Being More Than Just Intelligent
In a recent study conducted by the Chartered Management Institute they found that the area’s leaders required development in to become the best they could be included; Personal effectiveness, assertiveness, time-management, communication and listening skills and emotional intelligence.
Up to 30% of a company’s financial performance can be traced to the climate a leader creates. And up to 70% of the climate can be defined as how “emotionally intelligent” its workforce is.
So what is & how can we measure our Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence has been around for a number of years, but became popular in the mid 90′s when Daniel Goleman published his book titled ‘Emotional Intelligence’. It was this book and his link of the subject to becoming a successful leader that encouraged companies to use other measures of intelligence rather than the traditional IQ test to view an employee or candidate in a wider way.
How many of you reading this, know someone who is academically very intelligent but lacks the social ability to get on in life? Having a low EQ score may mean that this person is unlikely to form positive relationships, upset people around them, and have high levels of stress which could scupper any chance of progress in business, particularly into leadership roles. Whilst this may seem an extreme view, research suggests that having the ‘right skills’ just isn’t enough.
EQ (emotional quotient) means that, to be successful we must be able to effectively control and manage our own emotions and those of people around us. To reach the top in the vast majority of organisations, you need powerful people skills, whatever sector you work in. A leader at the top of their game is somebody who is able to recognise their own goals & understand what might hold them back, remain clear and focused even when dealing with strong emotions and identify with and understand another’s situation, feelings and motives. This last one alone is the key to building and maintaining positive relationships.
Relating well with others is vital in today’s workplace. Mark Zuckerberg CEO of Facebook has had to learn, that in order to gain the respect and admiration of his workforce and peers, becoming more socially intelligent (IQ combined with EQ) would enable him to clearly articulate the values and vision that he has for Facebook to potential investors. Not the character we all saw him portrayed as in The Social Network. There are many other successful leaders in business that had to make the intelligence transition.
It’s clear from all the research, articles, leadership programmes etc, that there is real value and impact on possessing this skill and quality.
It’s what we do with it that matters.
Author: Angi Silverston
Angi is a motivating, warm and enthusiastic coach, trainer and guide. She has over 13 years of corporate experience working across a range of commercial and people development roles. She came to Position Ignition for their results driven approach, which she knows brings great clarity to client
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