How can you work with creative differences using emotional intelligence?

1 Understand your emotions

The first step to using emotional intelligence is to recognize and manage your own emotions. Creative differences can trigger feelings of anger, resentment, insecurity, or disappointment. These emotions can cloud your judgment, impair your communication, and damage your relationships. To avoid this, you need to identify what you are feeling, why you are feeling it, and how you can cope with it. You can use techniques such as journaling, meditation, or breathing exercises to calm yourself and gain perspective.

2 Listen actively

The second step to using emotional intelligence is to listen actively to the other person's point of view. Listening actively means paying attention, showing interest, asking questions, and reflecting back what you hear. It also means avoiding interruptions, distractions, judgments, or assumptions. Listening actively shows that you respect and value the other person's input, and that you are willing to learn from them. It also helps you understand their motivations, goals, and concerns, which can help you find common ground.

3 Express yourself clearly

The third step to using emotional intelligence is to express yourself clearly and respectfully. Expressing yourself clearly means stating your opinions, preferences, and reasons in a concise and coherent way. It also means using positive and constructive language, avoiding personal attacks, sarcasm, or blame. Expressing yourself respectfully means acknowledging the other person's feelings, perspectives, and contributions, and using "I" statements instead of "you" statements. For example, you can say "I feel frustrated when you change the design without consulting me" instead of "You are always messing up the design".

5 Resolve conflicts

The fifth step to using emotional intelligence is to resolve conflicts in a positive and productive way. Conflicts can arise when creative differences escalate into disagreements, misunderstandings, or tensions. To resolve conflicts, you need to use the previous steps of understanding your emotions, listening actively, expressing yourself clearly, and embracing diversity. You also need to use problem-solving skills, such as defining the issue, generating alternatives, evaluating options, and agreeing on a solution. You can also use negotiation skills, such as finding common interests, compromising, and building trust.