Here are some ways to unlock your hidden emotional intelligence.

Here are some ways to unlock your hidden emotional intelligence.

1. Be emotionally aware.

Make a deliberate daily effort to pay attention to your emotions and behaviors, your actions and reactions. Consider how they affect you and those around you.

2. Hold yourself accountable.

Being in control of your emotions and moods is a basic element of personable responsibility. When you can regulate your responses, you avoid making bad decisions in the heat of the moment--and ultimately, you learn to regulate your state of mind.

3. Be confident in yourself and your team.

Knowing that you can master the moment, that you and those around you have the skills and abilities to come out on top of a crisis situation, gives you the ability to react appropriately to whatever life brings--and to set that example for others.

4. Bring your empathy.

Empathy is the highest order of emotional intelligence. When you can see with the eyes of another, listen with the ears of another, and feel with the heart of another, a whole new level of understanding and communication opens up to you.