The bulk of learning about Emotional Intelligence at work is actually realising certain traits in yourself and then working to emphasise the good ones and reduce the bad ones, although it's not always that simple. Many of us have traits that have been with us since childhood, and they are very well ingrained and hard to change - but recognising they are there is half the battle.

There is no "good" or "bad" emotion per se, but there are good and bad ways of reacting emotionally to certain situations. One of the more fundamental traits in work is if you're a proactive or reactive person. Proactive by its very name suggests it's a "good" thing, although this may not always be the case. So are you proactive or reactive, and what can you do about it?

Proactivity

Being proactive means that you don't wait around for others to make the decisions - you put your best foot forward and want to get things moving along. If nobody volunteers for a task, you'll do it. If there's training to be had, you'll be in the queue to be booked onto it. These are all good traits at work and we all know people who can motivate us with their proactivity.

However, there's a downside to this and some situations where tact, stepping back and thinking before acting can work best. Let's say that your manager has announced some redundancies. If you're proactive, you'll start looking for a new job straight away in order not to be left out, but that could backfire if you are re-employed within the company at a different role.

Another example is if someone is having a hard time or is consumed by stress at work - if you're proactive, you may not have the tact and diplomacy in your mind to step back and look at why they are stressed, rather than treating the immediate problem.

Reactivity

If you're reactive, this can mean that you wait for something to happen, and then react to it, rather than being the someone doing the thing that happens. This also has positive sides - if you're a stockbroker, reacting to the market, you're going to take a more considered approach that could mean more profit. If you're a manager, then you'll wait to get everyone's opinion before making a decision, reacting to the feedback first.

This also has downsides, though - if you are constantly reacting to others, you won't be a very good leader or feel comfortable making those decisions yourself. You may miss trends and wait too long thinking of all the options before making decisive action, and in some areas of business, this is a drawback.

The best option for both styles is to know when to be reactive or proactive accordingly. If lots of things are going on and you have time to consider, react and think to a situation, then great, but don't be afraid to be proactive too - after all, sometimes a follower has to be a leader, and vice versa.

It will also help to recognise which members of your team have which trait so you can give them tasks that help balance their emotionally intelligent, reactive or proactive side. And as for you yourself - once you're aware of which side you fall on, try to mix it up a bit. After all, there are no rights and wrongs!