Emotional Intelligence

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Emotional Intelligence - the importance of soft skills

You may (or may not) have a large IQ but what about your EQ

In the article Self Development with Theory X and Theory Y we highlight the importance of your own behaviour in the workplace and how it has a much greater influence on everyone else than you may have ever understood. It is very important to ensure that the 'soft skills' are not ignored. This article identifies them and the impact that they have on your job and career.

Emotional Intelligence. What is it all about?

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) - as opposed to traditional intelligence (IQ - Intelligence Quotient) - describes a set of abilities, competences or "soft" skills about how people manage themselves and their relationships with others.

Daniel Goleman wrote a best seller called Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ and helped to make the topic popular.

Originally there were three components relating to managing oneself and two components regarding relating to others.

  • Self Management

    Self-awareness - the ability to read your emotions and recognize their impact while using gut feelings to guide decisions.

    Self management - Being able to control your own anger as well as impulses such as acting without thinking. Knowing when to be flexible and open to change. Adapting to changing circumstances.

    Motivation - Being optimistic and having personal drive.


  • Relating to Others

    Relationship management - Skill in "reading" the emotions and motivations of people. Empathising with their needs. Managing conflict.

    Social Awareness - In a work environment an ability to build and manage relationships with clients and colleagues, etc.
Daniel Goleman subsequently revised this to four:

1. Self Awareness

2. Self Management

3. Social Awareness

4. Relationship management

Is EQ just a management fad?

Getting ahead is not about being a technical wizard or an intellectual genius. In many organisations you will find brilliant minds at the head of departments where technical expertise is critical. However these very same people may well be stuck in these 'silos' unable to get promotion into wider management roles because they lacked the right personal qualities. It is commonly accepted that traditional IQ tests fail to predict job performance.

Instead, it is people who are acknowledged to be politically aware, open-minded, confident and with good people skills who sit at the tops of companies. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is simply a collective name for this set of skills.

What about empathy?

Learning to sell more effectively to clients and get on with colleagues requires an ability to relate to people's feelings and understand their needs.

An accurate understanding of employees' needs and feelings will help to find the best way of motivating, know their current capabilities and know what their potential is.

Is emotional intelligence (EQ) only important in a management role?

Daniel Goleman estimated that EQ is twice as important as technical skill or IQ in determining top-class performance.

It is difficult to think of any job which will not be affected by EQ. Having a good sense of political awareness in a company will help to detect key relationships and how to deal with conflict. Having knowledge of oneself and empathy with others will help to know when to press ahead and when to take advice. There are many examples.

Try to think of recent occasions where perhaps your soft skills have, or could have, been used to good effect. Have you lost a sale? Perhaps had an argument with a colleague or failed to get your point of view across. These are all occasions where your soft skills and empathy may have helped.

These concepts are obvious and straightforward enough. However, most people cannot apply them as effectively as they might. All skills need practise and refinement.

Many people have very little awareness of their own strengths and weaknesses.

There is probably a poor correlation between your rating of your own skills and the ratings given by your colleagues, peers and subordinates.

You need to be aware of your shortcomings if you are to eliminate them.

Can EQ be learned?

According to Goleman the EQ competencies are not innate talents but learned abilities.

Emotional Intelligence resides in a centre of the brain known as the limbic system, which is formed at birth - so a proportion of EQ will be determined in your infancy. However, the limbic system responds remarkably well to feedback, training and extended practice. In short, EQ is a set of behaviours that can be learned.

How is EQ measured and improved when necessary?

Contrary to the IQ, the EQ can be improved.

There are many EQ Tests on the market. Different models of Emotional Intelligence have led to the development of various instruments for each model. While some of these measures overlap research indicates that each one has its own theory.

Two measurement tools are based on the Goleman model:

  • The Emotional Competency Inventory (ECI), which was created in 1999 and the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI), which was created in 2007.


  • The Emotional Intelligence Appraisal, which was created in 2001 and which can be taken as a self-report or 360-degree assessment (Bradberry and Greaves, 2005).
However, like any skill, EQ can be improved only with a great deal of time and determination. Determination and open-mindedness because you may have to confront unpleasant realities about yourself. - who finds it easy to admit that they are a poor team player or that they find it difficult to be as assertive as they need to be?

Objective feedback on your personality and interpersonal skills from people who you can trust to be open and honest is important. Very often this will need to be from people outside the company you work for. Of course feedback on your performance and role at work is also important but may be harder to get.

We will be writing some practical advice on how you can work at developing your interpersonal skills based on objective feedback.

To start now why not read further -

the article: Developing Emotional Intelligence as well as books on Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence - have you got it?