesnt matter if they are rich or not or connected to power or positions or not)

It is the emotional intelligence that maybe or is often the liquid flowing in the contents of what makes a successful lawyers, a lawyer employing other lawyers, a lawyer with few or many clients, a lawyer who the society or nation can relate with, respect and yet see as capable and a leader for law or any position at all.

It’s all these that are seen as values in emotional intelligence and often recognised or used by a person with a healthy dose of self awareness or aware of EI.

THE RELATIVE ELEMENTS OF EI:
Often times, I strongly believe it is the balance, style and emotional intelligence that makes the clients come back, that makes fellow lawyers eager or comfortable to relate with the person

regardless of if the lawyer has many clients, money, a firm, a high position, etc OR not.

No doubt, money and connections help and may keep colleagues or employees or even certain clients but have you wondered why it doesnt always work…? Or why some grumble and domt have great things to say about a person or their services even though they use them.

It could be that they lack emotional intelligence, integrity, balance, found wanting in varying issues, unstable, rigid,etc.

These could be fixed with the study, training, understanding, practicing of emotional intelligence and all the concepts or factors related to it or that works hand in hand.

It is more worthy to mention that emotional intelligence can sometimes be imbibed or subsumed already in a person’s behaviour or personality.
How ever, most humans may not be aware or practicing it and as with most things, they are needed to accept the need for it and be taught, learn, etc.

ABILITY IN EI:

I’d like to mention an impressive model by Salovey and Mayer which includes:

Perceiving emotions

Using emotions

Understanding emotions

Managing emotions

These are seen and known to help one manage, be on top of the game and navigate issues in life and amongst humans.

As much as it is workable for people using this, there are a few others who criticised it as not exactly having face and as predictive validity tool.

There are also other models like the mixed and the trait models.
A BETTER SOCIETY, NATION OR WORLD
So, as the topic states and recognises, emotional intelligence is needed by all humans but it is totally more needed by leaders and lawyers (fix other careers or people as you wish) and these positions can be inter-twined.

It all makes the world a much better place… lawyers and fellow lawyers, lawyers and clients, lawyers in political offices in all countries, lawyers making laws, lawyers standing up for rights of the people, etc…

Sometimes, it’s the essentials that makes a bit or a huge difference.

© Sandra Nwadi, Esq. BL. MBA. APNM, is a legal practitioner, writer, composer, rights activist, etc. Member of NBA, FIDA, literary, music, arts and science societies, etc. etc. 08037403924 [email protected]