For decades social science had no answer to the peculiar and consistent finding that people with average IQs outperform those with higher IQs more than 70% of the time.
Peter Salovey, in his seminal article, Emotional Intelligence: Imagination, Cognition and Personality (1989), was the first to bring awareness to the reality of Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Hard to believe that was 30 years ago.
In more recent times, Daniel Goleman has become a global thought leader of EQ theory and application. His article, What Makes a Great Leader, published in the Harvard Business Review in 2004, continues to be one of the most downloaded articles in HBR history. Surprise! High EQ is the characteristic that sets great leaders apart from the pack.
What Makes a Great Leader, (HBR, 2004) is one of the most downloaded articles in HBR history. Surprise! High EQ is the characteristic that sets great leaders apart from the pack. Share on XUntil recent years, IQ was considered the sole source of professional success. After decades of research, scholars like Daniel Goleman are now pointing to EQ as the critical factor in star performance.
People with average IQs outperform those with higher IQs more than 70% of the time. Want to know why? Share on XEQ is the “intangible” in each of us that affects how we manage our own responses and behaviour; navigate complexities in social environments; and make important decisions.
Travis Bradberry is becoming well known around the world for his accessible teaching and practical training in EQ. He says that EQ consists of a handful of skills under two categories: personal competence and social competence.
Personal competence includes self-awareness and self-management. Self-awareness is your ability to accurately perceive your own emotions and stay aware of them even (especially!) when things get heated. Self-management is the ability to observe and monitor your emotions while remaining flexible enough to positively direct your behaviour. It is the opposite of a fight of flight mentality.
Social competence consists of social awareness and relationship management. Social awareness is your ability to accurately understand the moods, behaviours and motives of others. Relationship management is the ability to influence relationships without manipulating them.
EQ is linked to performance. Travis Bradberry’s agency, TalentSmart, tested EQ with 33 other workplace skills and concluded that EQ is the strongest predictor of performance in all types of jobs. 90% of top performers are high in EQ. Just 20% of the lowest performers possess high EQ. These findings hold true in all industries, at every level in the organization and in every region of the world.
There is good news for leaders – EQ can be developed.
Leaders that learn to better manage personal responses and behaviour strengthen their ability to influence others without having to manipulate them or lean on a title to get them to do what they want them to do.
High EQ leaders manage their personal responses and behaviour which strengthens their ability to influence others without having to manipulate them or lean on a title. Share on XLeaders that learn to navigate the complexities of social environments become more effective in building healthy cultures and culture eats strategy for lunch.
High EQ leaders better navigate the complexities of social environments making them more effective in building healthy cultures and culture eats strategy for lunch. Share on XLeaders that learn to make better decisions and quicker, become more competent in leading change and change is the permanent landscape of leadership.
High EQ leaders make better decisions and quicker, increasing their competence in leading change and change is the permanent landscape of leadership. Share on X
Thanks for your thoughts, Brett! This is all very helpful. As I reflect on my own experience, there seems to be a direct correlation between the depth of my prayer life and my growth in the aspects of EQ that you describe. I can think of multiple dimensions of my interior life (awareness of affections and motivations, level of honesty with God, conversion from areas of sin, healing of woundeness, etc.) that have impacted my growth in self-awareness, given me greater security in my identity, and increased my freedom to enter into relationships in a new way. I know you have reflected on all these things at various times, but have you written anywhere in your work on the intersection of these things with EQ? Or have you run across anyone who has?
Thanks for your insights, Jen. My apologies for the tardy reply. This message got lost. I have not written on the matters you so well describe. Will give some thought to doing so. Are you familiar with Dr Bob Schuchts and the JPII Healing Centre?