The technical skills that helped secure your first promotion might not guarantee your next. If a leadership role is what you aspire to, there is an emotional element you need to consider. While IQ measures a person’s knowledge and problem-solving skills, EQ focuses on their emotional awareness and their skills.
Emotional Understanding
When it comes to happiness and success in life, EQ matters just as much as IQ. Emotional Intelligence (EI), otherwise known as Emotional Quotient (EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict.
High Performers
EI/EQ helps you successfully coach teams, manage stress, deliver feedback, and collaborate with others. Emotional intelligence (EI) accounts for 90% of what sets high performers apart from peers with similar technical skills and knowledge. EI/EQ helps you succeed at school and work, build stronger relationships, and achieve your personal and career goals. It helps you connect with your feelings, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you.
EQ Advantages
Employees with an elevated EI or EQ produce advantages throughout their career development and provide benefits for the organization. A workforce made up of emotionally intelligent individuals improves relationships within the team and helps to generate a positive work culture. However, on the other hand employees that are not as astute will struggle to manage their feelings. As a result, they often act impulsively without clear thought to their behavior and that the consequences of their actions will not affect themselves or the people around them.
Signs of High EI/EQ
- Self-awareness to know your own strengths and weaknesses. And to identify and express emotions.
- Ability to regulate a full range of emotions.
- Motivation to pursue goals without allowing negative self-talk to hinder progress.
- Ability to let go of mistakes and grudges.
- A curiosity about others and their feelings.
- Empathy and understanding of others’ emotions and feelings.
A Greater Return
EI is contagious. Hiring emotionally intelligent employees or developing EI skills in existing employees can produce an even greater return for companies. The benefit to the organization is that other employees learn to understand and manage their own emotions and become better team members.
IQ and EQ are not static metrics. We all can work to improve both our intellectual and emotional capacity.
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