EQ Over IQ: Why Emotional Intelligence Matters More
In a competitive marketplace where the stakes are high, those with high emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, are finding more success in their roles at work; compared to those with higher IQs. The evidence suggests that those with high emotional intelligence fair better because of several factors that form the healthy basis of interpersonal relationships of any kind, regardless of context.
How do you define emotional intelligence and why does it matter?
Emotional intelligence can be encapsulated into two primary areas: personal competence and social competence. Within personal competence, two competencies make up the category: self-awareness and management. The other half of EQ is social competence, comprised of both social awareness and relationship management.
High scorers in each of the following domains have a greater likelihood of thriving in business and surpassing their contemporaries with lower EQ scores.
1. Self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to accurately discern your own emotions and understand your natural inclinations in response to those emotions. This is more than just knowing what kind of motivations are hidden within the deepest part of you and knowing who and what you may dislike. Those who have a high level of self-awareness possess a keen awareness of what they do well, can identify their emotions, and know what their triggers are. Self-awareness is directly connected to high performance because those strong in this category are clear on where they compare to the expectations of their roles and possess the insight needed to self-correct any deficiencies. This is helpful in the workplace as those with a high level of self-awareness can be good self-advocates and self-advocacy is essential in asking for a raise, seeking opportunities, and fostering a more equitable work environment.
2. Self-management. Self-management is the ability to utilize self-awareness to direct your behavior positively. Self-awareness is the basis on which self-management exists. Knowing is half the battle. The other half is the ability to positively direct your behavior. While it may seem like a fairly simple thing, the more self-awareness one possesses, the more complex management may be. In many instances, those that are highly aware, generally default to the negative aspects of self and spend their time considering their weaknesses. To maximize self-awareness, it’s imperative that the focus is on strengths and what you do well. For, it is those that maximize their strengths that achieve better results than those that simply spend their days managing their weaknesses.
3. Social awareness. Very similar to self-awareness, social awareness is the ability to perceive the emotions of others and what they are experiencing. This is the skill of being able to “read the room”. When communicating with others and being able to perceive and understand how your communication is making them respond is a skill that can help you tailor your content to be better received and understood. This skill can also help you to build greater relational equity as you consider other’s feelings and what may be going on in their world. Understanding other’s feelings without being tainted with your thoughts and emotions epitomize social awareness.
4. Relationship management. Relationships are the currency of success. Being able to successfully manage them is one of your keys to success. Relationship management is the ability to utilize both self-awareness and social awareness to manage your actions and positively impact your relationships.
The unique aspect of EQ, unlike IQ, is it can be improved. Those desiring to increase their EQ can find coaches and mentors to help and hold them accountable in the areas of their weaknesses. You can make decisions, ahead of experiencing emotional triggers, on how they will behave and respond. Developing a plan of improvement can also improve the relational equity of key relationships at work. At work, healthy relationships are those that are a result of every domain of emotional intelligence.
