In recent decades, researchers, scientists, educators have proven that Emotional Intelligence (EQ or EI) has proven to be more important than IQ (Intelligence Quotient.)
What’s the Difference
Emotional intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80 percent of the “success” in our lives. -J. Freedman
IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient.
It represents how academically intelligent a person is. Most people understand this.
EQ stands for Emotional Intelligence.
It relates to a person’s ability to perceive, control, evaluate and express emotions. Most people don’t understand the value of this discipline.
Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” While those who rate well on IQ are considered as “educated,” and generally make more money, are healthier and perform better academically. Those with high EQ scores may not have a great deal of technical or academic knowledge but have been shown to perform better at their jobs than those with high IQ scores.
I do believe an individual’s performance in life is determined by both their IQ and EQ. However, research has proven that IQ only accounts for a small percentage of that success. In fact only about 10 to 25-percent of the equation, which leaves EQ responsible for an incredible 75-percent or more of a person’s ability to succeed. IQ will get you through school, EQ will get you through life.
The idea though is not to run ahead with your heart while forsaking your head. “Emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not triumph of heart over head -it is the unique intersection of both” (David Caruso.)
There is a general rule when recruiting for a junior level which states: “Hire for personality; train for skill.”
It means that you can train someone in the technical skills or advance knowledge, they need to perform a job, but you can’t train a person’s personality. Any endeavour to achieve this required tremendous effort.
In practical terms:
- A person with a higher EQ is better at working in teams.
- They can relate to others and are more approachable.
- Those with high EQ scores perform better in the workplace, make better leaders, are more self-confident, trustworthy, more likeable than those with low scores.
- All of these factors lead to an increase in productivity and sales across the board!
The Five Areas of EQ
There are five areas of EQ, and once you understand them, you will begin to realise why being in a mature state of emotional intelligence makes a huge difference. Mainly in how well someone performs in both life and at work.
1. Self Awareness
You can not control your emotions if you are not aware of them. This is where self-awareness plays a significant role.
Self-awareness is an essential leadership quality. It helps you get better because you know how well you currently are doing or feeling emotionally. Self-awareness regulates your decision-making process. It helps you make the right decisions because you also are aware of your blind spots. It makes you progressive at work because you remember past mistakes and addresses them. Being self-aware is being self-knowledgeable.
However, you just cannot become an effective leader without being self-aware.
2. Self-Managment
If you’re not in control of your emotions, your environment will be. Self-managment or regulation places you in the front seat of your emotional life. If you are not controlling your emotion, you become argumentative or resistant to change.
Those who can control their emotions, avoid the temptation to indulge their impulses. Instead they take responsibility for their own feelings, moods, actions, adapt well in the face of change, and are open to new ideas.
Self-regulation is a pretty underrated skill. We have a tendency to glorify the so-called archetypal leader who blows his top, forces his point.
While we perceive those people who have great control over their emotions as cold, dispassionate or lacking in passion.
3. Motivation
The unmotivated are the underachievers. They are the ones who rarely meet goals.
Motivated people are constantly striving to improve, to meet the next due date or milestone. They are also less likely to get discouraged when faced with setbacks or opposition.
“Motivational leadership refers to someone leading others by motivating them to strive for certain goals rather than simply act on orders.
The leader tries to create a safe and trusting environment, and ensure the organisation is positioned for success in its domain.”
4. Empathy
Empathy is the ability to recognise how people feel and how your actions can affect them. Putting profits before people was one reason for the economic meltdown in 2008. Many people think leadership is about rank, power and privilege.
True leadership is the willingness to place others’ needs above your own.
5. Social Skills
Social skills are important regardless of what type of career you have. Even a computer gig needs social skills.
Successful people communicate effectively. Great communicators are needed for conflict management, team management, leadership roles, and tasks where cooperation is necessary.
Social leaders have followers because of their ability to bring people together, facilitate agreements and drive efforts in the same direction.
Nelson Mandela can be seen as the prototype of a social leader.
These Five Levels Can Affect Your Personal Life as well.
These are the several areas where your EQ determines how successful you’ll become in the workplace.
In a world where most knowledge is only a Google search away, emotional intelligence has taken on greater significance, and we’re likely to continue to see employers looking for these skills rather than technical knowledge.
Which truly makes emotional intelligence more important than IQ in today’s world.
