EQ — The Type of Intelligence that Beats IQ in Predicting Your Success
71% of employers say they value EQ more than IQ while 75% say they’re less likely to promote an employee with a high IQ over one with a high EQ…
Why do some people with a high IQ fail while some people with a low IQ flourish? Intelligence quotient (IQ) is a numerical measure that assesses a person’s reasoning ability based on a series of standardized tests. Oh yeah, this definitely rings a bell on school. When we hear someone has a high IQ they are known as “smart,” and from the back of our minds they are commonly misconceptualized as “the person most likely to be successful later in life.” A higher IQ does factor into higher chances of success in life, but let’s keep in mind that each person has two brains. One thinks and reflects while the other is more emotional and impulsive. The answer to the question above lies in our more emotional and impulsive brain.
What is EQ?
From when we were cavemen to now we have shown emotions that help us deal with critical situations when logic isn’t the only thing we can rely on to make decisions. Every person has emotional intelligence (EQ), one’s ability to perceive and manage their emotions (and other people’s emotions) so they are expressed effectively and properly. Having a high EQ helps you communicate better, encourage more positive thinking, have better relationships, and improve your family income and career.
There are four primary skills that fall under EQ. The skills pair up into two competencies: personal competence and social competence. Personal competence is your ability to both be aware and manage your behavior. Social competence is based on your social awareness and relationship management skills such as understanding other people’s moods to improve the quality of your relationships. Without further explanation, let’s look into the four primary skills:
1. Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is your ability to recognize your emotions in the present and understand your behavioral tendencies across different situations accurately. Emotions always pop out since they are your reactions to what’s around you, and the only way to really understand them is to take the time to think through them and figure out where they come from and why they are there. People with a high level of self-awareness are clear in knowing what they do well, what motivates them, what satisfies them, and which people and situations make them tick.
As your self-awareness increases, your ability to reach your goals at home and at work (satisfaction with life) soars. This skill is so significant that in job performance, 83% of people high in self-awareness are top performers, while just 2% of bottom performers are high in self-awareness. When you are self-aware, you keep your emotions from holding you back, put your strengths to work, and pursue the right opportunities.
2. Self-Management
Self-management is the ability to stay adaptable and change your behavior positively based on your awareness of your emotions. Certain emotions generate fear and cloud your ability to execute the best course of action. When they emerge, you need good self-management to have patience with uncertainty as your think through your emotions and options. The best course of action reveals itself only when you understand and build comfort with what you are feeling.
True results arise by putting your momentary needs on hold to pursue the larger important goals. Your self-management is tested repeatedly when the realization of these goals are delayed. Those with self-management see things through without cracking, meaning success ensues those who continually manage their tendencies.
3. Social Awareness
Social awareness is your ability to sense emotions from other people and understand what is going on in their perspective. Meaning, even if you do not feel the same way as others, you still perceive what others are both thinking and feeling. This EQ skill makes sure you stay focused on the other party and absorb critical information.
To listen well and understand what’s going on around us, we have to stop things we tend to do (self-management): stop the monologue in our minds, stop talking, and stop thinking about what to say next. It’s not easy to truly observe others during social interactions. Having social awareness means you have to pick out people’s emotions while you’re a contributing member of the interaction.
4. Relationship Management
Relationship management is your ability to use your self-awareness and social awareness to manage interactions successfully. It’s the final skill that taps into all three other EQ skills to make sure there is effective communication and productive handling of conflict. Relationship management is the bond you form with others by seeing the benefit of connecting with different people.
During times of stress, relationship management poses a great challenge. When people passively avoid problems but lack the skills to start a direction, constructive conversation, conflicts fester at both home and work. Things then explode when people take their frustration and anger out on others. Relationship management allows you to make the most out of every interaction you have with another person and avoid explosive scenarios.
Mind Over Feelings
A high IQ doesn’t mean you have guaranteed success because it never measures your ability to recognize your own tendencies, pursue larger goals, understand other people, and manage interactions successfully. A high EQ is what is vital to a happy, healthy, and productive personal and professional life. In today’s working and home environments, we work with both ourselves and others every day, so we might as well do it with more brilliance.
TL;DR
- Intelligence quotient (IQ) is a numerical measure that assesses a person’s reasoning ability based on a series of standardized tests.
- Emotional intelligence (EQ) is one’s ability to manage their feelings so they are expressed effectively and properly.
- There are four primary skills that fall under EQ. The skills pair up into two competencies: personal competence and social competence.
- Skill 1: Self-awareness is your ability to recognize your emotions in the present and understand your behavioral tendencies across different situations accurately.
- Skill 2: Self-management is the ability to stay adaptable and change your behavior positively based on your awareness of your emotions.
- Skill 3: Social awareness is your ability to sense emotions from other people and understand what is going on in their perspective.
- Skill 4: Relationship management is your ability to use your self-awareness and social awareness to manage interactions successfully.
Thanks for reading! Any feedback, applause, or comments are welcomed. If you found the content enjoyable, follow me on Medium! Feel free to connect with me via email (Jolie837837@gmail.com) and LinkedIn!
