I always wonder why people with same Intellectual intelligence (IQ) and skills differ in what they achieve in their careers. This question knocks the door of curiosity that there must be something else which might be invisible but inevitable.
From the day One, we are told and taught not to trust our emotions, as they distort the frequency of accurate information. Even the word “emotional” covey meanings like weak, childish and or something irrational. The sentences like “Don’t be emotional as emotions are stupid!” convey our perception about the emotion.
On the other hand, we have ability to calculate, memorize and solve problems. These are things which can easily be measured through written tests and come out as our grades to determine where are we getting admissions and the career path we are going to pursue. But the problem with IQ is that it doesn’t determine how successful we are going to be in our career than Emotional Intelligence (EQ) does. The existence of EQ can not be denied only because it can not be measured or seen.
EQ actually increases our Self-Awareness and Social Awareness, helping us to better understand and anticipate not only ours but also others’ emotions. When we are self and socially-aware, it is easy to better manage and direct our communication and behaviors in a way to maximize our short or long term goals and purposes we desire to achieve.
People with academic brilliance but social incompetence don’t guarantee their success as the skills of Emotional intelligence are missing. Intellectual intelligence is the easily quantifiable part of personality where as EQ is something deep to find out and explore. Strong Intellect (IQ) and experience can take someone to professional positions but it’s really the EQ which differentiates the people who excel from the ones who under-achieve.
Adopting EQ competencies can not only let us achieve our own goals but also helps in meeting team requirements causing organizational success. We have many people in the World who succeeded outstandingly by adopting EQ skills. Let’s share few examples of those who became benchmarks for people to follow:
· Bill Gates, Owner and CEO of Microsoft inc. dropped of the college reluctantly. He says, “Unlike some students, I loved college. However, I felt the window of opportunity to start a software company might not open again”. He actually adopted EQ competency “Initiation”.
· Colin Powel, 65th US Secretary of State was the youngest general ever to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Due to his EQ skill of “Organizational awareness”, he is considered as Legendary for the political skills very well demonstrated by him during his career.
· Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric Co. had EQ skill of “Developing others”, spent 50% of time on developing people. At the company, he was able to know 1000 names of the employees and their roles.
· J.K. Rowling, author of renowned Harry Potter was divorced and was compelled to live on public assistance along with her daughter in a small apartment in Edinburgh. Almost 10 publishers rejected her first book in this series. Due to her EQ skill of “Optimism”, she was able to take it to the heights of success.
“There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours. To the cognition of the brain must be added the experience of the soul”.
—Arnold Bennett, novelist, 1867–1931
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Consider an organization is working in extremely complex situation while another is facing difficult and disgruntled customers. What sort of employees should they employ? The answer would be “those” higher on EQ. Today, organizations are looking for employees having EQ skills than “visible skills”, as effectiveness of the teams and organizations is proven to be closely related with emotional intelligence.
In 1999, Druskat & Wolff conducted research and identified the existence of emotionally competent group norms (ECGNs). They termed these norms as “they influence and manage the emotional process in a way that builds emotional capacity and develops social capital and leads to effectiveness” (p. 9). Further research was conducted on these norms by Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee in 2002 and concluded that “These group norms are an indication of the group’s EQ and can help to determine if a group of individuals functions as a high-performing team” (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002).
Some other valid researches also point out the correlation between team effectiveness and productivity and emotional intelligence (Ilarda & Findlay, 2006; Prati et al., 2003) and find commonality between successful teamwork and emotional intelligence (Yost & Tucker, 2000). Many surveys too, validate the important role of EQ competencies in effective teams and individual. 181 different positions from 121 organizations were surveyed, and 67% of the abilities deemed essential for effective performance were emotional competencies” (cf. Rosier, 1994). Similarly, in order to differentiate star performers in teams from average ones, date from 40 different corporations were reanalyzed and interestingly emotional competencies were found twice important in contribution toward excellence than those of pure intellect or expertise (cf. Jacobs and Chen, 1997)
Looking at the significance and pivotal role of EI in success of individuals and organizations, higher management must inculcate these competencies in individuals of the organization to be successful. But the question is: can Emotional intelligence be learned? My answer would be yes! Although these abilities are said to be God gifted but they can surely be inculcated through adopting good practices within organizations. By developing the following five abilities, Emotional Intelligence level of the employees can be increased:
v Skill 1: The ability to recognize and manage our own emotions.
v Skill 2: The ability to bond with others via nonverbal communication.
v Skill 3: The ability to have fun and play in dealing with challenges.
v Skill 4: The ability to reduce stress quickly.
v Skill 5: The ability to resolve conflicts positively and confidently.
Moreover, the existing competencies are needed to be fine tuned so that the desired goal of effectiveness and efficiency in individuals, teams and organizations at large can be achieved. Supporting the importance of EQ doesn’t mean that IQ is under-estimated. Intellectual abilities (IQ) set the threshold for entering into any career, but as the threshold is met it is Emotional abilities (EQ) which determine eventual success and excellence in one’s career.
Reference:
- Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
- Goleman, D., Boyatzis R. & McKee, A. (2002) Primary Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston: HBS Press.
- Druskat, V. & Wolff, S (2001). “Building the emotional intelligence of groups”, Harvard Business Review, vol. March, pp: 80-90.
- Dattner, B,(n.d.) ‘Succeeding with Emotional Intelligence’ Dattner Consulting, LLC, retrieved from http://www.dattnerconsulting.com/presentations/ei.pdf
- Jaramillo Arturo L. (2007) “The Practical Application of Emotional Intelligence: Building Leadership Skills, Developing More Effective Relationships and Earning Trust and Respect Through EQ!”, retrieved from http://www.generalservices.state.nm.us/pdf/EQPracticalApplication11-07-07.pdf
