The future workplace is changing to make the skill of Emotional Intelligence (EI) essential. While AI and automation take over routine mental and physical tasks, EI is becoming the key differentiator in achieving excellence in individual engagement, product innovation and customer experiences. The business climate has changed inalterably and to optimize project results, while simultaneously maximizing the use of resources it is necessary and timely for project managers to understand and apply the principles of EI. You have to create a climate where clients, team members, sponsors and management can communicate with clarity, deal more effectively with challenges and make committed choices to act strategically and swiftly. Emotional intelligence (or emotional quotient or EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your emotions positively to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. EI is the ability to intentionally manage your emotions so that they work for you both professionally and personally. It is not about being nice. It is about being authentic and meeting your own, unique identified needs while helping others to identify and meet their unique needs. It is absolutely necessary to have good EI in order to reason well and be competitive. People with low EQ often struggle to understand and control their emotions. They might lash out reactively without understanding what they are really feeling or why they are so upset. A person who lacks EQ might also have unexpected emotional outbursts that seem overblown and uncontrollable. 

As a group, answer the following question.

Discuss how a project manager can improve his or her emotional intelligence to be future-ready, efficient, and effective?